Suwon Opens First 'Shared Childcare Center'

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] The 'Suwon Shared Childcare Center', a space where parents can care for their children together and share childcare information, opened its doors on the 7th.

Suwon City held the opening ceremony for its first shared childcare center at a residents' community facility in Humansia Apartment Complex 15, Homae-sil, Gwonseon-gu, on that day.

The Shared Childcare Center is a public-private collaboration project between the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and Shinhan Financial Group, aimed at 'building a community care community' and serves as a care facility for infants, toddlers, and elementary school students. The city was selected for the Shared Childcare Center remodeling project in July and received 60 million won in project funding.

The Shared Childcare Center, which has been newly renovated from the first floor of the residents' community facility at Humansia Apartment Complex 15, has a floor area of 84.49 square meters and features a program room and activity spaces where children can play.

The center will operate various age-appropriate programs for infants, toddlers, and elementary school students. In addition, parents will gather at the Shared Childcare Center to share parenting information and engage in 'shared childcare barter' activities where they take turns caring for each other's children.

The city plans to hire dedicated staff for the Shared Childcare Center and begin operating programs in December.

Kwon Chan-ho, Director of the Welfare and Women's Division of Suwon City, said, "The Shared Childcare Center will provide practical information helpful to childcare and play a role in building a local childcare network. We will spread a care culture that involves the entire community to create a 'Suwon where it is good to raise children'."