As a working parent, I have taken time to decide which daycare or certified center for early childhood education and care (ECEC) I should put my kids in.
The early childhood education and care system in Japan is different from ones in other countries, so you might want to get information for them.
In this article, I will explain the difference between daycare, kindergarten, and certified center for ECEC.
Please note that it's written ...
- HOIKUEN for daycare
- YOUCHIEN for kindergarten
- NINTEI KODOMOEN for certified center for ECEC
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I maijored Early Childhood Education and Special Education in Japan and in the states and certifications as a caregiver and teacher.
I have worked in elementary school and daycare in Japan and in the staes.
I have 3 children, one went from home-care to youchien at 3 years old and the others started hoikuen at 1 year old, then youchien at 4 years old.
Contents
Difference between Hoikuen, Youchien, and Nintei Kodomoen
You might have a vague idea about what hoikuen, youchien, and nintei kodomoen are.
Here is the idea of those 3 facilities.
You can consider their characteristics when you consider of where you would like your kid to attend.
In Sasebo, people refer Nintei Kodomoen as "Youchien".
Most of Youchien now actually have a function of Nintei Kodomoen.
Yes, names of schools have "Youchien" because they used to be Youchien, but they added functions of daycare when Japanese government launched a system of Nintei Kodomoen.
| Hoikuen | Youchien | Nintei Kodomoen | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Competent Ministry | Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare | Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology | Cabinet Office |
| Facility | Child Welfare Facility | Educational Facility | Varies by Facility |
| Age | 0 ~ school age | 3 ~ school age | 0 ~ school age |
| Hours | 8 ~ 11 hours | 4 hours | 4 ~ 11 hours |
| Fees | Amount set by local government based on household income | Varies by Facility | Amount set by local government based on household income |
| School Lunch | Provided | Varies by Facility | Provided |
| Certifications | certification as daycare teacher | certification as kindergarten teacher | certification as daycare and kindergarten teacher |
Hoikuen
Daycare is a facility available for children between 0 to school age who needs care.
Teachers have national certification as a childcare professional.
Reasons for needs of care for a child
- Employment (The minimum hours for working vary by municipality, ranging from 48 to 64 hours per month.)
- Pregnancy and Childbirth
- Illness or Disability of Parent
- Caregiving or Nursing of Relatives
- Recovery from Disaster
- Job Hunting
- School or Vocational Training
- Possible Abuse or Domestic Violence
- The child is already using the childcare service and needs to continue using it while a parent is on maternity/childcare leave
- Other cases approved by a municipality
The purpose of hoikuen is to provide care for children whoes parents or guardian can not provide care for the reasons stated above.
Because hoikuen is for children whose parents can not provide care, their events involving a parent are limited.
It doesn't mean that they have less events compared to youchien, but how much a parent has to participate in regards to preparing events, etc is much less than what you are expected at youchien.
Also, children spend most of the day at hoikuen.
Children get a nap time everyday for about 2 hours after lunch, which you need to prepare stuff needed for a nap time (bedding set).
You might not need to prepare for it since it varies by centers and they could provide all of the stuff for napping.
*No nap time for the oldest class (5&6 years old).
Most of center open 7:00 - 19:00, Monday - Saturday, but it varies by center.
There are some centers which open over the night and weekends and holidays.
For more information on hoikuen...
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Fees in Hoikuen in Japan
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Non-registered Daycare Facilities
There are non-registered daycare facilities (Ninkagai hoikuen) as opposed to registered daycare, which we refer as hoikuen.
Non-registered Daycare Facilities
"Hoikuen" is registered by the national government and meets the national standards.
These include national standards for the number of caregivers, size of the facility, equipment, etc.
Non-registered daycare centers may not meet national standards or decided not to be registered in order to provide unique childcare services.
However, even if they do not meet national standards, they meet local government standards.
Since they do not receive government subsidy, daycare fees are tend to be higher.
While there are advantages of Ninkagai Hoikuen such as getting unique childcare and extended hours of care, there are also risks that the facility could be too small or the quality of the childcare staff could be not as good.
This is not to say that Ninkagai Hoikuen is bad, but they do have risks, so be sure to visit them in advance and know the facility and staff.
Youchien
Youchien is an educational facility for children from 3 years old to school age.
The educational hours will be 4 hours from 10:00 to 14:00.
