Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Newbie]

Hi guys,

What's the current skinny on Korean Daycares? Has their system changed recently, are they held in high regard internationally?

I'm asking because, I'm living in Toronto now and I have an old friend (Korean-Canadian) who has decided he's going to open some daycares here, but he wants to model them on the Korean system. This kinda blew my mind. When I was in Korea (early-mid 2000s) all the talk I seem to remember was how the daycares wanted to be more Western in style, and that they were looked down upon because their sole focus seemed to be the mighty Won, with education being a secondary concern.

So, is this old friend of mine completely out of his mind, or has there been some movement recently, internationally, where people are looking favourably upon the Korean system? I know at the elementary-high school level here there's a growing sense of "Maybe our 'left wing, tree hugging, every kid is special, there's no right or wrong, let's not leave anyone behind, everyone gets an A,' education system needs to go a little more Asian and focus on Maths and Sciences, Black and White, right and wrong" but I've never heard any praise for Korean Daycare before.

[Who's Your Daddy?]

I don't know what "system" you friend is talking about; different kindergartens have different systems. My son goes to a "Nature Experience" kindergarten and they have a garden and the kids are outside a lot.

The big advantage of Korean kinders is they have a shuttle bus to transport the kids, provide a lunch, and finish at 5pm (I see Canada "full day" programs finishing at 3pm).

[Lazio]

My former boss who owns a kinder in Korea opened a daycare (or kinder) in Australia. It’s modeled after the Korean one but of course adjusted to the local codes and requirements.
He had no ties in Australia previously and is a real entrepreneur so he did it simply because it was a promising business opportunity.

I forgot to add that said kinder in Aus. is NOT targeting the Korean immigrant population. They got no Korean kids or employees.

[Troglodyte]

I am curious about what your friend considers to be the Korean system. What would that entail? Personally, I've never heard of something like that outside of Korea. I suppose that if you were in a city with a large Korean population then there might be a niche for Korean language daycare. Really though, I have no idea what the Korean system is since it doesn't look much different from daycare in other countries. Even in North America and Europe it varies a lot in quality and character. I don't think that he's talking about traditional Korean daycare either since only a couple of generations ago daycare centers didn't even exist. Daycare was basically just a matter of leaving the kid with the grand parents. Even today, a lot of women give up their careers to become stay-at-home moms.