When we hear things like the average monthly childcare cost in New York exceeds $1700 or a daily childcare fees range from AU$150 to AU$200 in Sydney, people in Japan realise how surprisingly affordable Japan’s childcare system is in comparison.
From time to time, parents express concerns and frustrations regarding the difficulty of enrolling their children in preferred nurseries at desired times or ensuring that siblings can attend the same educational institution. However, the introduction of the “Child and Childcare Support New System” in 2015 marked a turning point, enhancing both the quantity and quality of early childhood education, childcare, and community support dedicated to nurturing children in Japan.
As a result, compared to many other countries, there are very generous provisions in place in Japan, such as a system where the childcare fees for the second child are halved or free in addition to the third children onwards get entirely waived fees. Also, to bolster the advancement of female participation in the labour force, the government is increasing the number of child care facilities across the nation even as the number of children decreases each year.
Today, we will take a closer look at Japan’s accommodating childcare system for young children (0 to 5 years old).
The majority of small children in Japan attend either nurseries or kindergartens.
Hoikuen (Nurseries):
Child welfare facilities available for children from infancy under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Parents must apply and receive certification of the necessity due the causes such as employment, illness, pregnancy, or childbirth to enroll their children to Hoikuen.
The standard childcare hours at Hoikuen are 8 hours, with the option for extension. Since the cost of lunches are weaved and hoikuen offers Nutrient-rich meals tailored to age-appropriate dietary needs, there is no need for parents to prepare bento lunches for children.
Unlike kindergartens where fees are the same for all students for each institution, hoikuen fees are determined based on the taxation situations with different ranks corresponding to different fee levels. For example, while the average nursery fee nationwide is around 38,000 yen for the first child, looking at the fees in Minato Ward, the central area of Tokyo, the highest fee for a househod for 160 hours of childcare per month is is 83,800 yen.
There are extended hourly hildcare fee of 400 yen (7:15 AM to 7:15 PM ) and 600 yen ( 7:15 PM to 10 PM) available, but the maximum monthly burden for extended childcare fees is capped at 10,000 yen.
Fees are waived for second and subsequent children.
Hoikuens vary in their individual characteristics, but generally, they take children on daily excursions to various parks, teach them songs, dances, origami and physical activities, assist them with toilet training, and instill essential manners like putting away toys they use, folding clothes and using chopstics properly as part of their daily routine. Additionally, many nursery schools collaborate with local community partners to offer agricultural experiences, offer English lessons with native-speaking teachers, or facilitate intergenerational interaction through visits to places such as elderly homes. They also host seasonal events such as summer festivals, holiday concerts, sports days, marathon events and entry and graduation ceremonies.
Over 2.7 million children residing in Japan make use of nursery schools.
Youchien (Kindergarten) :
An educational institution governed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, based on the School Education Act. It aims to promote the holistic development of children aged 3 and above, serving as the foundation for their subsequent life and learning beyond elementary school.
Youchien admits children from the age of three regardless of their parents’ employment or living conditions with a standard attendance duration of four hours per day. Emphasising the importance of play, kindergarten education is centred around activities that foster children’s creativity and learning. As such, textbooks are not used, and activities are play-oriented.
Equipped with facilities and playgrounds suitable for early childhood education, private Youchien are established under the educational principles of their founders, each offering innovative and distinctive educational approaches. Examples include kindergartens teaching programming or science, those enjoying visiting performances, or those focusing on nutrition education.
While the average monthly tuition fee for kindergarten is approximately 18,000 yen, most kindergartens are effectively free due to government support. However, for private kindergartens, parents bear additional costs such as meal fees, uniforms, and other miscellaneous fees, totaling around 140,000 yen annually, apart from tuition.
While the average monthly tuition fee for kindergarten is approximately 18,000 yen, most kindergartens are effectively free due to government support. However, for private kindergartens, parents bear additional costs such as meal fees, uniforms, and other miscellaneous fees, totaling around 140,000 yen annually, apart from tuition.
While the average monthly tuition fee for Youchien is approximately 18,000 yen, with the governemnt support, most youchiend are effectively free. However, for private youchiens, parents bear additional costs such as meal fees, uniforms, and other miscellaneous fees totaling around 140,000 yen annually.
Some kindergartens offer extended care and provide childcare during summer and winter vacations, although the basic attendance duration remains four hours.
Approximately 900,000 children residing in Japan attend kindergarten.
According to the OECD’s 2018 international survey, “TALIS Starting Strong,” which targeted early childhood educators for the first time, collaboration among childcare providers in Japan scored higher in categories such as “discussing interventions for children’s growth, learning, and enrichment of daily life,” compared to other participating countries. This indicates that collaborative efforts among childcare providers are well-established in Japan. However, it was found that Japan ranked the lowest among participating countries in providing feedback on the practices of other childcare providers.
Furthermore, the survey revealed that the working hours of childcare workers in Japan were the longest among participating countries, totaling 50.4 hours per week including hours worked outside of regular shifts. Additionally, the proportion of non-childcare tasks such as preparing activity plans and administrative work accounted for 16.9 hours per week, ranking second highest among participating countries.
Despite the demanding workload, the average wage for childcare workers in Japan is reportedly lower compared to other professions. The job satisfaction among Japanese childcare workers is also relatively low with only about 20% expressing satisfaction, a rate lower than that of surveyed countries. The shortage of childcare workers has become a significant issue.
As seen, there are still challenges in Japan’s early childhood education system. However, efforts are being made to address these issues such as improving the quality of childcare by reducing the number of children per childcare worker and enhancing the working conditions of childcare workerss. With some regions making progress in alleviating waiting lists for childcare placement, there is a growing momentum for various initiatives aimed at improving early childhood education in Japan.