Early Childhood Education Handbook

Research Center for Child and Adolescent Development and Education

Ochanomizu University
1



First, we will introduce several models that illustrate diverse J apanese early childhood
education, followed by a discussion on the philosophies and regulatory systems that sustain
and make the diverse early childhood education work.

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Four characteristics can be identified in J apanese early childhood education:
Classroom teachers of early childhood education collaborate with researchers at
universities and similar institutions to review the practice and strive toward its improvement.
Many classroom teachers go on to become researchers or vocational instructors at
universities, junior colleges, or vocational institutes, either through acquiring new or
additional education or because of recognition for their practical achievements.
There are several philosophical streams in early childhood education, with distinct
methodologies for each. However, in actual practice, these streams are not applied
mechanically but with flexibility, based upon a finely tuned approach to the life and actions
of each individual child.
Early childhood education comes in a diverse array of forms. Each kindergarten works to
establish its own methods for early childhood education, through the productive interaction of
the specific content and methodology of multiple forms, or through the adoption of better
features of other forms. However, some kindergartens are closed into their own ways of doing
things, adhering rigidly to one form and making no attempt to try anything new.
The relationship between the classroom and the teacher training school is very close in
early childhood education. Schools that engage in teacher training and development, such as
universities, junior colleges, and vocational schools, not only train teachers, but also
simultaneously work to support the classroom through the development of methodology that
has practical utility.

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In J apan, care and education for infants and little children is divided into kindergartens
and daycare centers. Kindergartens provide three years of care and education for children
three years of age or older, who go on to enter elementary school after finishing
kindergartens. Daycare centers accept infants and children under elementary school age.
Nearly one hundred percent of children at the pre-elementary school stage attend either a
kindergarten or a daycare center. While the general directional framework for early
childhood education is indicated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and
Technology, and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the details of early childhood
education are left up to each kindergarten or daycare center, with a resulting diversity of
forms.
1 Framework and mechani sms of earl y
chi l dhood educati on i n Japan
Early Childhood Education Handbook
Research Center for Child and Adolescent Development and Education
Ochanomizu University
2
(1) A form of early childhood care and education that is based on nurturing the human
relationships within the group: The main objective is for children to learn the basic routines
of daily life and study habits. Activity times consist of slots that are put together by the
teacher, and slots that the child can use with relative freedom, without instructions from the
teacher. During free play times, children are encouraged to play with other children or turn
their attention to, and relate with, one another, rather than spending time on their own.
Materials for plastic arts activities are provided by the teacher as needed. Teachers are
affectionate toward the children, avoid becoming authoritarian, behave calmly, and build a
warm relationship with the children.
(2) A form of early childhood care and education that extends the childs ability to
perform functions: The basic curriculum focuses on having the child learn study skills in a
group setting. Children learn such skills as reading Chinese characters, writing Hiragana
characters, recognizing concepts of number, volume, and geometry, training their memory,
playing musical instruments, and drawing pictures. The childs activities are predetermined
by a time schedule, with almost no room for individual choice. Children are strictly
disciplined to observe kindergarten rules.
(3) A form of early childhood care and education that is child-centered: The majority of
the time is used by the child for free play. While there are group activities as well, there is
minimal direct instruction from the teacher. Materials and equipment for play, as well as such
articles as blocks and plastic arts supplies are provided for the children to use freely
whenever they wish, with the environment also arranged to accommodate the activities. The
teacher is warm and cheerful, and adapts his or her approach to each individual child.
Some positive features that are shared by all these diverse forms of early childhood education
include saying Good Morning, closeness, unhurried time, responsibility of
children, and physical activity. The children are respected for their very existence, and
are nurtured through a variety of experiences within a time and space that is separate from
their home life while learning the rules for living in society.
These forms of early childhood education have traced their own paths of evolution in
J apan. However, from Montessori method to Reggio Emilia approach to the more recent
American method of DAP (Developmentally Appropriate Practice), where the development
of all American is the objective in utilizing academic knowledge in the curriculum, there
has been selective adoption of new educational methodologies and knowledge from
overseas sources, and daily efforts toward improvement in J apan, which continues today.

