502 / 2019-02-28 16:13:52

A study of childcare service combination of provincial cities where the number of children is decreasing

Childcare,provincial city,planning,japan

全体主题 > Urban Planning & Modeling

The number of children is decreasing in 80% of areas in Japan except urban areas because of the declining birthrate and aging population. The declining birthrate is remarkable particularly in provincial cities and mountainous regions, therefore it is necessary to integrate many schools and nurseries.

In Japan, childcare businesses provide facilities and non-facilities services as childcare support for preschool children in Japan. There are various facilities such as nursery schools (registered / non-registered), kindergartens, certified centers for Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC; childcare-center-type and kindergarten-type), employer-provided childcare services and small-scale childcare services, community childcare support centers, etc. However, since the depopulation has just begun, the optimal combination has not yet been clarified. In provincial cities and mountainous regions where the young population is decreasing, it is necessary to examine new functions, facilities, and their combinations in order to maintain these childcare environments.

The purpose of this research is to show the method of effective integrations and combinations of existing facilities and non-facilities services. We also consider its effective placement.

The target area is Nikko city; provincial city where the number of children is decreasing, and 5382 children who are 0~9 years old live there. In this study, we conducted questionnaire survey for childcare needs to guardians who have 0~9 years old children in order to grasp the necessary services , their location and superiority of choosing services. 4126 questionnaires were distributed and 3328 out of them were collected.

〇The desired location of childcare facilities and the means of transport
58.8% of the people hope to use childcare services or facilities located near their home and pick
up and take off by car. Then 27.7％ of the people hope to use childcare services or facilities located in the commuting route and pick up and take off by car. And 10.1% of people hope to use childcare services or facilities located near their home and pick up and take off by foot.

〇Location and facility scale priority
85.5% of people wish to use facilities near the home rather than large scale facilities. Many people want to shorten attending time and feel secure by being physically close.

〇The desired time of childcare services
The average desired time of kindergarten users is 6.70 hours, which is longer than the present by 0.89 hours. The average desired time of nursery school users is 8.91 hours, which is longer than the present by 0.46 hours. The average desired time of ECEC users is 7.44 hours, which is longer than the present by 0 .65 hours.

〇 Location of childcare needs
The childcare needs are concentrated in Imaichi area where many people live and work, and
that are low in Kuriyama area. In this area, extremely small childcare management is required.

In areas where the young population is decreasing, it is important to locate small scale nursery facilities near home rather than concentrate large scale nursery facilities that are far from home. In addition, the desired utilization time is longer than the current situation, and long hours of childcare services are necessary. In places where needs are extremely small, it is necessary to provide non-facilities services (ex. Babysitters) that individuals can use.