Despite the importance of pre-kindergarten education, Japan and the United States stand alone among industrialized nations in failing to provide the necessary funding and support to make this first step in formal schooling a success. As a result, toddlers in both countries continue to be shortchanged in reaching their full potential.
In many respects, however, Japan treats nursery school even worse than the U.S. The low pay and maze of government regulations have led 760,000 qualified teachers to date to leave the field completely. At present, there are five openings for each applicant. With average salaries of ¥216,000 a month, including overtime, the situation is only going to get worse.
Enough skilled and experienced teachers at this level can never be recruited and retained until they are treated as true professionals. Too often, they are seen as glorified babysitters, which is insulting given what is expected of them in teaching traditional Japanese values. That's why nursery schools in Japan need to provide evidence that they satisfy professional standards before receiving a license to operate. Doing so would place a floor — but not a ceiling — on the qualifications of those interested in teaching the youngest children.