Seoul City Provides 1.34 Million Won in Childcare Supplies and Vaccination Fees Support for Single-Parent Families

Stroller and 1.1 Million Won Maternity Gift Items, Up to 240,000 Won Support for Rotavirus Vaccination Fees
Provided through Private Sponsorships from Sepiang, Pogne, Yeledkkulkkok, Plain Company, and Others

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Single-Parent Family Support Center announced on the 4th that it provides customized child growth support such as childcare products, rotavirus vaccination costs, and parenting counseling programs to help children of single-parent families grow up healthily.

The center supports single-parent families who have given birth with a childbirth congratulatory childcare product package worth 1.1 million KRW and rotavirus vaccination costs for selective vaccination (limited to unmarried single parents) up to 240,000 KRW per person.

Since 2017, the childbirth congratulatory childcare product package has included items such as a stroller, baby bottle, baby carrier, baby food utensil set, natural detergent for infants, and diaper rash cream. There is no income requirement, so single parents residing in Seoul who have given birth within the past 12 months can apply.

Rotavirus has no treatment, and although the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends vaccination, it is not included in the 17 types of national mandatory vaccinations, causing a significant financial burden for parents raising children.

The childbirth congratulatory childcare products and rotavirus vaccination costs were provided through sponsorship from Jogyesa Temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, Sepiang, Pogne Co., Ltd., Yeled Ggulkkweok, Plain Company, J-Wave, CMA International, and M&D Lab. Despite decreased sales and production due to COVID-19, these sponsors willingly participated to support single-parent families.

For the parenting counseling program, single parents raising children aged 24 to 48 months receive one-on-one parenting counseling with a parenting expert, and those raising children aged 4 to 7 years participate in an early childhood development program tailored to their child's growth.

The program, previously consisting of four sessions, has been extended to five sessions to more closely examine the parent-child relationship and provide opportunities for positive interactions. Additionally, for single-parent families raising children aged 4 to under 7 residing in Seoul, life planning education programs for single parents will be conducted to promote development programs that support growth for both children and parents.

Song Jun-seo, the family officer, said, “We will strive to gradually expand support so that no single-parent family fails to provide basic childcare products and medical expenses due to economic reasons after childbirth,” and added, “We will also do our best to listen to voices from the field and prepare policies that single parents need.”

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