This is going to be a long post giving details about the different types of childcare facilities in Japan. Please see the PDFs for a simpler and easier to read format.
Youchien/Kindergarten
About:
There are two types of youchien, private and public. All youchien are educational facilities based on the Japanese School Education Act. Youchien differentiate themselves from each other by having a separate focus of study. For example, some youchien will focus on music and have full marching bands while others have swimming pools, read/write kanji, woodworking, and many other focuses. These separate focuses become what the school is known for.
Children’s age:
Children 3-5-years-old before April are eligible to join youchien. Youchien will typically separate students by age groups. Nen-Sho are 3-4-years-old, Nen-Chu are 4-5-years-old, Nen-Cho are 5-6-years old. Some youchien will accept students throughout the year as they turn three. For example, a two-year-old in April, that turns three in June, could join some youchien from June. Some youchien offer mommy and baby classes to start recruiting students. Some youchien also offer part-time lessons for two-year-olds that will be joining from April. As you can see, there are a variety of youchien that do accept students younger than three in different circumstances.
Approved by local government for daycare necessity:
The local government does not need to approve the need for daycare, not required.
Number of Children allowed:
No requirement for a minimum. Maximum determined by facility size.
General Hours of operation:
9:00-14:00 with a minimum of four hours of educational instruction. Morning daycare before 9:00 and afternoon daycare after 14:00 are most often available.
Fees:
Public—The local government decides.
Private—The school decides.
Staff Qualifications:
Teachers must hold a Youchien Teacher Certification.
Staff to Student Ratio:
1 teach per class up to 35 students.
Subsidies Available:
Tuition is free of charge at schools that are eligible for the Comprehensive Support System for Children and Child-rearing.
Tuition is reimbursed up to ¥25,700 at schools that are ineligible for the Comprehensive Support System for Children and Child-rearing.
Extended daycare has additional costs at youchien. However, if the student is recognized as being in need of child daycare, then the student may pay ¥450 X days of extended care, up to a maximum of ¥11,300 per month being free. Any amount over ¥11,300 per month will be the responsibility of the student to pay. In other words, the student can receive up ¥11,300 per month of extended childcare for free.
For a child to be “officially recognized as being in need of child daycare”, they must receive certification from the local municipality. The rules to qualify will vary from municipality to municipality, but in general, both parents must each be working more than 60 hours a month.
Hoikuen/Nursery School/Daycare
About:
There are two types of hoikuen, Authorized/Licensed and Unauthorized/Unlicensed. There are seven types of Authorized/Licensed hoikuen and two types of Unauthorized/Unlicensed. We will look at each type of Authorized/Licensed and Unauthorized/Unlicensed below.
Ninka Hoikuen/Authorized Nursery School/Authorized Daycare
Children’s age:
Children from 9 weeks old to 6-years-old are eligible to join hoikuen. However, not all hoikuen accept children as young as 9 weeks old. Hoikuen will typically separate students by age groups. Nyuuji, 3 months to 12 months, 13 months to 24 months, 2-3-year-olds, Nen-Sho 3-4-years-old, Nen-Chu 4-5-years-old, Nen-Cho 5-6-years old. Children are usually awarded spots in hoikuen based on a needs scale. Spaces are often very limited for children under 3 years old, thus, a waiting list is used. Signing up for a ninka hoikuen for an April start is done directly at the hoikuen. Signing up after April for a mid-term start is done through the municipality.
Approved by local government for daycare necessity:
Required.
Number of Children allowed:
Minimum of 20 children. Maximum based on facility size.
General Hours of operation:
7:30-18:30, 11 hours a day. Monday to Friday. Many are also open Saturday.
Fees:
Up to the local government. Fee may change based on the households' income.
Staff Qualifications:
Hoikushi License.
Staff to Student Ratio:
1 staff per 3 children less than 1-year-old
1 staff per 6 children between 1-2 years-old
1 staff per 20 children between 3-4-years-old
1 staff per 30 children between 4-6-years-old
Subsidies Available:
The subsidy available depends on the student’s age, household income, and siblings that have enrolled. The oldest child using the daycare center or other facilities will be counted as the first child, and the usage fees for the second child (from 0 to 2 years old) will be 50% of those for the first child. The usage fees for all subsequent children will be free. For household with an annual income of less than ¥3,600,000, there are no restrictions on the age of the first child.
Children aged 3-5 are free of charge, in general.
Children aged 0-2 and whose household qualifies for residential tax-exemption are free of charge, in general.
Nentai Kodomoen/Provides both Kindergarten and Authorized Nursery School/Daycare Services
Children’s age:
Youchien enrollment-3-6 years old
Hoikuen enrollment 0-6 years old
Approved by local government for daycare necessity:
Required if daycare service is used.
Number of Children allowed:
Minimum is 20 children. Maximum dependent on facility size.
General Hours of operation:
7:30 to 18:30. 4 of the eleven hours must be used for education.
Fees:
Dependent on if the child uses the youchien, hoikuen, or both.
See youchien and ninka hoikuen above for more information.
Staff Qualifications:
Youchien license for youchien teaching
Hoikuen license for hoikuen staff.
