Why Is the 'Nowon Anshim Childcare Center' Project Expandable?

Last year, operations began with a total of three classes: the 0-year-old class and the disabled children’s class (children reduced from 3 to 2), and the 3-year-old class (children reduced from 15 to 12).

From March this year, the 1-year-old class (children reduced from 5 to 4) and the 4-year-old class (children reduced from 20 to 16) were added, expanding to a total of five classes.

Next year, there are plans to expand operations to cover all age groups nationwide for the first time.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that starting this March, it will expand the 'Nowon Safe Daycare Center' project to dramatically improve the quality of childcare services.

The 'Nowon Safe Daycare Center' project reduces the number of children per teacher in selected classes, and the district supports the daycare centers with an amount equivalent to the childcare fee for the reduced number of children as class operating expenses.

Launched nationwide for the first time last March, the Nowon Safe Daycare Center project included not only public and Seoul-type daycare centers but also private and home daycare centers. Initially, it supported a total of three classes: the 0-year-old class, the 3-year-old class, and the disabled children’s class. From this March, the 1-year-old and 4-year-old classes were added, expanding to a total of five classes. Next year, the plan is to expand to cover all age groups.

The teacher-to-child ratio for the 0-year-old and disabled children’s classes has been reduced from 1:3 to 1:2, for the 1-year-old class from 1:5 to 1:4, for the 3-year-old class from 1:15 to 1:12, and for the 4-year-old class from 1:20 to 1:16.

While existing childcare policies improved the environment by increasing the number of teachers, the Nowon Safe Daycare Center project directly reduces the number of children in the childcare room.

With fewer children, the childcare area per child increases, making the play environment more comfortable. The number of children per teacher decreases, allowing for more intimate and detailed care, and the risk of safety accidents is reduced.

In actual childcare settings, both childcare teachers and parents have shown great interest in the 'Nowon Safe Daycare Center' project. Director A, who has been running a daycare center in Nowon-gu for 18 years, has participated in the project since last year and was reselected this year.

Director A said, “The most impressive aspect of this project is that the children’s play space is clearly secured, and the teachers’ stress has significantly decreased.” He added, “Some other districts increase the number of teachers, but this actually narrows the childcare area, worsening the environment. Since the reduced number of children is compensated with an amount equivalent to the childcare fee as class operating expenses, there is no operational problem, and parents are very satisfied,” expressing affection for the project.

Since December last year, 183 daycare centers and 280 classes applied to participate this year. The district held a committee composed of childcare experts to review operational plans and eligibility, selecting a total of 127 daycare centers and 202 classes. Selected daycare centers must maintain the reduced total enrollment corresponding to the supported number of children and comply with operational standards such as organizing only the same age group within the same childcare room.

Meanwhile, the district was recognized as a city good for raising children by winning the highest award, the Presidential Award, in the ‘2022 Childcare Merit Government Awards’ hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare targeting local governments nationwide. The district actively communicates with the childcare field and actively develops childcare policies, resulting in projects such as the Nowon Safe Daycare Center, Nowon Child-Friendly Taxi, provision of environmental improvement funds for all daycare centers, and the toy delivery project ‘Toy Boong Boong.’

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “Improving the childcare environment in this era of low birth rates, where every child is precious, is a major task for the current generation. We will do our best to support a system that satisfies children, parents, and teachers alike so that Nowon can become a city good for raising children.”

Dongdaemun-gu Holds AI Robot Training for Senior Health Management and Prevention of Solitary Deaths

Customized ICT Training Provided for Seniors Using ‘AI Health Care Robot’ for the First Time

24-hour Crisis Response System Provides Health Care Service Without Blind Spots... Additional 50 Participants to be Recruited This Year

Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) held customized ICT (Information and Communication Technology) training on the morning of the 22nd for seniors who will be using the ‘AI Health Care Robot’ for the first time.

The ‘AI Health Care Robot’ is a screen-type AI speaker designed for smart health management of seniors. It is equipped with a 24-hour crisis response system, enabling health care services without blind spots.

The ‘Today Health App’ installed on the ‘AI Health Care Robot’ connects with Bluetooth health measurement devices such as wrist activity trackers, blood pressure monitors, and blood glucose meters, helping manage chronic diseases easily.

Additionally, when a senior requests help in an emergency, the ‘AI Health Care Robot’ sends a report to 119 through a 24-hour control center, emerging as a solution to safety issues and prevention of solitary deaths among single-person households.

