This study explores the attitudes of infant care teachers towards child care centers for infants, and
suggests improvements for free child care services for infants, with regard to the teaching principles of
said teachers. Individual in-depth interviews were conducted with 26 infant care teachers. Most of the
infant care teachers agreed that working mothers, but not stay-at-home mothers, should use child care
centers. They also argued that, because child care for infants is free, (1) mothers have become more
dependent on public child care, (2) mother’s perception of child care centers has changed, and (3) people
have exploited child care services. According to the teaching principles of these teachers, optimal
childrearing for infants should involve the following: First, mothers themselves should take care of infants
aged 0 to 2 years at home, when possible. Second, mothers using child care centers should form a
childrearing partnership with the centers’ teachers, and thus closely cooperate with them. Third, the role
of infant care teachers should be understood as that of “the second mother.” The highlight of this study
is that it investigated the changes child care teachers have experienced as main providers of child care
services for infants since the implementation of free, universal infant care, and suggested directions for
improving child care services.