The first facility dedicated to children's centers in Ishigaki City, the Shinkawa Children's Center, has been completed on the west side of the Shinkawa housing complex. An opening ceremony was held on January 6th, prior to the opening of the center.
The Shinkawa Children's Center was built by the city using a subsidy for the promotion of the revitalization of local residential functions, at a total cost of 679.61 million yen. The facility is equipped with a gymnasium, three multipurpose rooms, a creative activity room, a kitchen, toilets, shower rooms, etc.
The center is run by five staff members from the General Incorporated Association Support Center HOPE (representative director: Tokiko Yamazato), and is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. It is open free of charge to students aged 0 to 18 and their guardians.
An elementary school student who visited the children's center said with shining eyes, "I was surprised at how spacious it was. I want to play basketball and dodgeball in the gym."
Parents expressed their joy, saying, "We're glad we can use it for free. There are few places in Ishigaki where children can exercise on rainy days, so it's great that the children's center has opened."
A staff member at the children's center said, "We want the children to use this as one of their after-school play areas, and to learn social skills through playing here. The study rooms and library are equipped with a quiet environment for studying, so we hope junior and senior high school students will feel free to use them as well."
