Gangseo-gu to Open Toy Library and Shared Childcare Room in Hwagok-dong on the 3rd of Next Month

Toy library set up in Hwagok-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul. (Photo by Gangseo-gu Office)

Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Jin Gyo-hoon) announced on the 30th that it will open the 2nd branch of the Toy Library and Community Childcare Room in Hwagok 1-dong on the 3rd of next month. The district currently operates one toy library and a community childcare room within the Childcare Comprehensive Support Center located in Balsan-dong.

The toy library attracted 6,238 visitors last year, lending over 15,000 toys and gaining popularity among residents, while the community childcare room was visited by about 3,600 people who shared childcare information and participated in various programs.

However, residents near Hwagok-dong experienced inconvenience due to the distance from the facilities. The district is utilizing a donated facility in Hwagok 1-dong (40, Garogongwon-ro 80-gil, Gangseo-gu) to establish the 2nd branch of the toy library and community childcare room, which will officially open on the 3rd of next month.

The newly established toy library will hold 433 toys and 69 children's books and will operate from Tuesday to Saturday, from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM.

After registering on the Gangseo-gu Childcare Comprehensive Support Center website and paying an annual fee of 10,000 KRW, members become associate members and can borrow two toys for free for seven days. After six or more successful returns and completing parent education programs at the center, associate members can upgrade to full members, allowing them to borrow three toys for ten days.

Institutional members such as daycare centers and kindergartens can use three toys for up to 14 days with an annual fee of 20,000 KRW. The community childcare room, available to preschool children and their guardians, operates during the same hours as the toy library.

The community childcare room offers various monthly themed play programs such as art, manipulation, and role-playing, as well as parent-child experience programs and parent education. Additionally, staff from the Childcare Comprehensive Support Center will be regularly dispatched to provide one-on-one childcare counseling and support parent self-help groups.

The community childcare room can be used by registering on the center’s website and making a reservation in advance. However, if there are no advance reservations, on-site same-day use is also possible.

Mayor Jin Gyo-hoon stated, “Since Gangseo-gu has the second largest population of children under seven in Seoul, it is crucial to build diverse and rich childcare infrastructure. We will do our best to continue expanding such facilities.”

Meanwhile, the district plans to hold an opening ceremony for the 2nd branch of the Toy Library and Community Childcare Room on November 3rd at 10:30 AM, attended by the mayor, members of the National Assembly, city and district council members, and about 50 local residents.

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