Social Affairs Bureau of Taichung City Government has converted the old office building of Nantun District Office into the first flagship family hall in Taichung City, extending service to preschool children under the age of 6 (previous limited to children under 3 years old). Since its soft opening last month, the facility has proven to be extremely popular among parents. On Father’s Day (8th), the grand opening of the center was held, and Mayor Chia-lung Lin made an appearance to play building blocks with children. In return, they presented the Mayor with handmade Happy Father’s Day cards amid a warm, joyous ambiance. Mayor Lin announced that plans for 5 additional family halls are underway, and they will be opened soon in the future. Furthermore, other family halls will be launched as soon as possible in order to achieve the goal of creating one unique family hall in each district. In conjunction with policy such as one stop crèche and babysitting, the aim is to provide a reassuring environment for raising children, so that parents will become willing to have children with the support of the government.

The design of Nantun Family hall draws inspiration from Nantun’s local pangolin mascot named Kaka. The interior features a 15m long building block wall for the children to unleash their creativity and imagination, while the family kitchen is decorated in vibrant macaron colors, allowing for parents to interact and bond with their children. Services are provided according to age groups, where educational toys, books, courses and activities are offered to create a fun environment for children.

During the official opening of Nantun Family hall on the 8th, Mayor Lin attended the inauguration ceremony in the company of Social Affairs Bureau Director Chien-te Lu. He also assembled building blocks with children, who in turn presented him with interesting handmade cards with words “Super Dad” and “Dad I Love You” written on them in phonetic symbols to wish the Mayor a Happy Father’s Day. Mayor Lin was overwhelmed with joy. Other dignitaries including Legislator Wan-chien Chang Liao, City Councilors Wen-hai He, Yao-chung Chang, representatives from the office of City Councilors Shih-chou Liu and Nuan-ying Chu, Nantun District Executive Tai-yuen Cheng and numerous local borough chiefs. They all enjoyed a delightful Father’s Day with the children in the center.

“The best Father’s Day gift this year is the official opening of Nantun Family hall!” suggested Mayor Lin. As a father and a Mayor, he dedicated the gift to all fathers in Taichung City, because as fathers are concerned, raising kids is both a joy and responsibility. If the government is able to provide more assistance and subsidies for crèche and babysitting, perhaps the danger of falling birthrates and be averted.

According to him, Taichung’s population continues to increase, and it is now the second largest metropolis in Taiwan as well as a widely recognized livable city. An important element is the “One stop crèche and babysitting” policy, where a series of measures such as childbirth subsidy, home postnatal care service and the creation of family halls is implemented, integrating various childcare subsidies and services for children between the ages of 0 and 6 to attract young people to move to Taichung. After the opening of the flagship family hall, plans for 5 additional family halls are underway, and they will be opened soon in the future. Furthermore, other family halls will be launched as soon as possible in order to achieve the goal of creating one unique family hall in each district.

According to Mayor Lin, Nantun Family Hall incorporates the image of Nantun’s mascot pangolin to create a forest-like ambiance. Furthermore, teachers and resources from university daycare centers are introduced to create the family hall that will offer parents peace of mind. The city government will continue to expedite the construction of other family halls; in particular, the special budget of the foresight program has already incorporated the item of low birthrate childcare, therefore Mayor Lin has consulted with Legislators including Wan-chien Chang Liao to place emphasis on establishing family halls, so that parents will become willing to have children with the support of the government.

Legislator Wan-chien Chang Liao expressed his acknowledgement of the city government’s dedication in planning the family halls, because “children are our future”. He also promised to make sure that the budget of the foresight program receives the green light in order to created more outstanding family halls, in turn providing children with a better environment to grow up in. The family halls will become the all-important daycare centers for parents.

Social Affairs Bureau suggested that there are currently 5 daycare resource centers in Taichung City, all managed and operated by professional early childhood care and education organizations. Focusing on infants less than 3 years old, nearly 500 parent-child activities are designed and conducted by each center every year. The diverse services have garnered favorable impressions among the public, servicing 1,476,273 persons.

In order to offer more diverse childcare resources and services, Social Affairs Bureau is expected to upgrade all 5 daycare resource centers to family halls in 2018. In the future, a family hall will be established in Taiping, Daya, East, Tanzi, Wuri and Beitun District respectively, while a family hall and daycare resource center will be created in Shigang District. Moreover, various unused spaces will be inspected for appropriateness in order to attain the goal of “one family hall per district” and provide safe, adequate activity spaces suited for children of different ages.

On the other hand, Social Affairs Bureau is also actively creating privately-run public infant care centers in regions lacking in resources, including Shalu, Fengyuan and Taiping District. The new Qingshui infant care center will be opened in August 12 this year and infants will be accepted starting from August 16. Additionally, the Pinglin infant care center in Taiping will be opened at the end of this year, and privately-run public infant care centers in Dali and Daya are slated for opening next year.