This training was organized to support seniors using the ‘AI Health Care Robot’ for the first time to use the device without difficulty. The main contents of the training include ▲how to use the AI Health Care Robot (companion function, medication alarms, check-ins, etc.) and practice ▲how to use smart health devices (wrist activity tracker, blood pressure monitor, blood glucose meter, etc.) ▲one-on-one customized ICT training for seniors.

The district initially recruited 100 health-vulnerable seniors, including those living alone, as users of the ‘AI Health Care Robot’ last year and plans to recruit an additional 50 this year.

A district official said, “We aim to provide seamless health care services to seniors in the area by utilizing the ‘AI Health Care Robot,’ which can respond to crises 24 hours a day. We will also build a care system that uses various technologies to manage health and alleviate loneliness and depression.”

Eunpyeong-gu Selected as an Excellent Institution for Five Consecutive Years in Local Government Innovation Evaluation

Leading Administrative Innovation with iMom Taxi, Online Resident General Assembly, AI X-ray Interpretation, and More

Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) announced that it has been selected as an excellent institution for five consecutive years in the ‘2022 Local Government Innovation Evaluation’ hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

In particular, the district ranked second nationwide among autonomous districts in this evaluation, once again proving that Eunpyeong-gu’s innovative administration is of the highest level nationwide.

Earlier, on the 17th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety evaluated 243 local governments nationwide based on 12 indicators across three categories: autonomous innovation, innovation performance, and innovation diffusion and public perception, selecting and announcing 61 local governments, including Eunpyeong-gu, as excellent institutions.

Eunpyeong-gu received high scores for its efforts to expand resident participation opportunities, eliminate blind spots in public services, and promote organizational innovation.

Major achievements include hosting the nation’s first ‘Online Resident General Assembly,’ building an online platform to strengthen online deliberation and public discussion. The ‘School Zone Smart Crosswalk Infrastructure System’ project, designed to ensure safety at pedestrian eye level, played a leading role in preventing child safety accidents.

The ‘iMom Taxi’ project, first implemented nationwide in Eunpyeong, is a dedicated taxi service for pregnant women and families with infants and toddlers, which expanded its services this year. The destinations were expanded to include local daycare centers, libraries, and cultural centers, and a ‘parallel accompaniment’ service was newly introduced to provide childcare and boarding/alighting guidance to iMom Taxi users. It has been praised as an excellent policy and is being benchmarked by other local governments.

By integrating advanced smart technology into public services, the district achieved digital administrative innovation. The ‘AI-based Large Waste Disposal System’ allows residents to complete everything from reporting to fee payment and collection using mobile devices, enhancing convenience. The ‘AI X-ray Image Interpretation Support Service,’ which expanded the scope of X-ray interpretation at public health centers from tuberculosis to major lung diseases using AI and cloud technology, was also included in the ‘2022 Government Innovation Best Practices Collection.’

Kim Mi-kyung, Mayor of Eunpyeong-gu, said, “Thanks to the communication and efforts of public officials and residents for convenience and efficient administration, we were able to achieve good results. We will continue to implement district administration that residents can feel and create a center of change for tomorrow’s Eunpyeong.”

Dongdaemun-gu Expands ‘Small Walking Challenge’ Thanks to Popularity

Walk 10,000 Steps for More Than 5 Days and Submit Proof... 150 Winners to Receive Small Rewards

Walking Practice Rate at 58.6%, 2.8 Percentage Points Higher Than Seoul Average

Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) announced that the ‘Small Walking Challenge’ to encourage daily walking practice will be expanded to 150 winners due to enthusiastic support from residents.

Dongdaemun-gu’s walking practice rate is 58.6%, 2.8 percentage points higher than Seoul’s average. Since COVID-19, various non-face-to-face walking challenges such as ‘Small Walking,’ jogging, and mobile app-based walking challenges (walking along parks, walking along Jungnangcheon Stream) have been operated, resulting in an 8 percentage point increase in residents’ walking practice rate compared to 2019.

The ‘Small Walking Challenge’ runs for seven days from the 11th to the 17th of each month from February to November.

To participate, join the KakaoTalk channel ‘Dongdaemun-gu Daily Life Becomes Exercise,’ walk 10,000 steps for at least five days during the period, and upload a proof photo showing the step count and date in the chat window. Participation is confirmed upon receiving a verification message, and 150 participants will be selected by lottery to receive small rewards.

Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, said, “We hope the Small Walking Challenge will activate walking and help residents develop healthy physical activity habits in daily life.”