Staff to Student Ratio:
See youchien and ninka hoikuen above for more information.
Subsidies Available:
See youchien and ninka hoikuen above for more information.
Ninsho Hoikuen/Metropolis Nursery School/Daycare
Originally Tokyo started Ninsho Hoikuen in 2001 to meet the variety of needs for daycare from parents. Nowadays, similar daycare facilities can be found in other big cities such as Osaka, Yokohama, etc.
* The following are Tokyo guidelines. Other cities have their own rules.
Children’s age:
Type A- 0 to 6 years old
Type B- 0 to 2 years old
Approved by local government for daycare necessity:
Required.
Number of Children allowed:
Type A- Minimum 20 children. Maximum 120 children. More than ½ of the children must be from 0-2 years old.
Type B- Minimum 6. Maximum 29.
General Hours of operation:
Must be open 13 or more hours a day.
Fees:
Depends on the facility. However, fees cannot exceed 80,000/month for children from 0-2 years old and cannot exceed 77,000 yen/month for children 3 years and older and use the facility less than 220 hours per month.
Staff Qualifications:
60% of staff must be licensed Hoikushi.
Staff to Student Ratio:
1 staff per 3 children less than 1-year-old
1 staff per 6 children between 1-2 years-old
1 staff per 20 children between 3-4-years-old
1 staff per 30 children between 4-6-years-old
Subsidies Available:
If a municipal office agrees that a child needs daycare due to parents' jobs, sickness, or any other reasons, children from 3 to 5 years old are eligible for subsidies up to ¥37,000/month. For children aged 0 to 2 years old, if the household is qualified for residential tax-exempt AND with the municipal office's approval of necessity of daycare use, they are eligible for monthly subsidies up to ¥42,000. For FAMILY SUPPORT service, children before elementary school with qualified status (same as the same condition stated above) are eligible for subsidies.
The following four types are all Chiiki-gata Hoiku Jigyo/Small daycare facilities for children mainly from 0 to 2 years old.
Syokibo Hoiku Jigyo/Small-Size daycare
Children’s age:
Type A- 0 to 2 years old
Type B- 0 to 2 years old
Type C- 0 to 2 years old
Approved by local government for daycare necessity:
Required
Number of Children allowed:
Type A- Minimum of 6 children. Maximum of 19 children
Type B- Minimum of 6 children. Maximum of 19 children
Type C- Minimum of 6 children. Maximum of 10 children
.
General Hours of operation:
Depends on the facility, but in general, 8 to 11 hours a day.
Fees:
Up to the local government. Fee may change based on the households' income
Staff Qualifications:
Type A- Hoikushi licensed staff, in general.
Type B- 50% of staff must be Hoikushi licensed. Non-licensed Hoikushi staff undergo training.
Type C- Hoiku Mama license holders
Staff to Student Ratio:
Type A- Same as Ninka Hoikuen above AND in addition, 1 more Hoikushi staff is needed.
Type B- Same as Ninka Hoikuen above AND in addition, 1 more Hoikushi staff is needed.
Type C- 1 staff per 3 children
Subsidies Available:
The subsidy available depends on the student’s age, household income, and siblings that have enrolled. The oldest child using the daycare center or other facilities will be counted as the first child, and the usage fees for the second child (from 0 to 2 years old) will be 50% of those for the first child. The usage fees for all subsequent children will be free. For household with an annual income of less than ¥3,600,000, there are no restrictions on the age of the first child.
Children aged 0-2 and whose household qualifies for residential tax-exemption are free of charge, in general.
Katei Hoiku Jigyo/At-Home Daycare
Children’s age:
0-2 years old
Approved by local government for daycare necessity:
Required.
Number of Children allowed:
Maximum 5 children
General Hours of operation:
In general, 8 hours a day.
Fees:
Up to the local government. Fee may change based on households' income
Staff Qualifications:
Preferably a Hoikushi License holder, but anyone who finishes classes and certified by local government can be a Hoiku Mama.
Staff to Student Ratio:
One Hoiku mama can take care up to 3 children. With personnel with a helper license, they can watch up to 5 children.
Subsidies Available:
The subsidy available depends on the student’s age, household income, and siblings that have enrolled. The oldest child using the daycare center or other facilities will be counted as the first child, and the usage fees for the second child (from 0 to 2 years old) will be 50% of those for the first child. The usage fees for all subsequent children will be free. For household with an annual income of less than ¥3,600,000, there are no restrictions on the age of the first child.
Children aged 0-2 and whose household qualifies for residential tax-exemption are free of charge, in general.
Jigyosyonai Hoiku/Daycare Inside a Company
A daycare facility built in a company where their employees can leave their children while working. They must accept certain numbers of local children whose parents do not work for the company in order to receive subsidy from a local government.
Children’s age:
0 to 2 years old.
Approved by local government for daycare necessity:
Required.
Number of Children allowed:
No minimum of children required. However, ¼ or more of the children must be local children whose parents are not working for the company providing the facilities.
General Hours of operation:
Depend on facility.
