Childbirth? Parenting and Childcare - Establishing Infrastructure and Content Covering Family-Friendly Aspects
▲Support Funds ▲Play Spaces ▲Educational Programs... Building a Comprehensive Care System to Create a City Good for Raising Children
"Having and raising children is the responsibility of our entire Gwanak community and a great investment for the future."
Gwanak-gu, a city where both children and parents are happy (Mayor Park Jun-hee), is strengthening support policies for residents' childbirth and childcare.
First, the district has prepared measures to convert private and home daycare centers into public daycare centers, expanding public daycare facilities to create a stable and professional childcare environment.
As of November 2024, out of a total of 157 daycare centers in Gwanak-gu, 78 are public daycare centers, serving 61.2% of all children attending daycare centers. Daycare centers converted to public status receive partial support for ▲purchase costs ▲remodeling costs ▲childcare teachers' salaries, providing high-quality public childcare that parents can trust to leave their children in.
Not only childcare institutions but also "play activities" for children to run around and "play spaces" that are safe and free are common concerns among parents.
Located on the 2nd floor of Nangokjae Saenghwalryeokso (53 Nangok-ro 24ga-gil, Gwanak-gu), the "Seoul-style Kids Cafe Nangok-dong Branch" is an art-specialized kids cafe. Children can enjoy tactile play that is difficult to experience at home by freely painting on drawing paper and walls with brushes and paint on both hands, as well as playing in the play space. The usage fee is 2,000 KRW (1,000 KRW for guardians), significantly reducing the economic burden on parents.
In 2025, two more kids cafes (Haengun-dong, Euncheon-dong) are scheduled to open. The district expects to satisfy the tastes of both parents and children by creating distinctive kids cafes featuring toddler pools, ziplines, and more.
"I-rang," a distinctive hub-type play space for infants and toddlers by branch, is a specialized "Gwanak-style Childcare Center." Parents gather at I-rang to practice communal childcare and share parenting information, while children can engage in various experiential activities through free play spaces and specialized programs.
With a total of six locations, I-rang operates programs on various themes that both parents and children can participate in, receiving great responses from parents of preschool children. These include ▲culture and parent education programs (Nakseongdae Branch) ▲infant and toddler specialized (music) programs (Nanhyang Branch) ▲"Dad and I-rang" for working families (Daehak-dong Branch) ▲parent-infant integrated sensory development play (Boramae Branch) ▲multicultural family programs (Sinsa Branch) ▲career exploration programs for lower elementary students (Euncheon Branch).
Residents wishing to use the facilities can make reservations on the Gwanak-gu Office website (Participation/Reservation → I-rang) and the Gwanak-gu Childcare Comprehensive Support Center website. I-rang is free to use, while specialized programs incur a nominal fee.
Also, starting this November, for the first time nationwide, the "Gwanak-gu Kkangchung Kkangchung Growth Childcare Support Fund" will be provided to households with children aged 2 to 4. The support fund is given once a year in the form of Gwanak Love Gift Certificates worth 300,000 KRW, aiming to alleviate the economic burden on childcare families and revitalize the local economy simultaneously.
Eligible households can apply for the support fund directly on the Bojogeum24 website or visit their local community service center to apply.
Meanwhile, the district is also working to create family-friendly spaces by operating the "Gwanak-gu Family Center," which provides customized education and counseling for families, and the district's first family cultural complex facility, the "Gwanak Family Happiness Center."
In line with the park and leisure city brand of a "Healing and Garden City," the district has not forgotten to prepare natural cultural content for children in the urban environment. In spring and autumn, the "Infant Forest Experience Center" and "Infant Nature Learning Center" operate to enhance children's ecological sensitivity and allow them to observe and learn about nature. The "Children's Water Playground" around Byeolbit Neurincheon Stream, Gwanaksan Mountain forest valley, and Nakseongdae Park, which opens in summer, is also very popular.
Mayor Park Jun-hee said, "As the African proverb goes, 'It takes a whole village to raise a child,' the happiness and growth of children require the efforts of our entire Gwanak community," adding, "We will continue to do our best to become 'Gwanak, a city good for having and raising children' by building a trustworthy care system and childcare infrastructure."
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