Securing places where elementary school children can safely stay during after-school hours is an urgent task for the sake of supporting women's employment.
So-called after-school child clubs, which provide care for elementary school students and other children of two-earner households, fall short of meeting demand. As of May 2017, about 17,000 children seeking such care were on waiting lists.
When children become elementary school students, many parents find it difficult for both of them to continue working at the same time as they cannot find places to leave their children. This phenomenon is called "the first-grade wall." Coupled with a shortage of nursery centers, this current situation, which has hampered women's active participation in society, must be improved.
In after-school child care, children spend time playing and doing their homework at children's centers or schools under the watchful of eyes of trained care supporters. There are about 25,000 such facilities nationwide, which are used by 1.17 million children. Due to an increase in the number of two-earner families, the number of after-school care facilities and users has risen rapidly.
Last month, the government drew up a new plan to secure places that can accommodate 1.52 million children by the end of fiscal 2023. As the employment rate for women is expected to increase further, the government boosted the planned capacity target -- which had been 1.22 million by the end of fiscal 2018 -- by 300,000.
With the number of children's play areas decreasing, the need for after-school care has increased even for those in higher elementary school grades. The children and child-rearing support law obliges municipal governments to develop childcare facilities based on the needs of local communities. The central and municipal governments should implement their plans steadily.
Integrated operation is key
To promote the development of such facilities, the full use of space such as empty classrooms at schools appears to be effective. The use of such space is desirable from the perspective of ensuring the safety of children while helping reduce facility development costs. It is important for municipalities' child welfare departments and bureaus and boards of education to jointly tackle this issue.
As measures to help nurture children after school, programs include learning assistance to all students at school and sports and cultural activities. It is hoped that various experiences and learning activities for children will be supported by introducing common programs with after-school care facilities and operating them in an integrated manner.
One challenge is how to improve the quality of after-school childcare services. Under a guideline of the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, the appropriate capacity of an after-school facility is set at 40 or fewer children, but some facilities, mainly in urban areas, have significantly exceeded that. In an overcrowded environment, problems among the children and injuries to them tend to increase. Care supporters' attention tends to be spread thin.
After-school childcare is meant to not only look after children but also play a role in supporting their growth according to their developmental stage, including the establishment of lifestyle habits and social skills. Besides securing the appropriate size of facilities and the number of staff, improving training programs for the staff members is essential.
Many municipal governments, citing a manpower shortage, have strongly called for easing the requirements for staff recruitment and allocation, such as the rule that at least two care supporters must be present at each facility. As this issue affects the safety and security of children, measures to promote the spread of the after-school facilities should be considered based on the situations of local communities, while keeping in mind the need to ensure the quality of the services.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 19, 2018)
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