Nowon-gu Expands Community Childcare Rooms to Eliminate Solo Parenting Concerns

Operating 8 Facilities Including Seoul's First Shared Housing-Type Co-Parenting Room with Great Response... 4 More to Be Added This Year, Expanding to 19 Locations by 2022 with One per District... Helping New Parents Relieve Childcare Burden, Stress, and Depression

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Nowon-gu (District Mayor Oh Seung-rok) is expanding the operation of communal childcare rooms to reduce the parenting burden on parents and relieve childcare stress.

The communal childcare rooms are public care spaces operated free of charge for preschool children under the age of 5 and their parents. Since 2018, eight locations have been operated, including Seoul's first communal housing-type childcare room.

Despite the COVID-19 situation last year, a total of 11,526 parents and young children used the facilities, showing high resident satisfaction. Nowon-gu plans to expand to a total of 19 locations, one in each neighborhood, by 2022.

Starting with the fourth communal housing-type communal childcare room to be opened in March this year, four additional locations will be installed in Hagye 1-dong, Junggye 4-dong, and others.

At the facilities, a childcare leader with a childcare teacher certification stays on-site to teach children how to play and conducts experiential activities such as storytelling and paper folding, as well as parent education programs on a regular basis.

They are also equipped with various toys and play items according to children's developmental stages, such as slides, ball pools, and role-playing areas that are difficult to keep at home.

The target users are preschool children under the age of 5 and their parents, and the usage fee is free.

Operating hours are Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with three sessions per day (10 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3:30 p.m.), each lasting two hours.

Applications for use can be made by making a reservation in advance on the Nowon-gu Childcare Comprehensive Support Center website’s ‘Dodam Dodam Sharing Place’.

Currently, due to social distancing guidelines for public facility operation, the number of users is reduced to 50% of capacity, and operating hours have been adjusted. More thorough facility disinfection and quarantine measures are being carried out than usual.

The communal childcare rooms serve not only as play spaces for young children but also as communication spaces for parents. They are especially helpful for new parents. Parents can share concerns and childcare information while raising children of similar ages and even receive practical childcare support.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “Parenting issues are important tasks that the local community must tackle together,” adding, “By expanding communal childcare rooms, we will create a Nowon where both parents and children are happy and it is a great place to raise children.”