ECEC System in Japan
Kindergartens, Day-care Centres and Centres for ECEC
ECEC Facilities in Japan
2 types of facilities are provided to the children of the same age 3-6.
Target
Kindergarten
Day-Care centre
From age 3 to 6
(before entering primary school)
From age 0 to 6
(before entering primary school)
* Children with needs for care (Eligibility determined by
municipal governments)
Childcare
Time
4 hours a day, as educational standard
8 hours a day, in principle
Legal
Foundation
School Education Act
Child Welfare Act
Governing
Body
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology (MEXT)
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
(MHLW)
Standards
National Curriculum Standards for
Kindergartens
Day Care Guideline
Number of
Children
1,705,000 (2007)
2,015,000 (2007)
Public 338,000
Private 1,368,000
Public 945,000
Private 1,071,000
Number of
Facilities
14,000 (2007)
Public 5,500
Private 8,500
23,000 (2007)
Public 12,000
Private 11,000
1
Status of the implementation of ECEC (2007fy)
• Significant part of age 3-6 (most part of age 4-6) is enrolled in kindergarten or day-care centre.
• About 20% of age就学前教育・保育の実施状況（平成１９年度）
0-2 is enrolled in day-care centre.
＜学年齢別＞
Number of
Age 5 Class (5-6)
57.3%
5歳児
Age 4 Class4歳児
(4-5)
54.1%
Age 2 Class2歳児
(2-3)
Age 1 Class1歳児
(1-2)
0.0%
0.0%
total 合計
25.8%
1,072,500
1,064,500
75.2%
1,085,500
85.4%
32.2%
20%
Kindergarten
幼稚園就園率
40%
6,721,000
42.0%
60%
Day-care centre
保育所入所率
1,134,500
1,105,500
22.3%
67.0%
24.8%
14.6%
5.2%
38.8%
33.0%
Age 0 Class0歳児
(0-1) 0.0%
0%
40.7%
38.8%
Age 3 Class3歳児
(3-4)
2.4%
40.3%
Children
1,157,500
80%
100%
Others
未就園率
2
Administrative System of ECEC
(Government)
Minister of
MEXT
Minister of
MHLW
・Administrative guidance,
advice etc.
・Administrative guidance,
advice etc.
(Prefecture)
Prefectural Board
of Education
Prefectural Governor
・Permission for establishment
・Guidance, advice etc.
・Permission for
establishment
・Permission for establishment
・Guidance, advice etc.
・Permission for
establishment
(Municipality)
Municipal Board
of Education
(Establisher)
(Facilities)
Mayor
・Budget
School
juridical person
・Establishment
・Management
Municipal
Kindergarten
・Establishment
・Management
Private
Kindergarten
Social Welfare
juridical person
・Establishment
・Management
Municipal
Day Care
・Establishment
・Management
Private
Day Care
3
Funding System of Private ECEC Facilities
(Government)
・Promotional grants for
Kindergarten enrollment
MEXT
MHLW
・Subsidies for Private School
ordinary expenses
・Payment of budget
(1/2 of cost by government)
(Prefecture)
Prefecture
・Subsidies for Private School
ordinary expenses
・Payment of budget
(1/4 of cost by prefecture)
(Municipality)
Municipal
Educational Board
Municipality
・Payment of budget
(1/4 of cost by municipality)
Parents
Private
Kindergarten
Private
Day Care
＊Public ECEC facilities are mainly funded by municipalities.
4
Approaches for Cooperation between Kindergarten and Day-care Centre
a. Shared use of the facilities
 A guideline about shared use of the facilities between kindergarten and day-care centre was formulated.
(1998)
b. Ensuring consistency between “National Curriculum Standards for Kindergartens” and “Day Care
Guideline”
 They exchanged their commissioners when both curriculum was revised.
c. Promotion of dual qualification and joint training courses
 Kindergarten teachers and nursery teachers are promoted to entry each training courses organized for
others.
