Faced with the growing demographic challenges of a rapidly aging population and declining fertility rates, Taiwan is working to ensure proper care and protection for every child, particularly in response to the increasing demand for child care services for children aged 0 to under 2. To this end, the government has intensified its efforts in recent years to expand affordable, safe and accessible child care services, helping parents better balance their work and childrearing responsibilities.
On May 8, 2025, the Executive Yuan approved a draft bill for a new child care services act that will help safeguard children's access to age- and developmentally appropriate care. The proposed legislation aims to enhance the regulatory and guidance mechanisms for child care services for children aged 0 to under 2, thus better protecting the rights and interests of children in care and their families.
Five key points
■ Legal status and qualification requirements for family child care: Establish a chapter on family child care to raise its legal status to the level of primary legislation. Introduce stricter qualification requirements for family child care providers.
■ Transparency and oversight of child care institutions: Require child care institutions to publicly disclose information such as caregivers' qualifications, enrollment numbers and details regarding fees and refunds, enabling parents to make informed decisions when choosing a child care provider.
■ Mechanisms for handling child maltreatment by caregivers: Establish mechanisms for investigating and reviewing incidents of maltreatment or abuse involving children in care. Regulate the use of internet-based storage for surveillance footage and audiovisual recordings, requiring off-site backups to preserve evidence. Increase penalties for individuals and institutions that violate regulations.
■ Diverse child care options: Recognize in law a new model for public child care centers that delivers more attentive care through smaller group sizes. Establish models for community, tribal and workplace cooperative child care.
■ Expansion of public child care resources: Ease regulations allowing non-profit organizations to use public property for child care purposes at no cost. Provide legal clarification that unused school space can be utilized to establish child care facilities without needing to apply for a change of use.