Teachers have national certification as a kindergarten teacher.
School lunches vary by school, and some youchien require a packed lunch.
Depending on youchien, there is an annual fee for educational materials and the purchase of uniforms and other items are required to enroll in youchien.
It really varies by youchien, but expect approximately 50,000 yen for entering youchien.
Youchien has more events.
You should expect at least one parent-participating event per month.
Nintei Kodomoen
In 2006, the system of Nintei Kodomoen was launched.
Nintei Kodomoen is a facility that combines the advantages of both Youchien and Hoikuen to provide education and childcare services for children from 0 years old to school age, regardless of whether the parents are working or not.
There are 4 types of Nintei Kodomoen.
- A type that combines the functions of both Youchien and Hoikuen
- A type that adds the function of Hoikuen to an existing Youchien. The youchien's status as an educational institution remains the same, and education is provided in accordance with the "Guidelines for Kindergarten Education.
- A type that adds the functions of youchien to an existing hoikuen. The hoikuen status (as a child welfare facility) remains the same, and childcare is provided in accordance with the "Daycare Center Childcare Guidelines".
- A type that adds the functions of Nintei Kodomoen to an existing non-registered youchien or hoikuen.
In my area, there are more Nintei Kodomoen that have added hoikuen functions to existing youchien.
Children : Teacher Ratio
There are differences in ration between hoikuen and youchien.
Hoikuen Children : Teacher Ratio
- 0 year old class - 3:1
- 1 year old class - 6:1
- 2 year old class - 6:1
- 3 year old class - 20:1
- 4 year old class - 30:1
- 5 year old class - 30:1
Youchien Childre : Teacher Ratio
- No more than 35 kids : 1
The standards are as above, but in 3 year old class and above, all the hoikuen and youchien I saw either had a two teacher system or had an assistant teacher or floating teacher.
Also, there are less kids in a class than the standards in youchien where my kids attended.
In class with 0-2 year old, there are always enough teachers from my view as long as where I have visited.
Personal Impressions
As personal impressions, it is easier for working parents to have your child to attend Hoikuen because you don't need to prepare for anything special.
In Youchien, there tend to be more requests to bring something to use for art activities, etc.
Also, it depends on your child temperament, but my kid needed a nap time when she was 3 years old, so take it into a consideration when you decide if you want your child to attend Hoikuen or Youchien.
I can definetly say there tend to be more benefits to have your child at Hoikuen when they are little if you are working parents (full time).
On the other hand, I felt that there are more outside-the-school activities at Youchien because they have school buses and drivers to take kids outside of school.
Since educational time in Youchien is 10:00-14:00 and teachers could have more time for planning, I felt activities at Youchien are more enriched.
It is just my personal opinion, but once your child reaches to a point that he/she can go through a day without napping, having them to attend Youchien is something you would consider.
*I wrote Youchien, but it actually is Nintei Kodomoen, a type that adds the function of Hoikuen to an existing Youchien.
*Programs offered by Hoikuen, Youchien, and Nintei Kodomoen are different at each school/facility. However, in general, Hoikuen provides care for kids and Youchien provides education.
CHECK
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Advantages and Disadvantages of Hoikuen and Youchien
In this article, I (as a working mom) will discuss about advantages and disadvantages of having kid ...
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Summary
Each facility has its own characteristics.
It is my preasure if this article can help you choose the right facility/service for your family and needs.
| Hoikuen | Youchien | Nintei Kodomoen | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Competent Ministry | Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare | Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology | Cabinet Office |
| Facility | Child Welfare Facility | Educational Facility | Varies by Facility |
| Age | 0 ~ school age | 3 ~ school age | 0 ~ school age |
| Hours | 8 ~ 11 hours | 4 hours | 4 ~ 11 hours |
| Fees | Amount set by local government based on household income | Varies by Facility | Amount set by local government based on household income |
| School Lunch | Provided | Varies by Facility | Provided |
| Certifications | certification as daycare teacher | certification as kindergarten teacher | certification as daycare and kindergarten teacher |
Please also refer "advantages and disadvantages of Hoikuen and Youchien" from my own experiences.
CHECK
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Advantages and Disadvantages of Hoikuen and Youchien
In this article, I (as a working mom) will discuss about advantages and disadvantages of having kid ...
続きを見る