 Eligibility requirements for qualifying examination to become a nursery teacher for kindergarten
teachers has been relaxed. (2004)
 Established a qualifying examination to become a kindergarten teacher for nursery teachers. (2005)
d. Dissemination of Good practice of cooperation
 A case book of cooperation between kindergarten and day-care centre has been published. (2002)
 A case book of cooperation between primary school and day-care centre, kindergarten, etc. has been
published. (2009)
e. Universalization of extraordinary regulation relaxation in joint activities in kindergarten and day-care
centre
 Universalized a extraordinary relaxation which has been needed to do joint activities between
kindergarten and day-care centre. (2005)
Establishment of the system of Centre for Early Childhood Education and Care
To provide preschool education and childcare services coherently and support for childrearing practices, the government has established an certification system of Centre for ECEC.
(2006)
Co-establishment of the Ministries’ office
The Ministries (MEXT and MHLW) co-established the “Office for Advancing Kindergarten and
Day-care Centre” (2006)
5
Background of the Foundation of “Centre for ECEC”
It became to be difficult to handle with the problems accompanied by the
low birthrate and diversification of needs on education/child-care.
• Which facility to use is constraint by whether the parents work or not. (If the
parents works, the children goes to day-care. Otherwise, kindergarten.)
• Because of low birthrate, group size of children that is important for
children’s growth comes to small in situation that kindergartens and daycare centres are split. Moreover, it is inefficient for administration.
• The number of kindergarten pupils has decreased 100,000, while there are
20,000 waiting list for day-care.
• Support for non-working mothers, which have uncertainty in child-rearing, is
deeply absent.
Established the system
of Centre for ECEC
as another option
To meet the diverse
needs of users
• Universal use regardless of whether the parents work or not
• Adequate size of children for their development
• Resolution of waiting list for day-care by using existing
kindergarten
• Enrichment of support for child-rearing activities in
community, including non-working mothers
6
Chronology of the System of “Centre for ECEC”
“Basic Policies for Economic and Fiscal Management and Structural Reform 2003” (Cabinet decision, Jun
2003) (trial translation)
To establish comprehensive facilities which coherently provide preschool education and childcare
services, the government will do variety of preparatory measures, including development of legal
systems, such as setting a fundamental idea in 2004fy, executing pilot programs in 2005fy, etc. And
then, set the system into practice from 2006fy.
2004fy
Investigation in the joint
session of the “Committee
on Early Childhood
Education, Central Council
for Education” (MEXT) and
the “Committee on Children,
Social Security Council”
(MHLW)
2005fy
2006fy
• Pilot programs at 35 facilities
• Institutional design based on the
evaluation on the pilot programs
• Budget for practice (were
allocated to the budgets for
kindergarten and day-care
centre separately.)
enforcement
• Submit of the bill
Investigation in the related councils, etc.
• The joint session of the “Committee on Early Childhood Education, Central Council for Education”
(MEXT) and the “Committee on Children, Social Security Council” (MHLW) has investigated the issue
from May 2004 and released a report in December 2004.
• A committee evaluated the pilot programs on the basis of content of education and care, staffing,
facilities and so on, and released a report in May 2006.
7
4 Types of Centre for ECEC
Kindergarten
(education)
Centre for Early Childhood Education and Care
(certified by prefectural government)
Centres may choose their types
according to needs of the locality
Combined
kindergarten and
day-care center
model
kindergarten
model
day-care center
model
Local discretion
model
Kindergarten
Kindergarten
Day-Care
(childcare)
Gap between
two system
+
+
Day-Care
Functional Day-Care
Functional Kindergarten
+
Day-Care
Functional Kindergarten
+
Functional Day-Care
＋
Supporting function for child care
8
Questionnaire on the System of Centre for ECEC
Evaluation on the system of Centre for ECEC
About 80% of parents using Centre for ECEC and more than 90% of the facilities think highly of the system of Centre
for ECEC. Moreover, about 90% of parents responded that the system should be promoted.
[evaluation on being
a Centre for ECEC]
Parents
[What the system of centre
for ECEC should be?]
