President Tsai Ing-wen says the monthly childcare subsidy for infants will be extended to cover all children under the age of three. Tsai was speaking Thursday during a visit to a New Taipei kindergarten.
Currently, parents of children under the age of two get a monthly childcare subsidy of NT$6,000 (US$200). The subsidy can be used to pay for childcare at both public and private daycare centers. Further subsidies for kindergarten kick in once children reach the age of three.
This system leaves two-year-olds without subsidy coverage, and parents have complained about this year-long gap. The Cabinet says the new extension of childcare subsidies will close this gap and help alleviate parents’ burdens.