Daycare Centers Open to Local Elementary Students! National Council for Small-Scale Childcare Selected for Children and Families Agency Model Project

The National Council for Small-Scale Childcare (Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture; Chairman: Koichi Hashimoto, hereinafter “the Council”) has been selected as an implementing organization for the Children and Families Agency’s fiscal 2026 “Model Project for Building After-School Care Functions for Elementary School Students by Leveraging the Vitality of Enterprises and Other Organizations.”

This project will utilize the “surplus space” of daycare centers operated by five organizations affiliated with the Council to provide after-school care for elementary school students in 2026. By transforming daycare centers into multifunctional “community child support hubs” rather than facilities solely for enrolled children, the Council aims to create safe and secure spaces where all children can thrive.

Why Provide After-School Care in “Small-Scale Daycare Centers”?

According to the latest data from the Children and Families Agency, the number of children registered in after-school childcare clubs (known as “gakudō hōiku”) has reached approximately 1.57 million, the highest on record. (※1) Although the infrastructure for childcare is expanding, demand continues to outpace supply due to rising parental employment rates, resulting in approximately 16,000 children still on waiting lists. In urban areas, overcrowding in after-school clubs has become a major issue, leaving children who struggle in large group settings or require individualized attention without sufficient access to psychologically safe “after-school spaces.”

The “small-scale childcare facilities” operated by organizations within the Council primarily serve children aged 0 to 2, with their greatest strength being a small-group, home-like environment. This “calm and intimate scale” highly aligns with the needs of children who prefer a quiet after-school setting and families requiring personalized support.

The Council is working to transform small-scale daycare centers from mere childcare facilities into multifunctional “community hubs” where parents and children are not isolated, but supported through child-rearing assistance, community engagement, and after-school programs—enabling society as a whole to nurture children. This project is one concrete initiative to realize that vision.

※1 Based on the 2025 implementation status of the After-School Children’s Healthy Development Program (After-School Children’s Clubs)

Our “Community Parent-Child Garden” vision aims to evolve daycare centers from spaces exclusively for enrolled children into community-wide support hubs for children and families. This project represents a significant step in extending that concept into the elementary school years.

We believe the home-like, calm environment unique to small-scale childcare can become a new option for children who struggle in large groups and for families needing individualized attention. By leveraging existing daycare centers as local resources, we aim to meet unmet needs in the system and achieve seamless child-rearing support.

Through demonstrations in five cities nationwide, we aim to present a new model for raising children collectively and expand it across Japan.

Diverse Demonstration Models Leveraging Each Facility’s Strengths (5 Cities Nationwide)

This project will verify diverse models tailored to local needs, including urban-type, developmental support-linked, and night-focused models.

1. 【Miyagi / Sendai City】 Kashiwagi Children’s Space Mazarain

(Operator: Certified NPO Corporation Florence)

Has long engaged with local children through initiatives such as accepting elementary school volunteers during long holidays and hosting story-reading sessions by children from children’s centers. Will offer a “Children’s Internship” program where elementary students (grades 3–6) experience being “teachers” by caring for younger children.

※Target/Capacity: Elementary school students (grades 3–6), approximately 3 children

2. 【Kanagawa / Yokohama City】 (Provisional name) Sodachi to Care Base Futamatagawa Children’s Club (Operator: NPO Corporation Orange House)

At the “Orange House Sodachi to Care Base Futamatagawa,” a multi-professional facility integrating childcare, developmental support, welfare, and medical services, the project will provide care for children requiring medical care—currently underserved due to the need for specialized knowledge—under the supervision of professional staff.

※Target/Capacity: Elementary school students (grades 1–6), approximately 5 children

3. 【Shizuoka / Shizuoka City】 (Provisional name) Onigiri Daycare Center Nighttime Children’s Club (Operator: Yokoi Ichiretsu Co., Ltd.)

Leveraging the functions of a nighttime daycare center, the project will provide care during late-night hours (5:00 PM to 4:00 AM) that are difficult for existing public after-school programs to cover. This will support households with night-shift workers and prevent children from being left alone (“key children”), creating a “nighttime safe space.”

※Target/Capacity: Elementary school students (grades 1–6), approximately 5 children

4. 【Aichi / Nagoya City】 (Provisional name) UPBEAT International School Children’s Club (Operator: General Incorporated Association UPBEAT International School)

Leveraging the resources of an international school, the project will provide an environment where children can interact with foreign teachers and diverse cultures. It aims to meet the increasingly diverse educational needs not easily addressed by existing public after-school programs, fostering children’s autonomy and international awareness.

※Target/Capacity: Elementary school students (grades 1–6), approximately 30 children

5. 【Kyoto / Kyoto City】 (Provisional name) Kodomo no Mori Children’s Club (Operator: NPO Corporation International Medical Support Organization)

Utilizing surplus space from a child development support facility, the project aims to strengthen and enhance its role as a community hub—providing continued aftercare for children and parents who have graduated from the facility, and enabling local parenting generations to consult and interact easily.

※Target/Capacity: Elementary school students (grades 1–6), approximately 20 children

Future Outlook: Nationwide Expansion and Policy Advocacy

Through this project, the Council aims to practice and verify one model of multifunctionalization, building a framework for elementary school after-school care that leverages the unique environment of small-scale childcare. The goal is to promote this model’s adoption across daycare centers nationwide.

Additionally, the Council will present a new model that utilizes small-scale daycare centers not just for enrolled children, but as community hubs supporting all local children—addressing the “waiting list problem” in after-school childcare that existing public services alone cannot fully cover.

Message from Koichi Hashimoto, Chairman of the National Council for Small-Scale Childcare

It has been 10 years since small-scale childcare was institutionalized. Moving forward, small-scale daycare centers are expected to expand their role beyond addressing waiting lists, becoming community hubs that support all children and families. Our “Community Parent-Child Garden” vision aims to transform daycare centers from facilities serving only enrolled children into community-wide spaces that support children and parenting families.

Currently, major challenges include the “first-grade wall” after elementary school enrollment and the lack of after-school spaces. Especially for children who struggle in large groups and families needing individualized attention, there is a growing need for safe and reliable alternatives. By leveraging existing daycare centers as local resources and responding to previously underserved needs, we aim to achieve seamless child-rearing support.

In this project, we will work in five regions—Sendai, Yokohama, Shizuoka, Nagoya, and Kyoto—to create new safe spaces for elementary students by utilizing vacant spaces and specialized childcare expertise. We aim to extend the home-like, calm environment unique to small-scale childcare into the elementary years, building a system that supports children’s growth without gaps, while presenting a new model for raising children collectively and expanding it nationwide.

Koichi Hashimoto, Chairman National Council for Small-Scale Childcare

About the National Council for Small-Scale Childcare

To create a society where parenting and work are compatible, and children are nurtured by society as a whole, and to address the issue of waiting children for childcare