Gwangju Office of Education Launches First Reading Culture Support for Kindergartens and Daycare Centers

Policy of Integrating Early Childhood Education and Care
Creating Tailored Reading Environments for Young Children

On August 10, the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education announced that it will implement the "Reading Culture Promotion Support Project" for the first time, aiming to help young children develop reading habits.

Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education building.

Starting in the second half of the year, the Office of Education will provide tailored reading support to all kindergartens and daycare centers in Gwangju. Currently, there are about 250 kindergartens and 780 daycare centers in Gwangju, totaling approximately 1,030 early childhood education and care institutions.

Until now, daycare centers have been managed by local governments, while the Office of Education has overseen only kindergartens, resulting in separate policies for young children. In line with the policy of integrating early childhood education and care, the Office of Education is expanding the scope of this project to include not only kindergartens but also daycare centers, so that all young children can have equal educational opportunities.

Under the slogan "Let's Play with Books! Let's Grow with Our Hearts!", the project aims to create a reading-friendly environment tailored to the developmental stages of young children and the characteristics of each institution, making reading a natural part of daily life. The project targets all kindergartens and daycare centers in Gwangju, with support methods varying according to the age of the enrolled children.

For kindergartens and daycare centers with at least one child aged 3 to 5, a budget for "Reading Culture Promotion Operating Expenses" linked to play-based education and care programs will be provided in September. Applications can be submitted via the Office of Education's data collection system or online from August 18 to 29.

For daycare centers with only children aged 0 to 2, a "Reading Package" linked to the standard care curriculum will be provided in October. To prepare for this, a demand survey will be conducted until August 14, and the package components will be selected. The Office of Education will provide guidance to supported institutions on the composition and use of the reading packages, and will collect and reflect the results of the implementation in future projects.