Pilot Operation of the First Seoul Kium Day Care Center Starting October 12
The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) will begin its pilot operation of the first Seoul Kium day care center on Mon, Oct. 12 to serve as a facility where children can freely rest and play as well as experience various forms of art in daily life.
The SMG is planning to provide various arts, cultural and sports programs for free to elementary school students of Seoul Kium, the first-ever day care center in Seoul that is designed after Finland’s Annantalo educational model. The center was promoted to meet the needs of children, parents and caregivers who seek spaces for kids to freely play and experience art and culture.
After reviewing its accessibility, surroundings and the status of other day care facilities, this first-ever Seoul Kium facility was built with five stories and one underground floor.
By introducing the Annantalo educational model for the first time in Korea, Seoul Kium will serve as an environment for kids to be motivated to set and reach their goals, improve focus, and develop empathy while playing and resting with others.
Seoul Kium has been fit with amenities, such as swing stools, book carts and play mats, that have been thematically tailored to help children’s learning, logical reasoning and playing so that they can utilize and interact on their own, thereby bringing out their creativity and self-led problem solving while serving as essential tools for the center’s programs.
The center comprises 10 activity rooms, including a multi-purpose physical education room, play room, nap room, cooking room and maker’s rooms, with signs placed at kids’ height so that they can access the rooms easily.
This pilot operation features small-scale, non-contact, and online programs in preparation for the post-coronavirus era, and kids can participate in the programs from their home or other small and medium-sized day care facilities.
Seoul Kium will provide arts, cultural and sports experience programs after introducing its facilities, such as the cooking room and maker’s room.
The SMG is will begin receiving reservations starting Mon, Oct. 12 due to COVID-19 and open in phases according to the social distancing level while complying with disease prevention protocols, including limiting the number of users to 10. During the pilot period, Seoul Kium will provide arts, cultural and sports programs to children in other small and medium-sized day care facilities and will open to the public when COVID-19 is no longer a risk.
(Seoul Kium website: )
After the end of the pilot operation, the SMG plans to make Seoul Kium serve as a control tower for day care resources and establish a community day care system that communicates with local residents.