Will Summer Lunch Worries Ease? Gwangju-Jeollanam-do Offers 'Gap Care' for 4,500 Elementary Students

Operation limited to summer vacation from July 27 through the third week of August

Expanded hours at 220 local children's and care centers

Priority for dual-income and single-parent families; Free for disadvantaged children

When summer vacation begins, dual-income families must first worry about their children's meals and care. With school meals suspended, it becomes difficult to provide regular food, and gaps in childcare also grow longer. The Gwangju-Jeollanam-do Integrated Metropolitan City is launching the "Elementary School Vacation Gap Care" program, which will provide lunch, dinner, and all-day care for around 4,500 elementary school students during the vacation period.

On July 26, the Gwangju-Jeollanam-do Integrated Metropolitan City announced that, starting from July 27 and continuing through the third week of August, it will operate vacation care programs using local children's centers and joint care centers, investing a total of 2.6 billion won in government and local funds for this initiative.

Elementary school students are having lunch. Gwangju Metropolitan City in Jeonnam Province provides lunch, dinner, and care services to elementary school students through local children's centers and inclusive care centers during the vacation period. The Asia Business Daily Database

The initiative will be carried out at 220 centers in total, including 179 local children's centers and 41 joint care centers in the Gwangju and Jeollanam-do regions. Of these, 206 centers will operate from 9 AM to 6 PM, providing morning snacks, lunch, and dinner. The remaining 14 centers will be open from 11 AM to 8 PM, supporting both lunch and dinner.

The program is open to any elementary school student. Even children who do not use childcare facilities during the school term can participate by registering in advance. If applications exceed capacity, children from dual-income families and single-parent families will be given priority.

The usage fee for each center has been set at no more than 10,000 won per week (up to 2,000 won per day) to prevent excessive meal applications. Children from households receiving basic living welfare or in low-income brackets can use the service free of charge.

Guardians who wish to enroll their children can apply directly at the care center of their choice or receive guidance via the nationwide counseling hotline. A list of participating centers will be available on the National Center for the Rights of the Child website starting July 27.

The Gwangju-Jeollanam-do Integrated Metropolitan City plans to reduce the childcare burden on dual-income families and others by supporting both meals and care during the vacation period through this project.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.