Ignorant
10.8%
[Reasons of high value]
Low-value
0.8%
No answer
21.4%
High-value
58.2%
Comparatively
low-value
2.4%
Comparatively
high-value 17.3%
(1) Time flexibility (46.5%)
(2) Seamless use regardless of whether parents
have jobs or not (45.7%)
(3) Enrichment on educational activities (30.9%)
(4) Exchange between various ages (27.3%)
(5) Enrichment on support for child-rearing
practice (24.6%)
(6) School provided lunch (14.4%)
(7) Others (5.6%)
No needs to be enhanced
2.6%
Facilities
[Impressions to be a Centre
Bad 0.8%
for ECEC]
Comparatively
Bad 6.2%
To be enhanced
86.6%
Good
46.2%
Comparatively
Good 45.4%
What administrative authorities should do?
Facilities say that…
<Administrative authorities> “should enhance relationship between the Ministries”, “should improve financial status”, “should simplify
accounting control”, etc.
Municipalities say that…
<National government> “should improve financial aid”, “should enhance relationship between the Ministries”, “should PR on the system”, etc.
<Prefectures> “should improve financial aid”, “should simplify subscription procedure”, “should relate with the municipalities”, etc
<Municipalities> “should relate with the prefectures”, “should PR of the system”, “should establish financial aid by their own”, etc.
Prefectures say that…
<National government> “should improve financial aid”, “should simplify accounting control”, “should simplify subscription procedure”, etc.
<Prefectures> “should relate with the municipalities”, “should smooth the way for judgment”, “should PR on the system”, etc
9
Number of Certification to be Centres for ECEC
Number of the “Centre for ECEC”
 Number of certification : 358 (April 1, 2009 )
 Number of certification prospected : about 2,000
(as a result of the survey thorough prefectures)
Whole
models
Number of
certification
358
(detailed content)
Combined
kindergarten and
day-care centre
model
Kindergarten
model
Day-care
centre model
Local
discretion
model
158
125
55
20
10
The Report of the Committee on the System of Centre for ECEC
Direction of reform
Present status (problems)
• The system is not so spread despite
of getting high-value from parents
and facilities.
• Insufficient financial support
• Complicated financial regulation and
application procedure
• Lack of relationship between the
Ministries or local governments
• It is necessary to build a mechanism
to coherently provide education,
childcare and child-rearing support
based on the situation in each area.
• To maintain and improve teachers’
competency is needed.
Urgent equipment of the Centres for ECEC
• The government aims to increase the number of certification more than
2,000 by end of 2011fy, on the basis of users needs and facilities’ interest
for the certification.
Financial support
• The government will create financial supports for “functional day-care in
the kindergarten model”, “functional kindergarten in the day-care centre
model” and “local discretion model” by founding “Child Security Fund”, etc.
Dissolution of double administration
• The government will institutionalize “child grant” to unify the subsidy desks,
application procedures and execution.
• The government will quickly unify and simplify the administrative
procedures. For example, to unify the desks, to combine or eliminate
documents overlapped, and simplification of audit.
Comprehensive provide of education, childcare and child-rearing support /
maintenance and improvement of teacher’s competency
•
•
•
•
In the future, the centre for ECEC should be integrated into combined
kindergarten and day-care centre model.
The Centres will enrich their function of child-rearing support for the families and
communities.
To enrichment quality of education and care, training courses and measures in
facility operations are important.
It is important to allow more flexibility in the teacher-training course and
qualification examination.
Ideal institution of preschool education and care
• The government will investigate on the ideal institution for coherent provision of education, childcare and child-rearing support
based on the situation in each area.
• The government will prove the efforts based on the new “National Curriculum Standard for Kindergartens” and “Day Care
Guideline”, and the efforts in the Centres for ECEC.
• Regarding administrative systems for kindergarten and day-care centre, it is necessary to take relationships such as with
compulsory education, sound growth of children, maternal and child health, welfare of disabled children, labor administration,
etc. into account. And it is necessary to functional enhancement of co-established “Office for Advancing Kindergarten and
Day-care Centre” and general coordination by the cabinet office.
schedule
• The government will follow up the status of these reformation.
• The government will promote concrete institutional investigation based on the direction of the reformation of childcare system.
• The government will rethink about the system of Centre for ECEC in tandem with investigation in the reformation of childcare
system because the investigation for reformation at 5 years after enforcement is stipulated in the Law
11