Seongdong-gu, 3 Consecutive Years as Seoul's Top Total Fertility Rate... 64% Utilization Rate of Public and Private Childcare Centers

National and Public Daycare Usage Rate No.1, Household Care Service for Pregnant Women, Formation of Cooperative Childcare Network, etc.

Hanbit Daycare Center

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jeong Won-oh) has achieved the highest total fertility rate among Seoul's 25 autonomous districts for three consecutive years.

According to the Statistics Korea announcement on the 26th of last month, in 2019, the national total fertility rate was 0.918, and Seoul's was 0.717, while Seongdong-gu recorded 0.855, ranking first among Seoul's 25 autonomous districts for the third consecutive year following 2017 and 2018.

The total fertility rate refers to the average number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime.

Moreover, the crude birth rate, which indicates the number of births per 1,000 people annually, is also the highest in Seoul at 7.3.

This high birth rate can be attributed to Seongdong-gu’s diverse pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare policies.

Most notably, the expansion of public daycare centers stands out. Responding to the younger generation's complaint that "we don't have a place to leave our children, so we don't have babies," the district has prioritized the expansion of public daycare centers as a core project since the 6th local government administration.

By boldly pursuing new establishments, conversions, and acquisitions according to local childcare demand, the district currently operates a total of 81 public daycare centers, achieving an impressive utilization rate of 64%, with more than 6 out of 10 children attending public daycare centers.

This is by far the highest among the 25 districts, compared to the Seoul city average of 44%.

In June of this year, the district launched the "Household Care Service for Pregnant Women" project. As Seoul’s first housekeeping support program for working pregnant women, it helps maintain their health and mental stability, contributing to increased birth rates. Over three months, a total of 179 pregnant women applied, with a service satisfaction rate reaching 97%.

In September, a new Childcare Comprehensive Support Center with a total floor area of 842㎡ will open on vacant land near Wangsimni Station. The center’s first floor will feature a "Community Childcare Room," creating an environment where local residents can care for children together. Furthermore, various programs for children will be implemented, making it a hub for a child care community.

Additionally, since March 2021, a Community Childcare Sharing Space has been established at the Geumho-dong "Seongdong Ai Sarang Complex Cultural Center," forming a community childcare network and accelerating the creation of a child-friendly environment.

Furthermore, as the first in the nation, the district supports private and home daycare centers with an annual special activity program operating fund of 200,000 KRW per child, provides heating and cooling expenses for private daycare centers, supplies organic snacks, and offers holiday bonuses and overtime pay for childcare staff, implementing policies to improve the childcare environment.

Also, the district operates the "Seongdong Self-Parent School" program to enhance parental capabilities and activate communities, runs four toy rental centers?far exceeding the Seoul city average of 2.44 centers?and leads the "Walking School Bus" project for elementary school students’ walking safety on school routes, investing the largest manpower and budget among Seoul’s districts, earning strong support from residents with these advanced childcare policies.

Mayor Jeong Won-oh stated, "The process of pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare should not be solely the responsibility of individual families but should be supported through neighbors’ interest and the establishment of a safe social network." He added, "By expanding public daycare centers to create a dense childcare environment and fostering various childcare facilities and multifaceted communities, we will realize the vision of Seongdong as a 'child-friendly city' through the true realization of community childcare."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.