[Report] Inclusive 'Hope Childcare' Unified Without Discrimination Despite Physical Disabilities...

Hana Financial's 75th out of 100 Daycare Centers
‘Namyangju Hana Municipal Daycare Center’

▲ Exterior view of Namyangju Hana Children's Center located in Hwado-eup, Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi Province. [Photo by Hana Financial Group]

About 1 hour and 40 minutes by car from Euljiro 1(il)-ga Station in Seoul. At a quiet roadside in Hwado-eup, the easternmost part of Namyangju close to Yangpyeong, if you enter an alleyway, you will see a daycare center remodeled on the first floor of the Hwado Welfare Center. Unlike typical daycare centers, there is no sound of children, and it is as quiet as if you were in the mountains. This is Namyangju’s first daycare center exclusively for children with disabilities, the Namyangju Hana Municipal Daycare Center.

This center is the 75th daycare center among the 100 centers nationwide that Hana Financial Group has invested 150 billion KRW in over six years since 2018.

As of June 1, the Namyangju Hana Municipal Daycare Center has 7 teachers and 15 children enrolled. Director Baek Seohyun, who has 13 years of experience, said, "We plan to admit 6 more children next year, and there are already 10 on the waiting list. I didn’t expect such interest." She added, "Inquiries are coming not only from Namyangju but also from Hanam City, Guri City, and Gangdong-gu in Seoul." She further explained, "Since admission is possible even if you do not live in Namyangju, there are currently children coming from Gangdong-gu in Seoul."

The Namyangju Hana Municipal Daycare Center, dedicated to children with disabilities, enrolls children with intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, and rare diseases. Because various children gather here, the daycare center is thoughtfully equipped in many places. From installing safety bars for children in wheelchairs to providing separate speech therapy and occupational therapy rooms within the center, all are designed considering the special needs of children requiring various treatments.

▲ Various children at Namyangju Hana Municipal Daycare are playing together in one place.
[Photo by Kwon Jaehee]

Hana Financial Group believes that overcoming the low birthrate requires the creation of a stable childcare infrastructure in local communities that allows work and family life to coexist from a long-term perspective. Although there is a social consensus on the need for childcare facilities, there is still a lack of social awareness regarding childcare facilities exclusively for children with disabilities.

Ms. Nam Jeong-im (a pseudonym) is a parent of a child enrolled at the Namyangju Hana Municipal Daycare Center. Among twin sisters, only one was born with a rare disease. Ms. Nam tried to send both sisters to an integrated childcare center for children with disabilities, but gave up after a daycare teacher said, "Madam, at this level, you should send your child to a rehabilitation center, not a daycare."

Ms. Nam said, "I only realized then that integrated childcare facilities for children with disabilities are mainly for children with mild disabilities who are not far from normal development." Since then, she never even dreamed of sending her child to a daycare center.

Ms. Nam said, "Hearing that there is a daycare center where my child can be admitted felt like a dream." She added, "I was very worried whether my child would feel anxious being separated from me or whether my child, who cannot even properly control their body, would be overwhelmed by other children, but after counseling, I felt relieved."

Not only is the daycare facility carefully designed to reflect the physical characteristics of children with disabilities, but the teachers here also have a high level of understanding of children with disabilities. Director Baek majored in special education due to her youngest sibling being born with a disability, which sparked her interest and affection for children with disabilities. She explained, "Children with disabilities often undergo various treatments, so their arrival and departure times are irregular, and they tend to have many absences, so childcare tailored to the child’s special needs is necessary. Unlike typical daycare centers that divide classes by age, we divide classes according to the children’s characteristics, and we have speech therapy and occupational therapy rooms within the center for this reason."

▲ The Namyangju Hana Municipal Daycare Center, dedicated to children with disabilities, operates differently from regular daycare centers by dividing classes according to each child's individual characteristics.
[Photo by Kwon Jaehee]

Especially for children with rare diseases like Ms. Nam’s child, they can only sit in special chairs, which can cost around 1 million KRW. Because of this, it is realistically difficult to establish childcare facilities for children with disabilities. Hana Financial Group is taking the lead in filling the childcare gaps caused by practical difficulties such as budget constraints.

According to Hana Financial Group, the 100 daycare center project is expected to create social value worth 280.2 billion KRW annually and provide care for a total of 7,519 infants and toddlers. It is also expected to contribute to the creation of 1,510 jobs, including childcare teachers.

Director Baek said, "When children reach school age, teachers must be called to their homes to complete the curriculum, but there is a system that allows postponement depending on the degree of disability." She added, "There are children who must enter elementary school next year at our center, but most of them are postponing and want to stay here longer."

The children here tend to develop more slowly, so they want to delay the time they enter society accordingly.

Director Baek said, "The 7-year-old class recently succeeded in toilet training," and added, "Although slow, they are building small achievements one by one for the time when these children will eventually step out into the bigger world."

Hana Financial Group says the 100 daycare center project is not just about providing childcare spaces but is the most valuable investment in shaping the future of the Republic of Korea. In addition, since March, Hana Financial has been operating the '365 Days Never-Closing Hana Care Daycare Center' project, which provides care outside regular childcare hours. Over the next five years, they plan to support childcare gap care at 50 daycare centers with a total budget of 30 billion KRW, including three '365-day daycare centers' and 47 'weekend and shared daycare centers' where children can be cared for on weekends and public holidays.

▲ Children at Namyangju Hana Municipal Daycare Center having lunch.
Photo by Kwon Jaehee