Opening of the 10th Branch Daebang Converged Our Neighborhood Care Center in Dongjak-gu

Converged Kiwoom Center Village Care Resource Connection, Dinner Provided, Additional Weekday Night and Weekend Care Services... Medium-Sized Space Over 210㎡ in Center, Available to Elementary Students Aged 6 to Under 12

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Dongjak-gu (Mayor Changwoo Lee) will open the ‘Daebang Converged Our Neighborhood Care Center (2nd floor, 42 Sangdo-ro, Dongjak-gu)’ on the 3rd to provide after-school care services for elementary school students.

In response to changes in childcare environments such as the increase of nuclear families and dual-income households, the district was selected as a concentrated support area for Our Neighborhood Care Centers in 2020. Starting with the Noryangjin 2-dong Our Neighborhood Care Center in June 2019, the number of centers expanded to 3 in 2020, 6 in February 2021, and currently up to the 9th center in Dongjak.

Shin Sangdo, a parent using the Our Neighborhood Care Center, said, “On days when children do not attend school due to the impact of COVID-19, I feel at ease leaving my child at a nearby care center,” adding, “The children enjoy having a space where they can play freely and participate in various programs.”

The newly opened 10th center in Dongjak, the Daebang Converged Care Center, is a medium-sized facility of over 210㎡. Unlike general care centers, it provides free meals, weekday night and Saturday care services, establishes connections among care institutions within the area, and strengthens community care functions by discovering and supporting human and material resources in the neighborhood.

The types of care services include ▲ full-day care used during desired periods each quarter (1st semester, summer vacation, 2nd semester, winter vacation) ▲ hourly care ▲ and ‘temporary care’ used on specific days.

The capacity is 37 for full-time care and 3 for hourly and temporary care. When the capacity is exceeded and waiting occurs, priority is applied.

The center operates from 12 PM to 8 PM on weekdays during the semester, from 8 AM to 8 PM on weekdays during vacation periods, and from 8 AM to 12 PM on Saturdays. A manager and full-time teachers are stationed to provide daily life support, play activities, experiential learning, and after-school gap care.

The usage fee is 50,000 KRW per month or 2,500 KRW per day. Elementary school students aged 6 to under 12 can use the center regardless of their parents’ income level. Applications can be made by visiting the center or through the Our Neighborhood Care Portal.

Additionally, in response to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the district is improving facilities such as individual desks and cup sterilizers to comply with social distancing and quarantine rules, striving to provide a safe care environment.

Park Ju-il, Director of the Child and Youth Division, said, “The Daebang Converged Care Center is significant as Dongjak-gu’s first converged care center operating regularly on weekday nights and Saturdays. We expect it to fill care blind spots thoroughly,” adding, “We will strive to provide safe care services and a variety of quality programs so that parents can feel at ease and children can enjoy the care services.”

Meanwhile, the district plans to open up to the 12th Our Neighborhood Care Center in Dongjak, including one converged care center, by the second half of this year. With the goal of ‘one care center per dong (neighborhood),’ the district will continue to expand Our Neighborhood Care Centers with spaces for play and rest in all dongs by 2022.

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