Jung-gu Elementary After-School Care Center Operates 'Visiting On-Site Care Coaching Team'

Operation of Care Coaching Team Composed of Special Education Experts for 8 Weeks from May 25 to July 13... Four Centers Selected for Intensive Consulting, Immediate On-Site Coaching through Teacher Counseling and Child Observation

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Jung-gu, Seoul (Mayor Seoyangho) operates an on-site care coaching team that provides customized services by experts visiting children with special needs within elementary care centers.

This project was initiated after hearing opinions during last year's care teacher meeting that customized daily support is needed for children with special needs.

Children with special needs refer to those who show characteristics of slow learners (borderline children) and developmental disabilities (intellectual and autism spectrum), causing discomfort to other children using the facility or creating vulnerabilities in the response of care classroom staff.

A preliminary basic survey conducted before operating the care coaching team confirmed that 18 children using elementary care centers in the area exhibited aggressive behavior, distraction, and sudden outbursts, causing difficulties for care teachers.

From the 25th to July 13th, over eight weeks, considering the number of children using each center and urgency, the district selected four centers for intensive consulting and began on-site visits.

Special education experts analyze the causes of problematic behaviors through teacher consultations and observations of the target children, providing immediate coaching on appropriate coping methods on-site. When direct intervention is necessary, they demonstrate the problem-solving process on-site so that care teachers can model it.

A district official expressed expectations that on-site coaching by special education experts will help present response skills and educational approaches tailored to each child, improving the adaptability of children to public services and strengthening the capabilities of care teachers.

After the coaching team operation ends, a Q&A collection on major cases and difficulties related to special children will be published and distributed and used for training all care classroom staff.

Since March 2019, the district has been operating 14 district-run elementary care centers inside and outside schools, starting with Heungin Elementary School care classroom. Operating hours have been significantly extended from 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., a two-teacher system per classroom has been introduced to eliminate care blind spots within classrooms and reduce the workload of care teachers, thereby improving the quality of care.

Additionally, high-quality free meals and snacks are provided, and dedicated security guards are assigned, offering care that makes children happy and satisfies 99% of parents.

Mayor Seoyangho of Jung-gu said, "Jung-gu type elementary care, operated by the district office for the first time nationwide, will be able to directly manage care centers in all nine public elementary schools by early September, following the agreement with Sindang Elementary School in June this year." He added, "We will not only focus on simple operation but also pay close attention to children with special needs, resolve difficulties faced by care teachers, improve the quality of care, and provide unwavering support."

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