Finding a slot at day care may be the first hurdle working parents need to overcome in finding work-family balance. But another comes along when a child enters school.
At elementary school level, students with working parents can go to an after-school facility called gakudo. But unlike day care facilities that run until 6:30 p.m. or later, gakudo normally close at 6 p.m.
In response, some parents turn to their elderly parents for help, while others are forced to send their child to costly private gakudo.