Seocho-gu Supports Indoor Floor Mats for Families with Three or More Children Again This Year

Gu, the first nationwide to support multi-child families with 'Indoor Floor Mats' since 2020, receives high satisfaction; support continues this year... Carefully selected safe products as indoor floor mats are essential for children

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] “Due to COVID-19, I couldn’t go out and had three children running around inside the house, which caused a lot of concern about noise between floors. I tried warning and scolding the kids, but it didn’t work as I hoped, so I was worried. Just in time, the district office provided safe mats, and I am very happy and satisfied.”

This is the statement of Mrs. A, a housewife living in Yangjae-dong, Seocho-gu.

Seocho-gu announced that it will continue this year the ‘Indoor Floor Mat’ support project for families with three or more children.

The district’s ‘Indoor Floor Mat Support Project’ has been provided since 2020, the first nationwide, to families with three or more children to create a safe and comfortable child-rearing environment by reducing noise between floors caused by children spending extended periods at home due to COVID-19. Seocho-gu started this project especially considering the high proportion of apartments and multi-family housing, which increased the number of families experiencing noise issues between floors.

Until last year, the district supported 1,398 families with indoor floor mats, and due to high satisfaction among multi-child families using the service, it will provide 176 mats on a first-come, first-served basis this year with allocated budget.

The indoor floor mats supported by the district are foldable and manufactured in the size of 240cm (width) × 140cm (length) × 4cm (height). Considering that children will use the mats, only KC-certified products that have passed tests for eight heavy metals and are registered under the ‘Special Act on Safety of Children’s Products’ are provided.

Applicants must be heads of households registered and residing in Seocho-gu with three or more children in middle school or younger, living with the father, mother, or children. Only one mat is supported per household, and families who have previously received support are not eligible to apply.

Residents wishing to receive mat support can submit an application form and one copy of the resident registration certificate listing all eligible children by visiting the Women and Childcare Division of Seocho-gu Office or the local community service center, or apply anytime through the Seocho-gu Office website. The product will be delivered by courier approximately two weeks after application.

Meanwhile, despite the nationwide total fertility rate falling below one, the district has devoted efforts to special policies for child-rearing families. Various projects have been implemented, including ▲ Seoul’s first ‘Paternity Leave Incentive’ ▲ ‘Seocho Idolbomi’ expanded from two-child families to single-child (dual-income) families ▲ the nation’s first ‘Seocho-type Shared Daycare Center’ uniting public, private, and home daycare centers into one community to improve childcare quality ▲ and the nation’s first public indoor playground ‘Seoripul Nori School’ offering everything from play to physical fitness measurement.

Thanks to these efforts, last November, Seocho-gu received the Minister of the Interior and Safety Award at the ‘Local Government Low Fertility Response Best Practices Competition,’ gaining recognition from other regions as a city good for raising children.

Cheon Jeong-wook, Acting Mayor of Seocho-gu, said, “With children spending more time at home due to COVID-19, I hope the indoor mats will ease parents’ concerns about noise between floors and be useful for child-rearing.”

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