Jeonnam Province, the Only Region Nationwide Supporting Meal and Snack Expenses for Community Child Centers

Jeonnam Province is taking steps to protect low-income vulnerable children and strengthen community care.

On the 18th, the province announced that it will provide meal and snack expenses worth approximately 32.9 billion won to 26,800 children using local children's centers and children at risk of food insecurity.

In particular, despite difficult financial conditions, it is the only metropolitan local government nationwide that has continuously supported snack expenses worth 17.1 billion won for 8,800 children using local children's centers as a provincial policy project for 13 years since 2011.

The results of the "Jeonnam Elementary Care Status and Policy Demand Survey" conducted in June last year showed that the local children's center snack support project had the highest satisfaction among children and parents using care facilities and was a project differentiated from other care services.

Local children's centers play a central role in community care by protecting and supporting the learning of children after school, as well as providing nutrition that growing children often lack to help healthy growth.

The province also raised the meal support unit price for children at risk of food insecurity due to economic conditions or dual-income families from 8,000 won to 9,000 won to enable better meal provision.

Jeonnam Province secured 15.8 billion won, an increase of 1.4 billion won from last year, to provide high-quality meals to 18,000 growing children in the region.

The target recipients of meal support are vulnerable children such as basic livelihood security recipients, lower-income families, single-parent families, and children from dual-income or grandparent-headed households who need meals due to family circumstances. The decision is made by each city and county meal committee. Children or parents in need of meal support can apply at their local town or township office.

Meal support is provided in ways that suit local conditions and the preferences of children, such as lunchbox, side dish, or supplementary food delivery. Various meal methods, including the operation of child meal cards, will be introduced and promoted.

Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeonnam Province, said, “Although financial conditions are difficult due to decreased tax revenue, we have strengthened meal support so that children in the province can grow up healthily as members of the community. We will eliminate blind spots with thicker and more detailed welfare for residents and open a warm Jeonnam happiness era.”