Gyeonggi-do Supports 50% of Lunch Costs for Children at Dahamkke Dolbom Center

Gyeonggi Province will provide lunch expenses support at the Dahamkke Care Center.

Gyeonggi Province and its municipalities will cover half of the lunch costs during school vacations for children using the ‘Dahamtgae Dolbom Center’.

The Dahamtgae Dolbom Center is a child care facility operating for elementary school students aged 6 to 12 regardless of income, running during the semester (1 PM to 7 PM) and vacation (9 AM to 7 PM). There are 291 centers across the province. The issue is that unlike during the semester when lunch is provided at school, children must pay for their meals themselves at the center during vacations.

Accordingly, Gyeonggi Province decided to support 4,500 KRW (50%) of the 9,000 KRW meal cost through discussions with workers and parents, and policy recommendations from the Gyeonggi Women and Family Foundation. The funding is split with the province covering 30% and municipalities 70%.

Gyeonggi Province expects that this support will standardize the quality of meals, which previously varied by municipality, enabling the provision of high-quality meals.

The program will be implemented in 23 municipalities, including Yongin City, starting from the winter vacation in January. Seven municipalities, including Suwon City, plan to start from the summer vacation in July.

The number of children supported is 4,550. Gyeonggi Province plans to expand the ‘Happy Meal’ project to after-school child care facilities, starting with the Dahamtgae Dolbom Centers.

Yoo So-jeong, Director of the Child Care Division of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "The need for meal support for children during vacations has been consistently raised, and through this ‘Happy Meal’ project, all children using Dahamtgae Dolbom Centers in the province can eat without burden. We will provide safe and balanced regular meals, creating an environment where parents can work without worrying about their children’s meals."

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