Samsung Welfare Foundation and Korea Childcare Promotion Institute Hold "Early Childhood Development Support Project" Performance Report Meeting

The Samsung Welfare Foundation announced on the 23rd that it held the "2025 Early Childhood Development Support Project Performance Report Meeting" at the Samsung Child Education and Culture Center on the 22nd.

Taking a group photo at the '2025 Early Childhood Development Support Project Performance Report Meeting' held on the 22nd at the Samsung Child Education and Culture Center. Samsung Welfare Foundation

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The purpose of the meeting was to share the results of the "2025 Early Childhood Development Support Project," which the foundation has been promoting together with the Korea Childcare Promotion Institute to support the healthy growth of young children and assist childcare centers nationwide in overcoming challenges.

The event began with an opening address by Cho Yongnam, President of the Korea Childcare Promotion Institute, and a congratulatory speech by Ryu Moonhyung, Executive Vice President of Samsung Welfare Foundation. Approximately 200 participants attended, including directors and teachers from childcare centers across the country who took part in the project, heads and staff of childcare support centers, child behavior experts, officials from the Ministry of Education, and executives from the city, provincial, and municipal childcare support center councils.

President Cho stated, "The Korea Childcare Promotion Institute and the Samsung Welfare Foundation have jointly pursued this project with the hope that timely support for each and every child's healthy growth and for changes in the childcare environment will contribute to the sustainability and future competitiveness of our society. I hope this event will be a valuable opportunity to share the outcomes of the project and to envision the direction our society should take to support early childhood development."

Executive Vice President Ryu said, "In line with the founding philosophy of the late Chairman Lee Kunhee to create a 'society where we prosper together,' the Samsung Welfare Foundation actively gathered opinions from academia and the childcare field. To support the increasing number of maladjusted young children and teachers in childcare centers, we trained and dispatched child behavior experts to childcare centers nationwide for the first time. Based on the achievements of this project, we will continue to promote various initiatives to provide practical assistance not only for early childhood development issues but also for the difficulties faced by childcare centers."

The "2025 Early Childhood Development Support Project" operated nationwide from March to October, divided into two areas: on-site support by child behavior experts at childcare centers, and developmental assessments and counseling support for young children.

The on-site support by child behavior experts involved experts visiting childcare centers to provide tailored guidance to young children exhibiting maladaptive behaviors such as aggression, distractibility, and anxiety, as well as to their homeroom teachers. Over 180 young children and their homeroom teachers from more than 150 childcare centers nationwide participated. A comparison of pre- and post-support showed a noticeable decrease in the level and difficulty of maladaptive behaviors perceived by the teachers.

The developmental assessment and counseling support for young children involved experts from 10 childcare support centers nationwide conducting developmental assessments and counseling for over 3,000 parents and teachers of young children. When necessary, they also connected families to treatment institutions, thereby supporting the healthy growth of young children in need of assistance.

In addition to sharing the project's results, the meeting featured a lecture by Professor Park Juhui of Yonsei University on "The Importance and Significance of Early Childhood Development Support." Professor Park emphasized the importance of early detection and intervention in behavioral and emotional issues, stating, "Early childhood development support not only prevents young children from being labeled as problem children in childcare and educational settings, but also helps alleviate the psychological burden on teachers and enhances their professional expertise." The lecture was followed by real-life case studies shared by childcare teachers, child behavior experts, and heads of childcare support centers who participated in the project.

Participants also had the opportunity to appreciate various exhibitions at the Leeum Museum of Art. Directors and teachers from childcare centers, heads and staff of childcare support centers, and child behavior experts who participated in the project freely viewed exhibitions such as "Lee Bul: Since 1998," "Contemporary Art Collection," "Classical Art Collection," and "Magpie and Tiger," enjoying a healing experience through artistic reflection.

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