100 Days Since Opening of Yeongcheon Ai Haengbok Center... Rising as a Regional Care Hub

Citizens Respond Enthusiastically to One-Stop Integrated Care Services... Tangible Outcomes Such as "K-Bodeum 6000" Becoming Visible

Yeongcheon City's first hub-type integrated care center, the ambitiously launched "Ai Haengbok Center" (Child Happiness Center), has reached its 100th day since opening and is rapidly establishing itself as the core platform of the city's care policy.

According to Yeongcheon City on February 19, the Ai Haengbok Center is being evaluated as playing a driving role in realizing "Yeongcheon, a good place to give birth and raise children" by providing a one-stop service that consolidates the previously scattered functions of play, childcare, parenting, and family support into a single location.

Guardians and children participating in play activities together at a community childcare sharing center. Provided by Yeongcheon City

◆"I gained the courage to have a second child"... User satisfaction at the highest level

Recently, a series of reviews from users of facilities housed in the Ai Haengbok Center have been posted on the city hall website, indicating a high level of satisfaction.

"It is convenient because I can use various care services in one place."

"Thanks to the Ai Haengbok Center, I gained the confidence and courage to consider having a second child."

"Thanks to the Emergency Care Center for Sick Children, I was able to protect both my job and my parenting responsibilities even in sudden situations."

Such diverse words of praise continue to be posted, showing that citizen support is spreading and that the Ai Haengbok Center is functioning as an "active care hub" that goes beyond simply opening a facility to achieving real utilization and satisfaction.

◆24-hour care service... High utilization and even a waiting list

The Community Care Center for All operates a 24-hour care system, providing substantial help in filling childcare gaps for dual-income and single-parent families.

By also absorbing demand for nighttime and emergency care, it is showing such a high utilization rate that a waiting list has now formed.

Since opening, both the Toy Library and the Community Childcare Sharing Center have seen a steady increase in users and have become so active that most time slots are operated on a reservation basis.

In particular, the first-birthday and 100th-day photo studio within the Toy Library is operated free of charge for members (by reservation), easing the financial burden on parents and receiving a very positive response.

The Community Childcare Sharing Center has established itself as a venue for parents to share childcare information and communicate with one another, and it is also being evaluated as playing a positive role in spreading a culture of mutual childcare support.

◆Emergency Care Center for Sick Children... Strong response from dual-income parents

The Emergency Care Center for Sick Children is a facility introduced for the first time in Yeongcheon City and provides emergency care services for children with mild illnesses who have difficulty attending or leaving daycare centers and kindergartens.

By reducing care gaps, such as parents being unable to go to work due to a child's sudden illness, it is receiving particularly strong support from dual-income parents.

Within just 100 days of opening, the Ai Haengbok Center has produced visible results, including increased utilization, the emergence of a waiting list, and rising citizen satisfaction.

This goes beyond the simple expansion of welfare facilities and is becoming a turning point that elevates Yeongcheon City's care system to the next level as a hub-type integrated care center.

An official from the city stated, "The Ai Haengbok Center is the central hub of care policy that citizens can truly feel," adding, "We will continue to expand detailed and comprehensive care services to create a 'Yeongcheon that is a good place to give birth and raise children,' where younger generations will want to settle down."

Meanwhile, through the "Ai Cheonguk Parenting-Friendly Dure Village" project to overcome low birth rates, Yeongcheon City plans to additionally create a "Parent-Child Rest Space" by the second half of this year and operate "joint childcare programs tailored to each stage of child development."

As functions for parental rest and interaction and various parenting programs are added to the existing dense network of care services, the Ai Haengbok Center is expected to take a leap forward from a care facility into an integrated platform that supports the everyday lives of entire families.