The Seoul Metropolitan Government is fully launching its "Seoul Children Deundeun Meal" program to address gaps in lunch and childcare for children during the summer vacation. The initiative aims to ease the burden on dual-income and single-parent families while providing children with healthy meals and care at the same time.
Seoul said Friday that it will begin full operation of "Seoul Children Deundeun Meal" at regional children's centers and neighborhood Kium centers starting July 20. The program is an integrated care service for elementary school students that combines lunch with dietary education and play, reading and experiential programs. It is a core task of the "Seoul Children Companion UP Project" announced by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, and is notable for expanding existing vacation care to include new children as beneficiaries.
Eligible participants are children aged 6 to 12 who need lunch care during vacation, with dual-income and single-parent families given priority in selection. The program will operate at 226 locations across Seoul's 25 autonomous districts for five weeks until August 21, and about 4,000 children are expected to use it.
The fee is set at 10,000 won for five days a week. To keep the cost burden low while ensuring the quality of meals, Seoul plans to apply standard menus prepared by the Center for Children's Foodservice Management and to strengthen hygiene management standards. It will also focus on nutritional balance by providing seasonal fruit twice a week in connection with the "Kids, Let's Eat Fruit" program.
Beyond simple meal support, various programs will also be operated. Ranging from hygiene education to physical activities, reading and experiential programs, the initiative supports children's daily life and growth during vacation.
Applications can be made through the "Neighborhood Kium Portal," with registration accepted two weeks before each session begins. To ensure stable operation of the application system, districts will be divided into groups and reservation applications will open sequentially.
Seoul plans to strengthen guidance for parents through various channels, including school newsletters, and to expand operations in the future based on the program's outcomes.
"This program was created to ease the biggest concern for parents during vacation, which is their children's meals," Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said. "We will strengthen public care to create an environment where both children and parents can feel at ease."
