In Japan, children as young as three years old are usually enrolled in Japanese kindergarten or a nursery school if both of their parents work. According to some surveys, more than 90% of 3 and 4-year-olds attend nursery school or kindergarten.
However, since the number of dual-income families has grown in recent years, many children have been placed on nursery school waiting lists, mostly in urban regions.
Although the majority of preschools in Japan are privately owned, there are some government-sponsored nurseries and kindergartens. Kindergartens offer three, two, and one-year programs for children aged three, four, and five, respectively.
To be eligible for enrollment, the kid must be the right age for the program by April 1st of the entrance year. A valid alien registration is also required for non-Japanese children.
Here are the Various Types of Japanese Kindergartens and Nursery Schools
Global Indian International School
Daycare and Kindergartens are the two types of institutes for early childhood education. GIIS (Global Indian International School), is a famous Kindergarten that focuses on the formative years of children. The cutting-edge teaching methods are paired with innovative Montessori philosophy to give young learners the opportunity to thrive in their areas of interest.
This curriculum also supports the development of kids’ talents, abilities, and personalities, making GIIS Tokyo Montessori school the most trusted Japanese kindergarten. It prepares children for Primary Education and life far beyond the classroom by nurturing them in a happy and safe environment.
As the first Tokyo Montessori school in Japan, GIIS has created the award-winning GMP curriculum, which combines the best of traditional Montessori education with digital-led teaching approaches for great holistic student growth.
Ninka-Hoikuen (Licensed Kindergarten, Nursery School in Japan)
Ninka-Hoikuen is a government-licensed nursery school or kindergarten that meets government-mandated nursery service standards like- facility width, number of nursery teachers, food services, disaster-prevention operations, and sanitary supervision.
Ninka-application Hoikuen’s process must be completed at a municipal office. The term “child waiting list” has become a social phenomenon, and licensed kindergartens are inundated with applications because their nursery fees are comparable to those of non-licensed kindergartens.
The capacity of a licensed kindergarten ranges from 60 to 300 students (children). In the Tokyo area, the capacity is usually around 100 students, and each room has enough space. You can easily locate a kindergarten that is spacious enough with a large yard enabling children to grow up freely.
Recently, each kindergarten’s distinctiveness has been prominently displayed, and they have sought to differentiate themselves from one another in terms of their uniqueness. Some of them even put effort into music and language education.
There are roughly 3 types of licensed kindergarten Schools in Japan:
Koritsu-Hoikuen (Public Day Care Center, Public Kindergarten)
A municipality is in charge of a public daycare centre. The admission procedure is handled by the municipal office, therefore if you want to enroll your child in a public centre for childcare in Japan, you must first visit a city office to obtain application forms and other screening documents.
Shiritsu-Hoikuen (Private Kindergarten, Nursery School in Japan)
Nursery services are often provided by social welfare enterprises and non-profit organizations. A municipality’s limits are less stringent than those imposed by public preschools in Japan, and its education policy is extremely unique. Some private kindergartens have good campuses and encourage children to play in large natural fields.
Kosetsu-Minei-Hoikuen (Government-Owned Private Nursery School)
This is a Japanese kindergarten that is run on behalf of the government or a municipality by a private nursery service provider.
Although the government or a municipality owns nursery facilities, nursery teachers are not government workers. Public kindergarten policy is followed by management policy; therefore teachers’ assignments and events are usually the same as public kindergartens.
Ninsho-Hoikuen (Authentication Nursery School)
In Tokyo, the Authentication Nursery School is a one-of-a-kind institution. Kindergartens in major urban areas with limited space have challenges in meeting the government-mandated nursery standard (installation criteria of a licensed kindergarten). To address this issue, Tokyo built an authentic nursery school system tailored to the city’s unique traits and situations.
Tokyo encouraged many businesses to enter the nursery service industry by establishing a framework that encourages free competition among businesses in order to improve nursery service quality. As a result, a real nursery school would be able to meet a variety of needs.
Many authentication nursery schools have been constructed in station buildings, taking into account the convenience of picking up a child for busy commuters. Some of them, surprisingly, stay open until 9 or 10 p.m. for working mothers.
The nursery fee is more than that of a typically licensed kindergarten. Instead, you can go through the nursery school’s application process directly. If you locate the one you want. Parents benefit much from learning specifics about the nursery system from those who work there.
Muninka-Hoikuen (Non-Licensed Kindergarten)
This is a kindergarten or nursery school that does not meet government-mandated nursery requirements, yet there are so many outstanding non-licensed kindergartens that make up for not meeting the nursery requirements.
When you first hear the term “non-licensed,” you may have a negative impression of all Japanese kindergartens that use it, but there is evidence that nursery service quality is much higher than that of traditional licensed kindergartens, owing to a desire to stand out in a competitive market and making an effort to meet potential demands.
In general, you must have good reasons to leave your child at a licensed kindergarten, such as being unable to care for your child because you work long hours throughout the day. There are as many people waiting to be admitted to leave a child as there are municipal offices that establish waiting lists. It is only reasonable that, in order to be fair to other individuals on waiting lists, you must have acceptable reasons for leaving a kid.
However, in the case of a non-licensed kindergarten, even if you don’t have any legitimate reasons to leave a child, such as wanting to enjoy your vacation, it will comply with your needs.
It features a one-of-a-kind nursery service that incorporates alternative education, and some of them even collaborate with private educational institutions.
Yochien (Japanese Kindergarten)
Yochien is a type of pre-school that is under the purview of the School Education Law. This is a Japanese school that is similar to elementary school and junior high school. Yochien, on the other hand, is not a compulsory education school like elementary or junior high. Admission eligibility is applied to children aged 3 to 6 years old in order to prepare them for elementary school.
In Japanese parenting, they encourage their kids to be independent quite early on. Children learn basic life and study skills via physical education at yochien in order to be independent and prepare for elementary and secondary school. Yochien typically provides a four-hour daily program, while some yochien may keep children for longer periods of time.
Following the nursery contents for children, the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare regulates a training project plan for Yochien.
Nintei-Kodomoen (Certified Center for Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC)
ECEC is a 2016 child care system in Japan that combines kindergartens (Yochien) and nursery schools (Hoikuen). There are four types of systems: “Yochien and Hoikuen collaborative nursery,” “Yochien type nursery,” “Hoikuen type nursery,” and “municipal discretion type.” This system is still in its infancy and has a lot of room for improvement.
ECEC was created with the intention of providing a solution for parents who couldn’t decide between Yochien and Hoikuen.
For about 4 hours, 3-year-olds and older children receive instruction from a teacher (Yochien function).
Similarly, parents can choose between 4 and 8 hours of nursery time (Hoikuen function).
Conclusion
Early childhood is a crucial stage in a child’s growth. In order to reach their greatest potential during these years, children require a holistic approach to learning. Preschool education is essential for a child’s emotional, social, and physical growth.
Young children are eager to learn and have a bright future ahead of them. They are motivated, inquisitive, and enthusiastic learners. Respect for family, school, and teachers is also promoted and instilled in kids at Japanese kindergartens.
