The purposes of this article are fourfold. Firstly, it presents the context relevant to the ECEC policy development in Taiwan, focusing on female labor force participation rate and birth rate. Secondly, it illustrates different types of ECEC services in Taiwan, discussing its evolution process and related statistics in historical perspectives. Thirdly, it introduces two sets of policies initiated in the last decade, which imply a political paradigm shift or a transformation of the government role in Taiwan. They are: “woman/family friendly policies” or policies reconciling work and family, including maternity and fraternity leaves, parental leave, flexible working hours as well as family leave; and the “child care friendly policies”, containing subsidy for infant care, early childhood education voucher program, and 5-year-old children tuition-free Education Project. Finally, the authors provide a general introduction of the ECEC integration policy in Taiwan along with an analysis of possible influences in the application of the ECEC Act.
Abstract Introduction Background Information of ECEC Services in Taiwan “Real changed number” minus “should be increased number” Child Care Services Woman/Family and Child Friendly Policies The Integration of ECEC in Taiwan: A Brief History and Commentary References
