ECEC System in Japan

1. ECEC System in Japan Kindergartens, Day-care Centres and Centres for ECEC

2. ECEC Facilities in Japan 2 types of facilities are provided to the children of the same age 3-6. 1

3. Status of the implementation of ECEC (2007fy) Kindergarten Day-care centre Others • Significant part of age 3-6 (most part of age 4-6) is enrolled in kindergarten or day-care centre. • About 20% of age 0-2 is enrolled in day-care centre. Number of Children 1,157,500 Age 5 Class (5-6) 1,134,500 Age 4 Class (4-5) 1,105,500 Age 3 Class (3-4) 1,072,500 Age 2 Class (2-3) 1,064,500 Age 1 Class (1-2) 1,085,500 Age 0 Class (0-1) 6,721,000 total

4. Administrative System of ECEC (Government) Minister of MEXT Minister of MHLW ・Administrative guidance, advice etc. ・Administrative guidance, advice etc. (Prefecture) Prefectural Boardof Education Prefectural Governor ・Permission for establishment ・Permission for establishment ・Guidance, advice etc. ・Permission for establishment ・Permission for establishment ・Guidance, advice etc. (Municipality) Municipal Boardof Education Mayor ・Budget (Establisher) School juridical person Social Welfare juridical person ・Establishment ・Management ・Establishment ・Management ・Establishment ・Management ・Establishment ・Management (Facilities) Municipal Kindergarten Private Kindergarten Municipal Day Care Private Day Care 3

5. 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) Private Kindergarten Private Day Care Parents ＊Public ECEC facilities are mainly funded by municipalities. 4

6. Approaches for Cooperation between Kindergarten and Day-care Centre • Shared use of the facilities • A guideline about shared use of the facilities between kindergarten and day-care centre was formulated. (1998) • Ensuring consistency between “National Curriculum Standards for Kindergartens” and “Day Care Guideline” • They exchanged their commissioners when both curriculum was revised. • 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) • 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) • 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 child-rearing 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)

7. 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 day-care 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 ECECas another option • 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 To meet the diverse needs of users

8. 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 2005fy 2006fy 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) • 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.) • Submit of the bill enforcement • 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.

9. 4 Types of Centre for ECEC Kindergarten(education) Gap betweentwo system Day-Care(childcare) Centre for Early Childhood Education and Care(certified by prefectural government) Combined kindergarten and day-care center model Day-Care + Kindergarten Centres may choose their typesaccording to needs of the locality Kindergarten + kindergarten model Functional Day-Care Day-Care + day-care center model Functional Kindergarten Functional Kindergarten+Functional Day-Care Local discretion model ＋ Supporting function for child care 8 8

10. 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 facilitiesthink highly of the system of Centre for ECEC. Moreover, about 90% of parents responded that the system should be promoted. Parents Facilities [evaluation on being a Centre for ECEC] [What the system of centre for ECEC should be?] [Impressions to be a Centre for ECEC] Ignorant10.8% [Reasons of high value] Bad 0.8% No answer21.4% (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%) ComparativelyBad 6.2% Low-value 0.8% High-value 58.2% Comparatively low-value 2.4% Good46.2% To be enhanced86.6% Comparatively high-value 17.3% ComparativelyGood 45.4% No needs to be enhanced 2.6% 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

11. Number of Certification to be Centres for ECEC Whole models (detailed content) Combined kindergarten and day-care centre model Kindergarten model Day-care centre model Local discretion model Number of certification 358 158 125 55 20 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)

12. The Report of the Committee on the System of Centre for ECEC Direction of reform Present status (problems) Urgent equipment of the Centres for ECEC • The system is not so spread despite of getting high-value from parents and facilities. • 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. • Insufficient financial support 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. • Complicated financial regulation and application procedure • Lack of relationship between the Ministries or local governments Comprehensive provide of education, childcare and child-rearing support / maintenance and improvement of teacher’s competency • 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. • 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