Gwangmyeong City Launches Free Childcare Center: What This Means for Working Parents

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On April 17, Gwangmyeong City in Gyeonggi Province moved to expand care infrastructure within apartment complexes to close gaps in elementary after-school care.
 
According to the city, officials signed a rent-free lease agreement in the city hall conference room with the Gwangmyeong 1R District Housing Redevelopment Association to install and operate an “All-Together Care Center” at the Gwangmyeong Xi The Sharp Forena complex.
 
The All-Together Care Center is a local government–run facility that repurposes idle space inside apartment complexes. All elementary school students who need care can use it, regardless of household income.
 
The center will offer regular and temporary supervision, provide meals and snacks, and run a variety of educational programs designed to ease the childcare burden on dual-income families.

Under the agreement, the association will provide part of the complex’s resident common facility—about 217㎡ (≈2,336 sq ft)—rent-free for 5 years.
 
The city plans to remodel the space and select an operator to manage it, aiming to open the center in the second half of this year.
 
Acting Mayor Choi Hye-min said, “We will establish a comprehensive, secure care environment for children and work to make the city a place where parents can raise their children with confidence.”
 
Meanwhile, Gwangmyeong City is continuing to expand All-Together Care Centers in line with a policy that requires care centers in apartment complexes with 500 or more units.