Yeongdeungpo-gu, in partnership with the Seoul Southern District Office of Education, is launching an elementary school care and education support project this summer to help students from dual-income and multicultural families who have limited childcare options during school breaks.
The project provides first- through third-grade students who risk falling through the childcare gap during vacation periods with five days a week of lunch and 80 minutes of tailored educational programming daily, all free of charge.
Yeongdeungpo-gu is the only autonomous district in Seoul selected as a best-practice case in the Ministry of Education's competitive grant program for vacation-period elementary care and education support, securing 300 million won ($205,000) in project funding. The district plans to run the program during both the summer and winter breaks.
This summer, about 300 students at eight elementary schools in the district — selected by the Seoul Southern District Office of Education — will take part in the program.
During the break, Yeongdeungpo-gu and the Seoul Southern District Office of Education will each run programs tailored to their respective strengths. The district will focus on schools with high demand for care but limited capacity to deliver it, offering hands-on programs in arts, culture and physical activity. The education office will draw on the area's high concentration of multicultural students, running its own specially developed educational programs.
The district and the education office have also built a cooperative network with local organizations in line with the national policy initiative "Community-Wide Elementary Care." The network draws on instructors and diverse educational programs available through local institutions to meet the specific needs of each school.
KB Financial Group's public-interest foundation will run a combined program blending play with financial education.
A women-owned local business will supply students with fresh, nutritious dosirak to ease the burden on parents and support children's health. Every Wednesday, a special "Wednesday Treat Day" menu will be offered, featuring dishes chosen based on students' preferences.
Yeongdeungpo-gu District Mayor Cho Yu-jin said the program would ensure children receive healthy meals and enriching learning experiences even during school breaks. "By joining hands with the district education office and the local community, we will close the childcare gap during vacation periods and build a Yeongdeungpo where children are happy and parents can feel at ease," she said.
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