Press

Seoul-based working mother A feels at ease these days. Until now, the pickup time from her 5-year-old daughter's all-day kindergarten program didn't match her work hours, forcing her to either leave early or keep her child waiting. Now, a play teacher picks up her daughter and plays with her for an additional 1-2 hours until she gets off work. Her daughter is happy not having to wait or feel lonely, and A can finish her work with peace of mind. Fulltime housewife B also experienced alone time for the first time after giving birth. Spending all day doing housework made it difficult to go out properly, and she would often get irritable with her child who wanted to play with mom, exhausted from the day's activities. Since the play teacher started coming and playing with her child, B has had time to finish her chores and enjoy a cup of coffee or watch a movie nearby. The platform that has brought life's leisure to parents and a good playmate to children is 'Noldam,' a play sitter matching platform. After completing the social venture incubating Underdogs startup academy, the company was selected as a 2016 startup team by Yonsei University's startup support division and chosen for the 2016 Social Entrepreneur Development Program by the Social Enterprise Promotion Agency. Noldam CEO Moon Mi-sung grew up with her 13-year-old younger brother and was the neighborhood's older sister who played with his friends. CEO Moon stated, '95% of preschool and early elementary school children are being sent to cram schools due to lack of alternative childcare options,' and added, 'Witnessing housewives pushed into single-parent childcare due to insufficient childcare alternatives and national welfare policies, couples with diminished quality of life, and children deprived of play opportunities, I conceived Noldam's home visit play service.' The usage is simple. Download the application, enter your child's name, basic information, frequently visited hospitals, and emergency contact information, and the system connects you with nearby teachers based on location. Teachers are selected from university students majoring in related fields such as sports education through written screening and interviews. They must then complete the basic education course called 'Seed Education' before becoming active teachers. 'Sprout Education,' an advanced course for experienced play teachers, is also provided. Play teachers are not simply supervisors watching children play alone, but active participants who 'play together' with children. They understand that children's life itself is play and that they learn the world through play, and above all, they must have genuine sincerity. They also create more diverse play content together with children. 'Real play' that guarantees fun, enjoyment, spontaneity, and initiative—rather than rote education in cram schools—helps develop children's emotional intelligence, social skills, cognitive abilities, self-esteem, and creativity. CEO Moon stated, 'Flexible play services focused on children's initiative within a standardized private education market have clear differentiation and competitiveness,' and added, 'Through collaboration with expert groups, we aim to continuously improve manuals and content to contribute to creating a world where both mothers and children are happy through the value of play.' Meanwhile, the Noldam app is provided in Android version and can be downloaded from Google Play Store and other platforms.