'Seocho Healing Daddy' Participants More Than Double Compared to 2022... Held 42 Diverse Programs Last Year, Achieved High Quality with 4.92 Satisfaction Score... District Plans 44 Sessions This Year with Five Themes Including 'Dad is Childcare Master' at 4 Sessions Monthly
# “Through the child temperament test, I was able to understand my child's innate disposition and learn parenting methods suited to their temperament, which greatly helped me with the overwhelming task of parenting.”
This is the feedback from a first-time dad who participated last year in Seocho-gu’s ‘Seocho Healing Daddy’ program, specifically in the ‘Dad’s Parenting Education ? Because It’s Dad’s First Time Too’ session.
In Seoul’s Seocho-gu (Mayor Jeon Seong-su), the ‘Seocho Healing Daddy’ program supporting active father involvement in childcare has received great response, with participants increasing from 220 in 2022 to 459 last year, more than doubling.
‘Seocho Healing Daddy’ is a project started in 2022 at the Seocho-gu Family Center’s Shared Childcare Space to help first-time dads overcome parenting difficulties, in line with the trend of increasing male caregiver participation in childcare.
Last year, the program offered 42 diverse sessions including ▲ ‘Seocho Healing Daddy’ in collaboration with Duranno Father School ▲ Dad’s Healing Day ‘Oreuk Naerik’ climbing activities ▲ Family happiness ‘Saturday Gourmet Club’ cooking activities, and the participant satisfaction survey scored 4.92 out of 5, reflecting high quality.
This year, the district has prepared a total of 44 sessions, held four times a month until the end of the year, under five themes: ▲ Dad is a Childcare Master ▲ Dad’s Parenting Education ▲ Dad’s Healing Day ▲ Dad’s Change ▲ Family Happiness.
First, ‘Dad is a Childcare Master’ provides customized practical and theoretical childcare education by age group, from expectant dads to dads of children in early childhood.
Additionally, ‘Dad’s Parenting Education’ offers parenting coaching, parenting methods, play techniques, and temperament tests through expert connections to enhance dads’ childcare skills, while ‘Dad’s Healing Day’ helps relieve parenting stress through various experiential one-day classes and cultural activities.
Moreover, the program plans to run ‘Dad’s Change,’ an emotional support program presenting the proper identity and role of fathers and supporting healthy family formation, as well as ‘Family Happiness,’ a family event for the whole family to enjoy together.
Participation is open to male caregivers currently on or planning to take parental leave. Applications can be made year-round via the ‘Shwimpo Dad, Yukhyu Dad’ KakaoTalk open chat room, and further details can be obtained by contacting the Seocho-gu Family Center.
Meanwhile, Seocho-gu has been supporting male parental leave takers with the ‘Dad Parental Leave Incentive’ since 2020, the first among Seoul’s autonomous districts. It also continuously promotes active father involvement through various programs such as ▲ ‘Seocho Friend Daddy,’ an educational and cultural experience activity for male caregivers and children ▲ ‘Dad Camp,’ which enhances intimacy between male caregivers and children and encourages neighborly communication.
Jeon Seong-su, Mayor of Seocho-gu, stated, “We will help first-time dads overcome the difficulties of parenting and foster a parenting-friendly culture where dads actively participate in childcare, making Seocho the best city to have and raise children.”
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