Icheon-si Wins 'Grand Prize' at Basic Local Government Heads Manifesto Competition

Nation's First '24-Hour Childcare Center' Operation Case Announced
Mayor Kim Gyeonghui: "We Will Create a Child-Friendly City"

On the 1st, Icheon City in Gyeonggi Province announced that it received the "Grand Prize" at the "2024 National Basic Local Government Heads Manifesto Best Practice Competition," jointly hosted by the Korea Manifesto Practice Headquarters and the Gyeongnam Research Institute.

This competition is an annual event that evaluates and awards excellent pledges and policy cases of basic local governments. Marking its 14th year this year, Icheon City won the Excellence Award for the first time last year and has now won an award for two consecutive years.

Mayor Kim Kyung-hee of Icheon City is holding up the award certificate from the 'Manifesto Best Practice Competition.'
[Photo by Icheon City]

The competition, held at Inje University in Gimhae, Gyeongnam, on the 30th and 31st of last month, saw 148 cities, counties, and districts nationwide submit 353 cases across eight categories. Icheon City advanced to the finals in the field of responding to demographic changes with the case titled "Nationwide First Customized Integrated Care Service for Ages 0-12, Icheon City 24-Hour Childcare Center Operation," and received the Grand Prize through an on-site presentation, the city explained.

The 24-Hour Childcare Center is one of the core policy tasks of Mayor Kim Kyung-hee's 8th term. It is the first in the country to provide year-round, 24-hour care services for children aged 0 to 12, offering not only simple supervision but also specialized care facilities with age-specific customized programs.

The center, located within the Icheon City Administrative Town, began pilot operations at the end of March and has provided care services to 866 children within 95 days. The affordable cost of 1,000 KRW per hour and well-maintained clean facilities have steadily increased the number of users.

Mayor Kim said, "I am pleased that our efforts to create a city good for raising children have been recognized," adding, "We will continue to develop policies that give dreams to children and ease childcare concerns for parents."