The Seoul Metropolitan Government will expand nighttime extended child care services to fill care gaps for dual-income families with elementary school children. The core plan is to allow parents to leave their children from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. before school and, after school, until as late as midnight.
The city said on the 23rd that since last month it has been operating a "nighttime extended care" service at 52 locations, including community child centers and Our Neighborhood Kiwoom Centers.
These sites provide care for elementary school children until midnight at the latest. This extends the previous 8 p.m. closing time by four hours. Services are offered at 49 community child centers and three Our Neighborhood Kiwoom Centers. Among them, until midnight
Fifty locations that provide nighttime extended care services (47 community child centers and three Our Neighborhood Kiwoom Centers) operate until 10 p.m., and two community child centers extend operations until 12 a.m. The city expected this would significantly ease the child-rearing burden on parents who work late hours.
In addition, the city will address care gaps in the early morning hours. Since January, it expanded the "Seoul-style morning care Kiwoom Center" from the previous 25 locations by adding five in high-demand areas, bringing the total to 30. The newly added districts are Jungnang, Eunpyeong, Seodaemun, Yangcheon, and Dongjak, which have high demand for morning care, for a total of five districts. Hours of operation are from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. before school.
For this morning and nighttime care, anyone can use the service free of charge even if the child is not registered at a community child center or an Our Neighborhood Kiwoom Center. Applications can be made via the "Our Neighborhood Kiwoom Portal" website, by visiting a nearby center, or by phone. If an unexpected situation arises and nighttime care is needed, assistance is available if you apply up to two hours before the desired usage time.
By the end of this year, the city plans to add four more district-operated Our Neighborhood Kiwoom Centers. After that, it will expand to a total of 282 locations. As of the end of January this year, installation has been finalized for a total of 278 locations—237 general-type, 33 convergence-type, and eight hub-type—and 275 of these are in operation. Of the three sites under installation, two, including one in Guro District, will begin operations within the year, and one in Songpa District will resume construction as soon as the cultural heritage excavation survey is completed, with openings sequentially scheduled for 2028.
In this regard, Mayor Oh Se-hoon visited "Our Neighborhood Kiwoom Center Dongjak No. 13" in Dongjak District on the afternoon of the same day and said, "We will continue to realize 'a Seoul that is good for raising children' without restrictions on care times or areas."