The aim of the present study was to compare child care center directors and teachers’ recognition of criteria for class placements,
specifically for children who were born in January or February, children's ability, and for mixed-age classes. The subjects were 398
center directors and 383 teachers in Seoul, Gyeonggi-do, Jeolla-do, Gangwon-do, Choongcheong-do and Gyeongsang-do. Data were
analyzed by SPSS 12.0 and the t-test and Chi-square test were used. The results were as follows: (1) Most child care center directors
and teachers believed that children born in January or February should share a classroom with classmates of the same age. (2) Most
child care center directors and teachers believed that regardless of a child's ability, it was desirable for the child to be in a class
with classmates of the same age. (3) Child care center directors thought that the current criteria for teacher-child ratios within a mixed-age
classroom were acceptable but should be lowered if the child care center was not experiencing financial problems. Meanwhile, most
of the teachers thought that lower teacher-child ratios within a mixed-age classroom was desirable.