Yeongdeungpo-gu Mullae-dong and Yangpyeong 2-dong Areas' 8 Childcare Centers Selected as 'Seoul-type Shared Childcare Centers'

Four Public and Private Childcare Centers United for Joint Enrollment and Shared Programs... Resolving Waiting List Issues and Bridging Care Gaps through Facility Admission Coordination for Mutual Growth

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Yeongdeungpo-gu (Mayor Chae Hyun-il) is introducing the ‘Seoul-type Shared Daycare Center,’ a new childcare operation model based on joint cooperation between public and home daycare centers.

The ‘Seoul-type Shared Daycare Center’ is a childcare community that combines 3 to 5 daycare centers within walking distance into one jointly operated entity, aiming to contribute to the qualitative improvement of childcare services through mutual development among daycare centers.

In Yeongdeungpo-gu, the Mullae-dong and Yangpyeong 2-dong areas have been selected as pilot project communities for the Seoul-type Shared Daycare Center this year, and full-scale operation will begin in September.

The Mullae-dong area includes three public daycare centers (Mokhwa Maeul, Mullae-dong, Mullae Xi) and one home daycare center (Haengbok Dream), while the Yangpyeong 2-dong area includes three public daycare centers (Neulhaerang, Yangpyeong 2-dong, Bandi) and one home daycare center (Hansarang), with a total of eight daycare centers participating in this pilot project.

The district plans to first resolve the issue of waiting lists skewed toward public daycare centers and improve the imbalance in childcare supply and demand through sharing regular and current enrollment capacities and joint recruitment of children within the community. Support measures to reduce disparities and revitalize daycare centers, such as parent briefings, facility tours, and specialized programs, will also be prepared.

Additionally, the community will assist in jointly planning and operating various programs that were difficult for home daycare centers to implement individually due to cost burdens.

The district will regularly hold an operating council composed of directors from each daycare center and support the collection of diverse ideas and concretization of shared programs through community meetings led by teachers and parents.

Each community will jointly utilize local resources such as daycare playgrounds and parks, share teaching materials and educational tools, and hire substitute teachers collectively to improve operational efficiency, seeking ways for public and private sectors to coexist based on close communication and cooperation.

Through this project, the district expects to resolve the previously problematic concentration on public daycare centers and operational difficulties, creating a childcare environment satisfying parents, children, and daycare centers alike by improving the quality of care services based on mutual cooperation.

Chae Hyun-il, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, stated, “Through shared daycare centers, we will reduce the operational burden caused by environmental changes such as low birth rates and declining enrollment while enhancing the quality of childcare services. We will continue to expand public daycare centers to realize the public nature of childcare and build a childcare infrastructure where public and home (private) daycare centers cooperate and complement each other, ensuring all children receive equal and high-quality childcare services.”

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