The education ministry has announced a plan to double the number of after-school child care centers over five years by using more classrooms at primary schools. The plan is another attempt to create a support network so that more women can work. Doubling the number of spots — from 10,000 to 20,000 — will open up more opportunities for children and mothers.
At the same time, in a parallel move, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has announced a plan supervised by the welfare ministry to expand day care centers for primary school students whose parents are not at home when the school day ends. This second plan would increase the number of spots for some 300,000 youngsters over the next five years. Both plans are steps in the right direction.
According to the survey, 21,482 day care centers with 890,000 schoolchildren registered to attend were already in place in May 2013. These centers supervised by the welfare ministry offer playtime and other activities to students after school finishes for the day.