Michuhol-gu holds opening ceremony for Hakik Forena Public Daycare Center, adding public childcare inside apartment complex

Incheon’s Michuhol-gu District (Mayor Kim Jung-sik) held an opening ceremony on the 23rd for the Hakik Forena Public Daycare Center, located inside the Forena Incheon Hakik Apartment complex. With another public childcare facility now inside the complex, nearby families can use public childcare services close to home.

[The Korean Today] Opening ceremony of the Hakik Forena Public Daycare Center © Reporter Kim Mi-hee

The daycare center opened on Aug. 3, ahead of the ceremony. The ceremony was held to formally introduce the facility, which has been operating for about two months, to the local community.

About 60 people attended the ceremony, including Mayor Kim, city and district council members, childcare officials, parents and local residents. Attendees congratulated the new daycare center on its launch and noted that it expands the area’s public childcare infrastructure.

[The Korean Today] Attendees at the opening ceremony of the Hakik Forena Public Daycare Center © Reporter Kim Mi-hee

The daycare center has a total floor area of 296.92㎡ and capacity for 35 children. It includes the spaces needed for its operation, such as childcare rooms where children spend their day, an indoor playroom, a teachers’ room and a kitchen for preparing meals. The district expects the facility to give infants and young children a safe and pleasant environment.

Public daycare centers are childcare facilities that local governments are responsible for establishing and operating. They are regarded as a foundation for strengthening the public nature and reliability of childcare and tend to be popular with parents. When located inside apartment complexes, they also shorten drop-off and pick-up trips for resident families, easing the burden on dual-income households and others.

[The Korean Today] Scene from the opening ceremony of the Hakik Forena Public Daycare Center © Reporter Kim Mi-hee

“Expanding public daycare centers is important work that allows parents to entrust their children with peace of mind and helps children grow up healthy in a safe environment,” Mayor Kim said. “We will continue to closely monitor local childcare demand and steadily expand our public childcare infrastructure so that we can provide high-quality childcare services.”

The opening adds one more public childcare facility to the options available to parents in Michuhol-gu. As the district has said it will keep expanding public childcare infrastructure in line with local demand, how public childcare facilities are expanded going forward is likely to be of interest to families raising children in the area.

[ Reporter Kim Mi-hee: incheonsouth@thekoreantoday.com ]

Become a Local Ambassador Apply as Branch Director The Korean Today — Nam-Incheon