Seoul City Opens 'Seongbuk Hub-Type Uri Dongnae Care Center'... Temporary Care and Hospital Accompaniment for Sick Children

Nowon·Dobong, Dongjak, Jongno·Seodaemun Start Operation on the 7th... Opening Ceremony Attended by Mayor Oh Se-hoon
'Mom and Dad Happiness Project' Launches Temporary Care and Hospital Escort Services for Sick Children

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul City will open the ‘Hub-type Uri Dongnae Care Center,’ an elementary care facility focused on play and arts where elementary school students who need after-school care can freely rest, play, and experience various arts in their daily lives, on the 7th in Jongam-dong, Seongbuk-gu. This facility, opening after those in Nowon-Dobong, Dongjak, and Jongno-Seodaemun areas, is expected to serve as a hub for small and medium-sized care institutions in the Seongbuk-gu area.

At the ‘Seongbuk Hub-type Uri Dongnae Care Center,’ the ‘Temporary Care for Sick Children and Hospital Accompaniment Service’ is available. This is one of the core projects of the Mom and Dad Happiness Project announced by Mayor Oh Se-hoon last August, and it will be piloted for the first time at the ‘Seongbuk Hub-type Uri Dongnae Care Center.’

When children suddenly fall ill and must stay alone, including in dual-income families, guardians can use the temporary care service in the ‘Sick Child Care Dedicated Space’ within the hub-type care center until the guardian arrives. Also, when a child at school suddenly becomes ill and the guardian cannot personally take care of them, the center’s resident nursing staff and care workers accompany the child to the hospital by a dedicated vehicle, and the resident nursing staff provide care in the ‘Sick Child Care Space’ inside the center, which has a bed space, until the guardian arrives.

Seoul City plans to expand the ‘Temporary Care for Sick Children and Hospital Accompaniment Service’ to five locations by next year, starting with the ‘Seongbuk Hub-type Uri Dongnae Care Center.’

Seoul City will hold an opening ceremony on this day. Attendees include Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Kang Seok-ju, Chair of the Seoul City Council Health and Welfare Committee, Vice Chair Lee So-ra, City Councilor Kang Dong-gil, representatives of parents from Seongbuk-gu, the president of the childcare-related association, and children using the care center.

The ‘Seongbuk Hub-type Uri Dongnae Care Center’ was established by leasing a public building in Seongbuk-gu free of charge, spanning from the 2nd to the 4th floors. The interior space of the center focuses on enhancing children’s creativity and self-directed problem-solving skills. It consists of a dedicated rest and care space for temporary care of sick children, a multipurpose space to stimulate imagination, and spaces for physical education and arts activities such as cooking, art, and music. The facility design and movement flow were planned by collecting opinions from staff and children using the center.

The spaces are composed of eight activity rooms: Temporary Care Space (Dolbom Maru), Play and Rest Space (Swim Maru), Sick Child Care Space (Ttunteun Maru), Cooking Space (Daldal Maru), Art Space (Sangsang Maru), Music Space (Sori Maru), Media Space (Changui Maru), and Large Multipurpose Room (Nori Maru). Each room’s name was chosen to be approachable and understandable from the children’s perspective.

Meanwhile, Seoul City currently operates a total of 226 ‘Uri Dongnae Care Centers’ of various types across the city to fill the gaps in after-school elementary care and plans to expand to 326 centers by 2026.