The purpose of this study is to have a chance to grope for development plan about the community child-care center workers with presenting their problem and improvement ways based on the survey and understanding of their duty, working conditions and situations.
For this study, surveying by e-mail for the directors and workers in 202 centers registered in Gwangju metropolitan city from Oct. 1, 2010 to Oct. 31, 2010) was conducted, and 122 directors and 121 workers answered. Excepted insincere 2 responses, totally 243 questionnaire was used. Studying methods are philological documents and surveying questionnaire.
First, philological document study was performed to analyze the preceding studies for the meaning, working conditions, improvement ways about local community child-care center and dispatching teacher support system.
Second, surveying questionnaire was performed to see the general characteristics and situation of the centers and that of the workers, working conditions, duty, dispatching teachers support system and improvement requirements.
This study is performed to contribute for activation and promotion of the center workers with an understanding, presenting the problems and improvement ways in working conditions, center situations and job satisfaction. Results from this study and survey revealed the problems of the center building(rental fee), assigned duties and working conditions and situations. Therefore, required improvement measures and plan is presented as follows ;
First, survey result of the present condition of the most center building shows that private rent is 73.8%, rental status and main operational agent, operation period is the statistically influencing parameters for working conditions. Operational manual(2010) of the center includes the prohibition guideline for the monthly rental fee, property acquiring fee and repairing fee of the centers with governmental subsidy. Directors of the centers are suffering from this guideline because they must prepare the money for center building rent and operation with a monthly payment less than the legal minimum wage. So, this guideline shall be revised to allow rental fee to improve the center quality and management conditions.
Second, survey result of the workers duty shows that the employed workers main duty is food preparation for children and center cleaning(55.4%) which leads the downward of duty satisfaction level. Problems about their duty definiteness of workers with specialty and full requirements for the job is clearly revealed, so the duty definition of the employed workers must be re-established.
Third, survey result of the dispatching teacher support system shows that the center workers unsatisfactory opinion is mostly high(50.4%) because teacher's wage is higher than the center worker's, and retirement payment system for the teachers only. That is a granting unsatisfactory of the center workers who are fully qualified to service for the same center and same children. Therefore, it is required to change the present dispatching teacher support system.
Fourth, survey result of the working conditions & situation improvement shows that the most hopeful requirement is to improve the wage and separate legal payment system(81.9%). The unsatisfactory wage system with burdensome duties is not only an infringement for the human-right of the workers, but also a violation of the national wage system for the national welfare organization. So, the separate wage system for the center workers shall be established.
Based on these results, suggestion for improvement of the working conditions & situations for local child care center workers are as following ;
First, center rental fee to be legally permitted in the operational manual.
Second, duty definition of the employed workers must be established.
Third, separate food-service workers must be assigned to the center.
Fourth, change the present dispatching teacher support system.
Fifth, separate wage system for the center workers must be established.
The community child care center has largely functioned as a main system for changing the frame of poverty treatment from ex post facto intervention for adults toward preventive intervention for children. This is accomplished by the painstaking center workers. So the nation and local government's aggressive intervention for improvement of the working conditions and situations balancing with the other welfare organizations, reflecting the center worker's objective opinions is strongly needed.