児童数の減少に対応した保育政策 気ままなリライト166
The Japanese government’s childcare policy has shifted from expanding daycare capacity to tackling new challenges arising from the country’s declining birth rates. While previous efforts have successfully addressed daycare shortages and long waiting lists, the government is facing emerging issues, such as under-enrollment in daycare centers and the operational difficulties in depopulated areas. To address these challenges, the Children and Families Agency has committed to providing financial support to help maintain daycare services in regions with shrinking populations. Looking ahead, the agency is envisioning transforming daycare centers into comprehensive child-rearing support hubs, broadening their role beyond traditional childcare.
In response to these challenges, the Children and Families Agency is preparing to launch a new policy, requesting budget allocations for its fiscal 2025 strategies to expand the role of daycare centers in rural and depopulated areas. A total of 58.9 billion yen, which includes subsidies for waitlisted children, will support municipal efforts to sustain daycare centers as vital community institutions. These initiatives aim to help daycare centers better adapt to the changing needs of their communities, particularly in regions facing child population decline. Eligible municipalities are able to receive incentives of up to 10 million yen each.
The agency’s goal is to sustain daycare centers by positioning them as community hubs for child-rearing support, adapting services to local needs, and fostering partnerships with other social services. Collaborating with healthcare providers, schools, local government agencies, and community organizations, the agency encourages municipalities to build more integrated support networks for families. In depopulated areas, partnerships with volunteer groups and businesses can further expand the range of available services, including mobile daycare units that provide temporary childcare across regions or satellite centers that collaborate with larger facilities to share resources and staff.
In addition, the agency recommends that daycare centers offer parenting classes, family counseling, and educational workshops to meet broader community needs. Flexible hours, specialized care for children with special needs, and after-school programs are also advised to better accommodate diverse family schedules. To enhance access in rural areas, digital platforms can offer online parent consultations, virtual learning activities, and simplified administrative services, ensuring families in remote areas remain connected. Online community platforms can further strengthen bonds between families in underserved regions.
The shortage of daycare services for urban, double-income or single-parent households has steadily improved, thanks to government initiatives that addressed both the issue of waitlisted children and the overall decline in the child population. Since fiscal 2013, efforts to expand daycare capacity have resulted in a 33% rise in the number of children enrolled. As of April 2024, 3.219 million children were enrolled in daycare, an increase of 810,000 over the past eleven years. This expansion contributed to a nearly 90 % reduction in waitlisted children, from a peak of 26,081 in 2017 to just 2,567 in April 2024, marking a record low for the sixth consecutive year.