Most daycares in Japan will accept babies 57 days old (strange, but that’s what the law generally stipulates). However, most parents that use daycare will until the baby is 6-12 months-old. This is because at that point the baby should have had its first round of vaccinations and be sturdy enough to handle being surrounded by other babies. However, if you wait until the April (start of the school year) after your kid turns one it can be a lot more difficult to get them into daycare in the first place because classes for that age get filled up very quickly.
Day care usage rates are actually decreasing. This is thought to be because more people are taking child care leave, as the government now makes it easier.
40% of 0-2-year-olds go to daycare
Daycares take kids up to the age of six, when they will start elementary school. After age three there are no longer any fees. While not compulsory education, which starts at age six in elementary school, the system if free for kids aged three and above. At age three, you can either continue on at daycare or go to kindergarten (about 98% of 3-5-year-olds go to either daycare or kindergarten. As a quick note, kindergarten is basically a more school-like, education-based daycare. The downside is that it starts at around 9am and finishes around 3pm so one parent will need to sacrifice work time.
The cost of daycare varies slightly depending on where in the country you live. The fees are also prorated based on your salary. You will pay nothing if you earn nothing and somewhere around 80k per month as a maximum if you are a high earner. However, more and more areas of the country are implementing half pricing or free pricing for the second child onwards, with Tokyo Prefecture leading the way, making daycare free for all residents of the prefecture.
Luckily for me living in Tokyo, the free daycare kicked in just after my daughter started. So quite a lot of savings. Times vary but they generally take kids from something like 7am to 7pm. Some may give extended hours for an extra fee. So, in general the system is far easier for parents than those with elementary school-aged children that may finish school as early as 2pm or 3pm. I guess I’m just going to have to take advantage of the long hors of daycare now to make some money so that I don’t have to work as hard when the kids are in elementary school. When we weren’t on childcare leave, me and the wife would split the morning take-in and pickup. We’d generally take in our daughter for around 8-8:30am and pick her up at 5-6pm, adjusting our work schedules to match.
As far as I’m aware there is no set curriculum for daycare. It’s not school, something that kindergartens try to imitate, but children cannot join kindergarten until they are three years old. The teachers are obviously watching the kids at all times but a lot of the time the kids will be given free rein to do what they want – Play with toys, read books, etc. Most qualified daycare workers can play a musical instrument and this plays a big part in daily activities. So, there is a lot of music and dance time. On good weather days the teachers will wheel the kids off to a local park in a little wagon. When they get a bit older the kids will walk in a straight line all holdings onto a rope.
Lunch is provided and all daycares must have a full staff of trained nutritionists and cooks. They eat a varied and nutritious selection of meals ranging from curry to fried chicken to noodle soup and the kids are generally encouraged to eat without assistance. Nap time takes place after lunch, at least for the younger kids, who tend to sleep for about two hours.«
My daughter in the one-to-two-year-old class gets lunches that are 500-600 calories, in addition to a snack or milk in the morning and afternoon. I’m pretty sure this is why she doesn’t eat that much at home on weekdays and am happy that I can save a bit on cooking and the time it takes me to feed her. –
My experience with the system has been really good so far. All the teachers are really nice and eager to share details of what the kids did during the day. They write everything down in the diary book that we exchange every day, including how much the kids eat and what games they played. And then in exchange we write down how they’ve been developing at home and if they are feeling unwell, etc. Each class is also required to have a qualified nurse in case anything happens.