To alleviate the national security issue posed by Taiwan's declining birth rate, the government is actively expanding and diversifying service models for childhood education and care, and expediting the addition of slots at public preschools and child care facilities.
Since July 2018, the government has promoted an array of measures to counter declining birth rates, including version 2.0 of the national child care policy for children aged 0-6. This policy implements various upgraded measures such as enlarging affordable education and care service capacities, increasing child care subsidies, creating more preschool classes dedicated to enrolling two-year-olds, continuing to grant childrearing allowances and tuition subsidies for children aged 5-6, reducing preschool student-teacher ratios, offering flexible parental leave without pay, providing rental support for young families, and expanding access to foreign domestic helpers. Through all these efforts, the government is throwing its full support behind childrearing households, giving young people the confidence to marry and start a family.
Key measures
■ Launch three initiatives to help families have children: Expand childbirth allowances, implement version 3.0 of an in vitro fertilization (IVF) subsidy program, and establish a pilot program to offer financial assistance for fertility preservation among patients undergoing treatment. These initiatives will reduce family burdens, safeguard the health of mothers and infants, and provide more substantive assistance to prospective parents.
■ Enlarge affordable education and care capacity: Provide more public child care facilities and broaden quasi-public services through collaboration with residential child care (nanny) and private child care centers that meet the required standards. Establish more public and nonprofit preschools by utilizing available space within schools and publicly-owned land. Encourage public and private sectors to invest in new preschools, and foster partnerships with qualified private preschools through the quasi-public mechanism, thereby providing parents with a greater choice of affordable schooling for their children.
■ Alleviate parents' financial burden
1. Raise childrearing allowances: Increase childrearing allowances for children aged 0-6 to NT$5,000 (approximately US$156) per month, with additional allowances of NT$6,000 for the second child and NT$7,000 for the third child and beyond. Adjust tuition subsidies for children aged 5-6 enrolled at private preschools following the same basis as childrearing allowances.
2. Lower child care and education fees: For children aged 0-2 attending public and quasi-public care centers, boost child care subsidies to NT$7,000 (approx. US$219) and NT$13,000, respectively, with additional subsidies for the second and third children and beyond, as well as for low income and lower-middle income households and disadvantaged families. For children aged 2-6 attending public, nonprofit or quasi-public preschools, cap tuition fees at NT$1,000, NT$2,000 and NT$3,000 per month, respectively, with further reductions for the second and third children and beyond.
■ Other supporting measures
1. Extended child care service hours: Beginning February 2024, extend weekday care services at public preschools, add extra care services during summer and winter vacations, and offer drop-in care services on a trial basis.
2. More preschool classes for two-year-olds: Open more classes aimed at newly enrolling two-year-olds at public preschools, providing them with greater opportunities to receive education and care services.
3. Reduced student-teacher ratios: Offer grants of up to NT$500,000 (approx. US$15,635) per additional caregiver per year for child care centers that hire to a child-to-caregiver ratio of 4:1. Limit preschool classes for children aged 3 and above to a maximum of 12 children per educare provider and a maximum class size of 24 children, with the objective of achieving a student-teacher ratio of 12:1 by the 2026 school year.
4. Higher employee salaries: Raise monthly starting salaries for personnel working in public child care services to NT$38,011 (approx. US$1,189). Increase minimum monthly salaries for personnel working in quasi-public child care according to three tiers—NT$33,200, NT$36,200 and NT$39,200—based on seniority. Salaries for principals, teaching staff and educare providers at quasi-public preschools will also follow three seniority tiers, with the minimum monthly salary starting from NT$34,200.
5. Incentive structure: Incentivize quasi-public child care centers to offer fair salaries and improve facilities and equipment, providing grants based on center size. Increase allowance to NT$12,000 (approx. US$375) per nanny per year for quasi-public nanny services that upgrade their service quality.
6. Flexible parental leave without pay: Starting January 1, 2026, allow workers to apply for parental leave without pay by the day, and family care leave or personal leave (for caregiving) by the hour.
7. Grants for employer-provided child care facilities: Provide up to NT$20,000 (approx. US$625) for employers to set up breastfeeding rooms, and up to NT$5 million (approx. US$156,000) for newly built child care facilities such as child care centers and preschools.
8. Rental housing support for young families: Encourage young people to start families through measures targeting childrearing couples, particularly newlyweds or those with young children. These include increased rental allowances, expanded eligibility criteria for rent subsidies, higher priority for social housing, and additional items of financial assistance.
9. Greater access to foreign domestic helpers: Effective April 13, 2026, permit any household with a child under the age of 12 to apply for a foreign domestic helper, replacing the previous requirement of three or more children aged six or under.