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What serves as the foundation for the diverse forms of education as described above is the
philosophy of early childhood care and education called the guiding child care theory or
the free child care and education approach. With the 1989 amendment of the Course of
Study for Kindergarten, the philosophy was set forth as the nations policy as well. Its
characteristics are presently understood to be as follows:

Early Childhood Education Handbook
Research Center for Child and Adolescent Development and Education
Ochanomizu University
3
Children make the most of their abilities and grow when they have a feeling of freedom.
Children grow through interaction with the things and people within the kindergarten
environment. The free interaction with these things and people is important. This shall
be called education through environment.
The teacher devotes him/herself to supporting the child. Indirect support includes setting
up the environment around the child, while direct support includes helping out the
child.
The sympathetic relationship between the teacher and the child is the foundation of early
childhood education.
Relationships among children start with close twosomes or threesomes, to gradually
expand to the group.
Roles and relationships are learned in the order of necessity in the context of play and
daily life.
The teacher, in full consideration of the significance the main subject of the childs activity
has in early childhood education, supports the childs acquisition of the values included in the
main subject during the process of its pursuit and manifestation.
The theory of three activities in preschool is also in use as something that continues the
legacy of group-based early childhood education while taking a broad range of matters into
consideration. In this theory, the content of early childhood education is divided into three
layers for teaching purposes. The first layer is the life that serves as the base, and indicates
the childs ordinary day to day life, which is comprised of such elements as free-flow play
and educational guidance and serves as the foundation for daily life in general. The second
layer is the central activity, in which a game or play that is central to the childs life at
every period in preschool and early childhood is extracted and re-constructed. Group play,
activities centering on a seasonal or celebratory event and work are included in this layer.
The third layer is comprised of systematized learning activities that include content such as
nature, concepts of numbers, volume, and geometry, language, letters, plastic arts, and music.
Through these activities, play and daily life are enhanced, and the childs development is
promoted. While the three layers are considerably different in terms of how the teaching
should be or how the childs activities are organized, they are not deployed as completely
separate things. They are extracted from play in the childs daily life, with a certain portion
of the play being pursued as a learning activity, or there may be connections with different
pathways. Although the activities are categorized into play, assignments, and work,
and are conducted during separated time slots, they are tied together in complex ways.
In present-day J apan, endeavors and developments are underway between those forms of
early childhood care and education that are based on the development of human relationships
in the group and those forms that are child-centered, in which various forms are eclectically
blended or used in combination.

Early Childhood Education Handbook
Research Center for Child and Adolescent Development and Education
Ochanomizu University
4
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The content of early childhood care and education in kindergartens is regulated by the
Course of Study for Kindergarten stipulated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology, while daycare centers are regulated by Guidelines for Nursery Care
at Day Nursery proscribed by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. These two
Guidelines have certain commonalties for the contents of early childhood care and education.
There are also specific standards for buildings and facilities, which are strictly observed.
However, it is possible to set up unlicensed daycare centers under less stringent criteria than
those applied to licensed daycare centers.
There are public and private establishments for both kindergartens and daycare centers.
Public kindergartens and daycare centers are financed through taxpayers money, while
private facilities are funded by the fees for daycare from the childrens guardians as well as
subsidies from the national and municipal governments.
Public kindergartens are supervised by the municipal governments educational committee,
with the Supervisor providing guidance on how early childhood care and education is carried
out. Private kindergartens are supervised by the municipal governments private schools
division, with independent groups of private schools doing most of the training to improve
the methods for early childhood care and education. However, private schools are under less
of an obligation for teacher training, making for varying degrees of training among
kindergartens. It is noteworthy that the majority of such supervisors and persons in charge of
teacher training used to be kindergarten teachers themselves, and in many cases they return to
teaching in the classroom of kindergarten.

