Seminars

On July 8, 2025 (Tuesday), the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education (KICCE) held its first Open Day of the year, inviting nine graduate students from the Department of Child Psychology and Education at Sungkyunkwan University, who are affiliated with the Early Childhood Education and Care Research Lab. The event aimed to introduce KICCE’s policy research processes and key activities to prospective researchers in the field of early childhood education and care, while also fostering communication with the participants to enhance understanding of the Institute’s roles and values.

This Open Day was particularly meaningful as it was organized through a pre-registration process via the KICCE website and social media channels. The event provided an opportunity to share major findings from child care policy research conducted by the Institute and its research implementation procedures. It also served as a platform for collecting feedback and opinions directly from future professionals, thereby strengthening trust in and awareness of KICCE. The event was attended by Song Shinyeong, Head of the Publications and Public Relations Team; Ju Songhee, Senior Administrative Officer; and Choi Hyuck Jun, Senior Administrative Officer from the General Affairs and IT Support Team.

The program consisted of a welcome and introduction, followed by presentations on the Institute, research projects, ways to participate, a Q&A session, a guided tour of the Institute and its resource center, and a participant satisfaction survey.

During the Institute introduction, participants were given an overview of KICCE’s founding background, mission, vision, major functions, history, organizational structure, personnel, major events, and publications. The research project session introduced KICCE’s key research areas, classification of research themes, the research process, and how research outcomes are utilized. The “Get Involved” session presented various opportunities for participation such as submitting research papers, presenting at academic conferences, entering contests, attending KICCE-hosted events, proposing research topics, applying for youth internships or research assistant positions, recruitment opportunities, and using online services.

In the Q&A session, participants actively inquired about KICCE’s policy implementation process and the current status of early childhood education and care policies. Through the tour of the Institute and resource center, participants gained deeper insights into the research environment and available resources.

The graduate students reported that the event enhanced their understanding of the Institute’s research procedures and policy development process and allowed them to better appreciate KICCE’s contributions to the field. KICCE plans to continue promoting public communication and engagement and to provide ongoing opportunities to gather diverse perspectives to advance child care policy.