Seoul City 'Uri Dongne Care Center' Surpasses 200 Locations... Resolving COVID-19 Elementary School Childcare Gap

Opening of Gangbuk 5th Branch and Seodaemun 7th Branch, Surpassing 200 Our Neighborhood Care Centers
Expanding to 275 Locations by the End of This Year

Gangbuk-gu 5th Branch

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul’s ‘Uri Dongnae Care Center’ has surpassed 200 locations with the opening of Gangbuk 5th branch and Seodaemun 7th branch.

According to Seoul City on the 3rd, the Gangbuk 5th branch located in Songjung-dong has a total floor area of 161㎡ (1st and 2nd floors), and the Seodaemun 7th branch located in Namgajwa 2-dong has a total floor area of 138.94㎡ (2nd floor). Both operate from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The Gangbuk 5th branch is highly accessible due to its proximity to Hwagy Elementary School, and the Seodaemun 7th branch is also near Gajaeul Elementary School, providing pick-up services for 1st and 2nd graders, enabling safe and convenient care. Both centers can be used for a monthly regular care fee of 50,000 KRW and a daily temporary care fee of 2,500 KRW, and facility information and registration are available through the Uri Dongnae Care Portal site.

Since the pilot opening of the first center in June 2018 in Seongbuk-gu (Jangwi 1-dong), Uri Dongnae Care Centers have played an important role in elementary care, especially easing the burden on parents during the COVID-19 period and serving as reliable care providers. According to last year’s satisfaction survey on the Care Center services, 96.0% of parents were satisfied with the center’s use, and 88.6% responded that it helped their economic activity participation.

Seoul City plans to expand to a total of 275 locations by the end of this year. Priority will be given to installing centers in the three autonomous districts (Yangcheon, Geumcheon, Gwanak) with fewer than five centers, and installations will be balanced regionally considering elementary care demand.

Furthermore, as the Uri Dongnae Care Center project enters its fifth year, the operation of the centers will be strengthened. Starting in March, care hours will be extended to ease commuting difficulties for dual-income parents. By extending operating hours by 4 hours during commuting times, gap care will be reinforced, with pilot operations at two locations in Dongjak-gu followed by gradual service expansion.

Additionally, Seoul City will systematically manage and revitalize centers by monitoring usage rates of all centers every three months and providing consulting on operational plans.

Kim Seon-soon, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Women and Family Policy Office, said, “With the opening of the 200th Uri Dongnae Care Center at the start of the new school year, we can provide more thorough elementary care,” adding, “Seoul City will strive to build a seamless elementary care system through both expanding care facilities and solidifying operations.”

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