Gimpo City Fills Childcare Gaps with Emergency Care System
Nighttime Extended Childcare Centers Operate Until Midnight
Hourly Childcare Service Available for Flexible Use
UriAiHaengbok Childcare Centers Gain Popularity Among Children and Parents
Gimpo City in Gyeonggi Province is realizing its vision of becoming a 'city where it is safe and easy to have and raise children' by establishing an emergency childcare system that ensures peace of mind even in the event of care gaps.
Kim Byungsu, Mayor of Gimpo City, is visiting the Child Development Support Center and taking photos with the children. Photo by Gimpo City
The city's childcare policies are filling blind spots and fostering growth through a range of services: 'Anytime Childcare Centers' offering 24-hour care, night-time extended childcare centers operating until midnight, emergency care facilities for elementary school students, designated institutions providing hourly childcare services, and the UriAiHaengbok Childcare Centers, which offer high-quality programs.
Gimpo City is currently designating and operating Anytime Childcare Centers that provide 24-hour care.
The 'Anytime Childcare Center,' which accepts children from 6 months to 7 years old at any time, is a key pledge of Mayor Kim Byungsoo. This customized childcare program was implemented in consideration of Gimpo's demographic structure and childcare environment. Currently, the public GeumbitHaneul Childcare Center in Tongjin is designated as an Anytime Childcare Center. It is available on weekdays, weekends, and public holidays by reservation. Across Gyeonggi Province, including Gimpo, approximately 10 such centers are in operation.
Emergency childcare services are also available for elementary school students in urgent situations.
This initiative has been implemented since July 1, 2024, in only 14 out of 31 cities and counties in Gyeonggi Province, with Gimpo City participating proactively due to its strong commitment to childcare. The service targets children aged 6 to under 13, providing emergency care on weekday nights, weekends, and holidays. The service is offered at 22 UriAiHaengbok Childcare Centers and 3 community child centers, with the Gimpo Childcare Hub Center coordinating between service providers and children. Applications can be made in advance via the Gyeonggi Children Anytime Care Platform, the central call center, or the Gimpo Childcare Hub Center.
There is also a service that provides in-home emergency childcare in urgent situations.
This service is available for children aged 3 months to under 13 years who require emergency care at night or on weekends. Applications can be submitted up to 4 hours before the desired start time, or up to 30 minutes prior in case of emergencies, with no time restrictions. Applications can be made through the Childcare Service user website (https://idolbom.go.kr) or the mobile app (Childcare Service).
Gimpo City has also designated 111 night-time extended childcare centers operating until midnight. These centers provide care beyond the standard and extended hours (07:30 to 19:30), up to 24:00. In particular, public childcare centers managed by Gimpo City are required to offer night-time extended care, serving as a safe childcare network for single-parent and dual-income families.
Institutions providing hourly childcare services, where parents can entrust their children for the desired duration, are also designated and operated.
The hourly childcare service is available for infants (0-2 years) who do not attend childcare centers or kindergartens. In case of emergencies during home care, parents can use designated centers on an hourly basis. Since the launch of the 8th municipal administration, the number of hourly childcare service providers has been gradually increasing in Gimpo. There are two types of classes: independent classes, where registered infants are cared for separately (3 classes), and integrated classes, where care is provided together with registered infants (11 classes). The numbers have expanded as follows: 3 centers with 4 classes in 2022, 7 centers with 9 classes in 2023, 12 centers with 13 classes in 2024, and 13 centers with 14 classes in 2025.
Additionally, 22 UriAiHaengbok Childcare Centers are providing customized after-school care programs for elementary school students. Their features include: basic childcare services (child protection, snacks, meal provision during school vacations), common programs (physical activities, homework and reading guidance, daily life education), special activity programs (English classes with native speakers, arts and sports, experiential activities), three region-specific specialized care centers (science, foreign language, sports programs), Safe Accompaniment Service (escort to and from school, escort to hospitals), and extended operating hours for working parents (until 8 p.m.).
Furthermore, in June of this year, Gimpo City attracted attention by opening the Child Development Support Center, the first in Gyeonggi Province, which offers one-stop services from early diagnosis of developmental status to counseling and treatment for infants and young children.
In addition, the city has installed and is operating the Mamdaero A+ (AI Play) Playground within the Childcare Comprehensive Support Center, offering differentiated content such as MotionPangPang indoor exercise and HoloMagic XR experience tailored to the developmental stages of infants and young children. On the fourth floor of the Northern Public Health Center in Tongjin-eup, the Tongjin Branch (public indoor playground and toy library) has also been established, with plans to open by the end of this year and to extend availability to Sundays.
Mayor Kim Byungsoo stated, "Gimpo City is striving to become a city that alleviates the real burden of childcare by focusing on development from infancy and providing high-quality care. We will do our utmost to develop childcare service policies that ensure both children, the leaders of the future generation, and their parents can be happy."
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