What Is the Secret Behind Nowon-gu's Top Total Fertility Rate Among Seoul's Districts?

According to Statistics Korea's announcement on the 22nd, the total fertility rate in 2022 was 0.72, ranking first among Seoul's autonomous districts.

Policies encouraging childbirth and the creation of a childcare-friendly environment, such as the Sick Child Care Center and Child-Friendly Taxi, have shown positive effects.

Awarded the highest honor, the Presidential Award, at the 2022 Childcare Merit Government Awards hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Safe Childcare Center

Nowon-gu (District Mayor Oh Seung-rok) has proven itself to be a city ideal for raising children by ranking first in fertility rate among Seoul's autonomous districts.

According to the announcement by Statistics Korea on the 22nd, Nowon-gu's total fertility rate in 2022 was 0.72 (total births 2,194), ranking joint first among the 25 autonomous districts of Seoul, significantly surpassing Seoul's average of 0.59.

Nowon-gu's total fertility rate, which was ranked 7th among Seoul's autonomous districts in the 2018 survey, has rapidly improved due to the district's tailored policies. The district is focusing on discovering childbirth support policies and enhancing the quality of childcare services with the goal of becoming a city good for raising children.

First, the district's representative childbirth support policy is the 'Child-Friendly Taxi.' Since its first operation in August 2021, it has operated a total of 6,939 rides with over 1,400 cumulative users. Especially, a satisfaction survey conducted in 2022 showed that 74.1% of users were very satisfied, and a total of 86.8% responded positively, indicating high approval.

Initially, the service was available only to pregnant women and infants under 24 months when the destination was a hospital or clinic within the district, but now it has expanded to include infertile couples, and the purpose and frequency of use have been broadened and operated to suit users' convenience.

Next, the 'Nowon Safe Daycare Center,' which reduces the number of children per teacher, has also played a significant role in improving the childcare environment. While the previous approach was to increase the number of teachers, the Nowon Safe Daycare Center reduces the number of children in the childcare room and the district supports the corresponding class operation costs.

Through this bold attempt, the district lowered the teacher-to-child ratio below the legal standard: 1:2 for 0-year-old and disabled children classes, and 1:12 for 3-year-old classes. Encouraged by positive feedback from childcare sites, the Nowon Safe Daycare Center has been applied to 1-year-old and 4-year-old classes starting this year and plans to expand to all age groups next year.

Lastly, the 'Sick Child Care Center,' which alleviates childcare burdens for dual-income couples in the area, is also noteworthy. The Sick Child Care Center is an expanded version of the 'Hospital Accompaniment on Behalf of Parents' project, first introduced nationwide by the district in 2019, providing public care services for children aged 4 to elementary school students.

The center is available from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and is staffed by one dedicated nurse and five caregivers for sick children. With a total membership of 1,785, it has provided over 1,990 care sessions to date, easing the difficulties of dual-income families.

This initiative was selected by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety as a government innovation case in 2020 that brought positive changes to citizens' daily lives, introduced as an administrative service with high local resident satisfaction, and presented a new model for childcare support policies.

Additionally, the district operates 27 after-school elementary care centers called 'I-Hyu Centers,' the most among Seoul's autonomous districts. The I-Hyu Centers served as the prototype for Seoul's Our Neighborhood Care Centers, which have since expanded to all autonomous districts.

Through these various projects leading public care and childcare support policies, the district was recognized and awarded the Presidential Award at the 2022 Childcare Merit Government Awards hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “Through this result, we have once again experienced that if the district pursues policies with determination, it can bring about change. We will continue to strive to reduce the burdens of childbirth and childcare not only through financial support but also through customized, life-centered support.”

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