September 9, 2016
The group of Japanese Communist Party members of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly on September 8 submitted to Governor Koike Yuriko a proposal that the metropolitan government build more authorized public childcare centers.
In the representations to the Tokyo government, JCP metropolitan assembly member Azegami Miwako highlighted the need to enhance childcare measures both in quality and quantity, referring to the serious issue of many children waiting for admission to authorized day nurseries. “The metropolitan government should make childcare services provided by authorized day-care centers its core policy and set a target in the number of authorized childcare facilities to be opened,” she said.
Azegami also pointed out that many people who completed a childcare certificate program choose other careers because childcare workers receive very low wages. She noted that an improvement of childcarers’ working conditions is essential to resolve staff shortages.
The JCP assemblyperson cited a comment made by the governor during the July gubernatorial election campaign which called for a relaxation of the metropolitan government’s standards for childcare services. “The environment of day-care facilities and required qualifications for the staff will directly affect the quality of childcare services. The standards should be raised and not lowered,” stressed Azegami.
The JCP proposal is composed of the following three pillars: conduct a thorough survey of the number of children waiting for admission to authorized day-care centers, including those not on official lists, and construct new authorized facilities in order to admit more than 90,000 children over the next four years; purchase national and private lands and rent them to public childcare service providers at no cost or a small charge; and implement measures to help raise childcare workers’ wages by 50,000 yen a month.
In the representations to the Tokyo government, JCP metropolitan assembly member Azegami Miwako highlighted the need to enhance childcare measures both in quality and quantity, referring to the serious issue of many children waiting for admission to authorized day nurseries. “The metropolitan government should make childcare services provided by authorized day-care centers its core policy and set a target in the number of authorized childcare facilities to be opened,” she said.
Azegami also pointed out that many people who completed a childcare certificate program choose other careers because childcare workers receive very low wages. She noted that an improvement of childcarers’ working conditions is essential to resolve staff shortages.
The JCP assemblyperson cited a comment made by the governor during the July gubernatorial election campaign which called for a relaxation of the metropolitan government’s standards for childcare services. “The environment of day-care facilities and required qualifications for the staff will directly affect the quality of childcare services. The standards should be raised and not lowered,” stressed Azegami.
The JCP proposal is composed of the following three pillars: conduct a thorough survey of the number of children waiting for admission to authorized day-care centers, including those not on official lists, and construct new authorized facilities in order to admit more than 90,000 children over the next four years; purchase national and private lands and rent them to public childcare service providers at no cost or a small charge; and implement measures to help raise childcare workers’ wages by 50,000 yen a month.
