Management of meal program
Meal program in a child care center
- The principal of each child care center shall provide infants and young children with nutritionally balanced, hygienic, and safe meals (Article 33 of the Child Care Act).
- The standards for managing meals in a child care center are as follows (Article 34 and Subparagraph 3 (b) of Attached Table 8 of the Enforcement Rules of the Child Care Act).
· The principal of child care center child care staff who cook and provide meals at child care centers (hereinafter “principal and others”) shall thoroughly manage hygiene to prevent food poisoning patients in child care centers.
· The principal and others shall provide meals according to the diet prepared by nutritionists so that infants and young children can get enough nutrition.
· The principal and others shall cook and provide meals for infants and young children at the child care center.
√ However, in the case of a child care center established in a public institution or social welfare center, meals can be provided using a kitchen in the same building.
· The principal and others shall always maintain cleanliness, such as washing, sterilizing, and disinfecting tableware, cutting board, knife, dishcloth, and other kitchen utensils, etc. on a regular basis, and knives and cutting boards used for fish, meat, and vegetables shall be used separately.
· The principal and others shall not store spoiled raw materials or finished products, or raw materials or finished products whose use-by-date has elapsed for cooking, or use them for cooking food, and shall not reuse food already provided for meal services.
· The principal and others shall store and manage raw materials such as food and products that are prone to decay or deformation in the freezer and refrigeration.
· Principals, etc. shall preserve a serving of foods cooked and offered each time for at least 144 hours as specified under subparagraph 2 of Article 88(2) of the Food Sanitation Act. However, principals, etc. may decide not to store food when operating childcare centers for 20 children or less.
· Child care staff who are directly engaged in cooking food such as cooks shall thoroughly manage personal hygiene, such as wearing sanitary clothes, aprons, and sanitary hats.
Registration of food service
- A person who operates food service at a childcare center or private kindergarten with 100 infants or less shall register at the Center for Children’s Foodservice Management to be supported with hygiene and nutrition management (Main Text of Article 21-2(2) of the Special Act on Safety Management of Children's Dietary Lifestyle, and subparagraphs 1 and 2 of Article 15 of the Enforcement Rules on the Special Act on Safety Management of Children's Dietary Lifestyle).
- However, the person may decide not to register if a nutritionist is employed to oversee food services (proviso to Article 21-2(1) of the Special Act on Safety Management of Children's Dietary Lifestyle).
Hiring a nutritionist and a cook
- In principle, a child care center with more than 100 infants shall have one nutritionist, but where it is difficult to have a nutritionist in a child care center caring for at least 100 and less than 200 infants, not more than two child care centers in the same or adjacent Si/Gun/Gu may jointly have a nutritionist (Article 10 and Subparagraph 1(d) of Attached Table 2 of the Enforcement Rules of the Child Care Act).
※ Where the principal of a child care center is qualified as a nutritionist, he/she doubles as a nutritionist (Article 10 and Subparagraph 1 (g) of Attached Table 2 of the Enforcement Rules of the Child Care Act).
※ A child care center registered and managed by the Children’s Meal Service Management Support Center that provides meals to less than 100 people at all times may not have a nutritionist (Article 22 (1) of the Special Act on Safety Management of Children’s Dietary Lifestyle).
- In a child care center where 40 to 80 infants and young children are taken care of, one cook should be hired, and one cook shall be added for every extra 80 infants (Article 10 and Subparagraph 1(e) of Attached Table 2 of the Enforcement Rules of the Child Care Act).
Menu management
Duty to manage a menu
- Meals shall be provided according to a menu prepared by a nutritionist so that infants and young children can get the nutrition they need for normal development (Article 34 and Attached Table 8 of the Enforcement Rules of the Child Care Act).
Menu planning of nutritionist
- A child care center with less than 100 infants and young children who do not have a nutritionist (including a nutritionist jointly employed by not more than five child care centers) shall prepare a menu under the guidance of a nutritionist working at a child care support center, a public health center, and meal management support center of child care center under Article 21 of the Special Act on Safety Management of Children’s Dietary Lifestyle (Article 34 and Attached Table 8 of the Enforcement Rules of the Child Care Act).
Operation of a cooking room
Operation of a cooking room
- The kitchen shall be well lit, mechanically ventilated to maintain a clean indoor environment, and put a screen on a window (Article 9 (1) and Subparagraph 3 (a) 3 of the Attached Table 1 of the Enforcement Rules of the Child Care Act).
- Utensils shall be disinfected and shall be equipped to cook hygienically (Article 9 (1) and Subparagraph 3 (a) 3 of the Attached Table 1 of the Enforcement Rules of the Child Care Act).
- A child care center in a public institution or a social welfare center can use the kitchen in the same building, and the child care center in the same building can also use the kitchen in the kindergarten (Article 9 (1) and Subparagraph 3 (a) 3 of the Attached Table 1 of the Enforcement Rules of the Child Care Act).
Sanctions for violations
Correction order and suspension of operation, etc.
- Where a child care center fails to provide balanced, hygienic, and safe meals, the Minister of Health and Welfare, the Special City Mayor, the Metropolitan City Mayor, the Do Governor, the Special Self-Governing Province Governor (hereinafter referred to as the “Mayor/Do Governor”), or the head of a Si/Gun/Gu may order the principal, the establisher, or operator of the child care center to correct or change it within a fixed period (Subparagraph 4-8 of Article 44 of the Child Care Act).
- The Minister of Health and Welfare, the Mayor/Do Governor, and the head of the relevant Si/Gun/Gu may order the establisher or operator of the child care center to suspend the operation of the child care center within one year or to close the child care center if such person violates the corrective order above (Article 45 (1) 3 of the Child Care Act).
- When the Minister of Health and Welfare, a Mayor/Do Governor, or the head of a Si/Gun/Gu shall order the establisher or operator to suspend the operation of a child care center, he or she may impose a fine not exceeding KRW 30 million, in lieu of the suspension of operation of the child care center, if such suspension of operation causes severe inconvenience to infants, young children, and their guardians, or is likely to harm the public interest (Article 45-2 (1) of the Child Care Act).
Suspension of qualification of the principal of the child care center
- Where the principal of a child care center provides unsanitary meals or neglects the protection of safety of infants and young children, thereby causing life and physical or mental damage to them, the Minister of Health and Welfare may suspend his or her qualification for up to one year as follows (Subparagraph 1 (c) of Article 46(1) of the Child Care Act, Article 39(1) and Attached Table 10 of the Enforcement Rules of the Child Care Act).
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First violation
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Second violation
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Third violation
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Suspension for 6 months
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Suspension for 1 year
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Suspension for 1 year
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Publication of violations
- Cases of child care centers subject to administrative disposition, such as suspension of operation that damaged the lives of infants and young children and caused serious physical or mental damage in violation of the meal standards, the Minister of Health and Welfare, the Mayor/Do Governor, or the head of a Si/Gun/Gu shall publish the violation, the details of the disposition, the name of the relevant child care center, the name of the representative, the name of its principal (limited to cases where he/she is not the same person as the representative), the type of the child care center, and the address of the child care center (The main body of Article 49-3 (1) of the Child Care Act and Article 25-8 (1) of the Enforcement Decree of the Child Care Act).