患寡也患不均：新北市公共及準公共托育政策之推動與檢討

Resource Scarcity and Unequal Distribution: Practice and Review of Public and Quasi-Public Childcare Policy in New Taipei City

新北市人口數高居全國之冠（占17.1％），但其總生育率卻低於全國平均，亟待優先改善。由於托育費用過高，可能導致家長不願讓子女家外送托（易連帶造成女性勞動參與降低）、或甚至降低女性生育意願。因此，新北市政府自2012年起積極增設公共托育中心，並自2017年起陸續提供合作聯盟暨準公共托育服務，致力擴大未滿2歲幼兒之平價托育供給量能，其平價托育機構（包括公共及準公共）供給率已於2020年達18.2％。本文經檢討新北市公共及準公共托育政策之發展與現況後，發現下列問題：一、新北市未滿2歲幼兒之整體托育機構送托率及家外送托率，均低於OECD國家平均，公共托育機構送托率也明顯偏低；二、新北市公共托育機構供給量能成長緩慢且有所不足，若只推動公共托育政策恐緩不濟急；三、新北市尚有8區（包括偏遠地區）並未設置平價托育機構，且多無保母，托育資源嚴重缺乏；四、準公共托育政策擴大新北市各區之機構式平價托育資源分配不均問題。本文據以提出相關建議，供新北市政府及其他機關後續推動相關托育政策之參考。

New Taipei City has the largest population in Taiwan (17.1%). However, its total fertility rate is lower than the national average. It is urgent to improve this city's problem of low fertility rate. When the cost of childcare overloads, the parents may be unwilling to let their children accept the services of childcare institutions and nannies (it may lead to a decrease in female labor participation); moreover, it may also reduce women's willingness to have children. Therefore, the New Taipei City Government has continued to increase public childcare centers since 2012, and provided cooperative alliances and quasi-public childcare services sequentially since 2017. The supply of affordable childcare for children under 2-years-old are increasing through above public and quasi-public childcare policies. The supply rate of affordable childcare institutions (including public and quasi-public institutions) has reached 18.2% in 2020. After reviewing the development and current status of New Taipei City's public and quasi-public childcare service, there are some problems can be summarized as follows: 1. The overall enrolment rate of childcare institutions and participation rate in early childhood education and care for under 2-years-old in New Taipei City are lower than the average of OECD countries; furthermore, its enrolment rate of public childcare institution is also lower. 2. The supply of public childcare institutions in New Taipei City grow very slowly and is insufficient; that is, it's too slow to improve affordable childcare effectively if we only carry out the public childcare policy. 3. There are still 8 districts (including remote areas) in New Taipei City that do not have any affordable childcare institution, and many of them have no nanny; in other words, their childcare resources are severely lacking. 4. With the quasi-public childcare policy, the gap of institutional affordable childcare resources has grown wider in various districts of New Taipei City. Some suggestions for improvement are presented to New Taipei City Government and other government departments for reference.