Fees:
Fee may be very similar to the neighboring Ninka-Hoikuen, but in general daycare facilities can set fees by themselves
Staff Qualifications:
If a facility with more than 20 children, all of the staff must be Hoikushi License holders.
If less than 19 children, more than 1/2 of staff must be Hoikushi License holders.
Staff to Student Ratio:
If more than 20 children, follow the same requirement as Ninka-Hoikuen.
If less than 19 children, then the same as Type A and B Shokibo-Hoiku.
Subsidies Available:
The subsidy available depends on the student’s age, household income, and siblings that have enrolled. The oldest child using the daycare center or other facilities will be counted as the first child, and the usage fees for the second child (from 0 to 2 years old) will be 50% of those for the first child. The usage fees for all subsequent children will be free. For household with an annual income of less than ¥3,600,000, there are no restrictions on the age of the first child.
Children aged 0-2 and whose household qualifies for residential tax-exemption are free of charge, in general.
Itaku Houmongata/Babysitting Service
A person with sickness or disease who cannot take their children to a daycare facility can request a babysitter to come and watch a child at their home.
Children’s age:
0 to 2 years old
Approved by local government for daycare necessity:
Required.
Number of Children allowed:
In general, 1 staff for 1 child.
General Hours of operation:
In general, 8 hours.
Fees:
Up to the local government. Fee may change based on households' income. Transportation fee may also be charged.
Staff Qualifications:
Preferably a Hoikushi license holder, but anyone who finishes classes and certified by local government can be a Hoiku Mama.
Staff to Student Ratio:
In general, one Hoikushi or one Hoiku Mama can supervise 1 child.
Subsidies Available:
The subsidy available depends on the student’s age, household income, and siblings that have enrolled. The oldest child using the daycare center or other facilities will be counted as the first child, and the usage fees for the second child (from 0 to 2 years old) will be 50% of those for the first child. The usage fees for all subsequent children will be free. For household with an annual income of less than ¥3,600,000, there are no restrictions on the age of the first child.
Children aged 0-2 and whose household qualifies for residential tax-exemption are free of charge, in general.
The following two types are Ninkagai Hoiku Shisetsu/Unauthorized/Unlicensed Nursery School/Daycare.
Common Ninkagai Hoiku Shisetsu/Unauthorized Nursery School/Daycare
Childcare facilities not meeting national standards, but local governments' regulations.
Because of less rules to follow, they can offer unique, differentiated services.
Common Ninkagai Hoiku Shisetsu:
International Preschools
Baby Hotels (24-hour service)
Takujisho (Temporary daycare center inside hair salons, hotels, dentists, etc.)
Children’s age:
Daycare decides.
Approved by local government for daycare necessity:
Not Required. However, to receive a subsidy, it is Required.
Number of Children allowed:
Depends on the facilities size.
General Hours of operation:
Depends on the facility, in general, 8 or more hours a day.
Fees:
Depends on the facility.
Staff Qualifications:
1/3 of required staff must hold Hoikushi license or be a qualified nurse.
Staff to Student Ratio:
If there will be more than 6 children per day, follow the same requirement in Authorized Daycare regulations. If less than 5, one staff can take care up to 3 children - (up to 5 children with a person with helper license).
Subsidies Available:
If a municipal office agrees that a child needs daycare due to parents' jobs, sickness, or any other reasons, children from 3 to 5 years old are eligible for subsidies up to ¥37,000/month. For children aged 0 to 2 years old, if the household is qualified for residential tax-exempt AND with the municipal office's approval of necessity of daycare use, they are eligible for monthly subsidies up to ¥42,000. For FAMILY SUPPORT service, children before elementary school with qualified status (same as the same condition stated above) are eligible for subsidies.
Kigyo Syudougata Hoiku Shisetsu/Daycare Facilities Run by Companies
Similar to Jigyosyonai Hoiku but it's different in the following points:
1. age range (0-2yo vs. 0-5yo)
2. numbers of local children
3. establishing procedure (easier than Jigyosyonai Hoiku as Kigyo Syudogata daycare centers are unauthorized facilities)
4. company structure (one or more than one companies can run a daycare)
5. up to 95% of establishing cost may be covered by the local government's subsidy
Children’s age:
0 to 5 years old
Approved by local government for daycare necessity:
Not Required. However, to receive a subsidy, it is Required.
Number of Children allowed:
Up to the facility. However, they can accept up to ½ from local children.
General Hours of operation:
Depend on the facility.
Fees:
It is under Ninkagai-Hoikuen, but the fee may be very similar to the neighboring Ninka-Hoikuen.
Staff Qualifications:
½ of all staff must have Hoikushi license.
Staff to Student Ratio:
Same as Ninka Hoikuen above AND in addition, 1 more Hoikushi staff is needed.
Subsidies Available:
The subsidy available depends on the student’s age, household income, and siblings that have enrolled. The oldest child using the daycare center or other facilities will be counted as the first child, and the usage fees for the second child (from 0 to 2 years old) will be 50% of those for the first child. The usage fees for all subsequent children will be free. For household with an annual income of less than ¥3,600,000, there are no restrictions on the age of the first child.
Children aged 0-2 and whose household qualifies for residential tax-exemption are free of charge, in general.
