July 17, 2013
In Kanagawa Prefecture, the prefectural government’s promotion of corporate entry into childcare services in line with the Abe government’s deregulation policies has brought about harsh working conditions to childcare workers.
At a stock company-run certified childcare center in the prefecture, seven out of 12 full-time nursery staff members aged between 20 and 35 years resigned in unison in March last year. They said that they were disgusted with the company’s for-profit operations.
Among the seven, a 25-year-old worker said that with the aim to minimize operation costs, the company kept workers’ wages as well as the budget allotted for children’s lunches as low as possible.
The worker’s monthly income was only 140,000 yen. Furthermore, she never received overtime pay for the many hours she worked filling out paperwork and making preparations for various nursery events.
As this childcare center is located on the second and third floors of a condo building, it has no playground and staff members are required to instruct children to play inside quietly, according to the worker.
Soon after accepting a position at a certified childcare facility operated by a non-for-profit organization, the 25-year-old worker saw a clear difference in operations.
Children at her new workplace play outside in the playground and in bigger rooms indoors, and her annual income increased by 500,000-600,000 yen as she received overtime pay, the worker said.
She said, “I used to feel sad at my former workplace. But, now, working with skilled workers, I enjoy my work.”
***
Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has expressed his intention to spread across the country the “Yokohama method” which invites commercial companies to operate for profit childcare facilities. However, in Yokohama City, where 25% of certified childcare centers are run by private corporations (the national average is 2%), various problems are observed.
First, for-profit companies tend to keep labor costs as low as possible. While the national average ratio of personnel costs at childcare facilities is 71% of total expenditure, a daycare center run by a joint-stock corporation in Yokohama spends only 40% of its total costs for labor.
Second, for-profit company-run day nurseries have insufficient infrastructure. Some nurseries are installed in upper floors of high-rise buildings and others are built without playgrounds or with tiny ones.
Third, if a children’s daycare is run by a private company, the risk of the operator’s financial collapse and withdrawal from the childcare business cannot be ruled out. In 2009, two for profit certified childcare centers which were operated by a temp staffing agency went bankrupt and their certifications were taken away.
Related past articles
> Gov’t council demands further privatization of childcare service [June 6, 2013]
> Abe wants more for-profit childcare services as in Yokohama [May 22, 2013]
At a stock company-run certified childcare center in the prefecture, seven out of 12 full-time nursery staff members aged between 20 and 35 years resigned in unison in March last year. They said that they were disgusted with the company’s for-profit operations.
Among the seven, a 25-year-old worker said that with the aim to minimize operation costs, the company kept workers’ wages as well as the budget allotted for children’s lunches as low as possible.
The worker’s monthly income was only 140,000 yen. Furthermore, she never received overtime pay for the many hours she worked filling out paperwork and making preparations for various nursery events.
As this childcare center is located on the second and third floors of a condo building, it has no playground and staff members are required to instruct children to play inside quietly, according to the worker.
Soon after accepting a position at a certified childcare facility operated by a non-for-profit organization, the 25-year-old worker saw a clear difference in operations.
Children at her new workplace play outside in the playground and in bigger rooms indoors, and her annual income increased by 500,000-600,000 yen as she received overtime pay, the worker said.
She said, “I used to feel sad at my former workplace. But, now, working with skilled workers, I enjoy my work.”
***
Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has expressed his intention to spread across the country the “Yokohama method” which invites commercial companies to operate for profit childcare facilities. However, in Yokohama City, where 25% of certified childcare centers are run by private corporations (the national average is 2%), various problems are observed.
First, for-profit companies tend to keep labor costs as low as possible. While the national average ratio of personnel costs at childcare facilities is 71% of total expenditure, a daycare center run by a joint-stock corporation in Yokohama spends only 40% of its total costs for labor.
Second, for-profit company-run day nurseries have insufficient infrastructure. Some nurseries are installed in upper floors of high-rise buildings and others are built without playgrounds or with tiny ones.
Third, if a children’s daycare is run by a private company, the risk of the operator’s financial collapse and withdrawal from the childcare business cannot be ruled out. In 2009, two for profit certified childcare centers which were operated by a temp staffing agency went bankrupt and their certifications were taken away.
Related past articles
> Gov’t council demands further privatization of childcare service [June 6, 2013]
> Abe wants more for-profit childcare services as in Yokohama [May 22, 2013]