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(1) Framework of t eacher devel opment i n earl y chi l dhood educat i on
Kindergarten teachers must be licensed according to one of three standards approved by the
national government. Teachers who, upon graduation from high school, complete two years of
training in a vocational school or junior college, are given Class II Certificates. Teachers who
complete four years of training at a university obtain Class I Certificates. Teachers who go to
graduate school can obtain a Specialized Certificate during their masters programs.
Teachers with different classes of certificates are usually treated more or less the same in
terms of pay and other matters. While most teachers had Class II Certificates in the past, the
number of Class I Certificate holders has been gradually increasing, and approaching half of
the total. There are still very few people with Specialized Certificates. Thus, teachers
have a relatively high level of career education, ranging from those with two years of training
after high school to those with masters degrees.
Courses and subjects for teacher development are governed by laws relating to
teacher-training course stipulated by the national government. Instructors of these programs
are also required to pass national examinations. The framework and number of courses are
largely similar to those for elementary school teachers.

Early Childhood Education Handbook
Research Center for Child and Adolescent Development and Education
Ochanomizu University
5
(2) Met hod of t eacher t rai ni ng f or earl y chi l dhood educat i on
In both public and private kindergartens, beginning teachers undergo one year of in-service
training under an experienced mentor. At public kindergartens, teachers with ten years of
experience are provided with special training programs. Other training sessions are held by
both public and private kindergartens, during normal workdays or vacation times. Almost all
teachers take part in these sessions, alternating with their colleagues while they are on duty.
Thus, there is generous administrative support for the practice of early childhood care and
education, not only on the financial side but also in terms of teacher training. Some teachers,
who are particularly passionate about their work, serve further their training by giving up
their weekends or nights to take graduate school courses or participate in study groups.

(3) Mechani sm of desi gnat ed research and present at i on
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, municipal
governments, and independent groups of private school commission hands-on research
projects on a variety of themes to their kindergarten of choice as designated research. In
any public kindergarten, this kind of research project comes around every few years. Working
with some grant provided by national government, each kindergarten conducts a series of
study sessions, either by themselves or with the help of outside lecturers such as university
professors, ultimately to give a presentation of their research results and exhibit the resulting
improvement of their early childhood care and education. Research designated by municipal
governments is valuable training opportunities for the neighboring kindergartens, while
research projects commissioned by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Scienceand
Technology are sometimes attended by teachers not only from neighboring facilities but from
all over J apan, who wish to learn about the research results.
Some teachers who are even more passionate about their work become members of the
J apan Society of Research on Early Childhood Care and Education, a society with a
membership of over 4,000. Over half the members are classroom teachers at kindergartens
and daycare centers. J oining among their colleagues who teach at vocational schools and
universities, these teachers strive to pursue their studies through presentations of their
hands-on research. Thus, mechanisms exist for classroom teachers themselves to carry out
research relating to the practice.

(4) In-House mechanisms in kindergartens for improving early childhood education
Many kindergartens review and improve their early childhood care and education.
Homeroom teachers review their own early childhood care and education, make a record of
the day, and lay out plans and preparations for early childhood care and education for the
next day or later.
Through meetings and briefings on how to conduct early childhood care and education, the
principal of kindergarten or chief nursery teacher provide guidance to their staff. An
increasing number of kindergartens now have such sessions as the entire kindergarten staff
observing and discussing the early childhood care and education of one teacher, or taking a
videotape recording of actual early childhood care and education and having everyone discuss
what they see.
Bulletins issued by kindergarten groups and journals for teachers published by general
publishers contribute to the improvement of early childhood care and education through the
Early Childhood Education Handbook
Research Center for Child and Adolescent Development and Education
Ochanomizu University
6
provision of information regarding various teaching methods that relate to early childhood
care and education, new creative ideas about toys and play equipment, and the publication of
new picture books and the like. There are also many publishers that specialize in early
childhood education, which provide books and journals for teachers as well as for children.

(5) Expert support f rom out si de t he ki ndergart en f or earl y chi l dhood
educat i on
There are also many opportunities for the teaching staff of teacher training schools and
universities to take the initiative in conducting training sessions aimed at improving the early
childhood care and education in kindergartens, or to visit kindergartens, observe early
childhood care and education, and offer advice to the teachers as they dialogue about what
they see. Such advisory and consultative functions are increasingly being positioned among
the roles of university researchers. For example, to address the issue of developmental
disabilities, some municipal governments have adopted a system of having an expert make
the rounds of the kindergartens, offering advice to teachers on relating to these children and
on providing them with early childhood care and education.