Standards for establishing a certified nursery school
Updated: July 2026, 8
In recent years, there has been a tendency for governments to require the establishment of certified kindergartens rather than daycare centers.
Here, we will explain the standards for establishing a certified nursery school cooperative nursery school.
property standards
| Facility use rights | As a general rule, the applicant is required to have ownership rights to all the properties directly necessary for the operation of the certified childcare center, or to have been loaned or licensed to use them by the national or local government. Masu. However, if the following requirements are met, there is no problem in receiving loans from parties other than the national government or local governments. A. In principle, establish and register superficies or lease rights. However, if it is judged that stable business continuity can be ensured, such as in the following cases, there is no need to register superficies or lease rights. ① If the lease period of the building is specified in the lease contract as 10 years or more ② If the lender is a highly creditworthy entity such as a local housing corporation or equivalent corporation, or a core transportation operator in the region. (b) The rent must be an appropriate amount or less in light of local standards. c. With regard to financial resources for rent, the property must have secured financial resources to ensure stable rental payments. D. The rent and its financial resources are appropriately recorded in the income and expenditure budget. |
| operating funds | It is necessary to have funds equivalent to at least one-twelfth of the annual operating expenses of the certified childcare center. |
Staff standards
| Arrangement according to the age and number of children | It is necessary to have a number of staff directly engaged in education and childcare according to the age and number of children listed below. A. Approximately one or more children for every three children under the age of one. (b) At least 1 child for every XNUMX children aged XNUMX year or older but less than XNUMX years old. C. Approximately 1 or more children for every 20 children aged 3 to 4 years old D. Approximately 1 or more children for every 30 children aged 4 years or older |
| Two or more people at all times | Two or more staff members who are directly engaged in the education and childcare of children in certified kindergartens and nursery schools must be assigned at all times. |
| Assignment of full-time childcare teachers, etc. | In order to ensure that children over the age of 3 are properly educated based on the curriculum, as a general rule, the number of children of the same age on the day before the first day of the school year is 35, as long as it is reasonable for the progress of the school year. It is necessary to organize classes so that there are no more than 1,000 children, and to have at least one full-time lead childcare teacher, guidance childcare teacher, or childcare teacher in charge of each class. |
| Qualifications of staff | Employees who are directly engaged in the education and childcare of children at certified kindergartens and kindergartens are required to have a general kindergarten teacher's license and be registered as childcare workers. However, there is a transitional measure, and for a period of 10 years from the date of enforcement of the law (until the end of XNUMX), those who hold a regular kindergarten teacher's license or those who are registered as nursery teachers are not allowed to teach kindergarten children. It is possible to become a staff member directly engaged in childcare. |
| Employees other than those directly engaged in the education and childcare of kindergarteners | It is necessary to deploy the following staff. A. Nursery doctor A dentist C Sono pharmacist D. Cook (unnecessary for certified kindergartens that outsource all cooking work) E. Vice-principal or vice-principal (may not be appointed) F. Chief school nurse, school nurse, or assistant school nurse (may not be appointed). G. Administrative staff (can also be omitted) |
Regarding the scale of kindergarten buildings and other facilities, etc.
| Location of nursery school buildings, etc. | The building and garden of a certified child care center must be located on the same site or adjacent to each other. |
| Kindergarten building: Number of floors | In principle, the nursery school building should be two stories or less, and the infant room, nursery room, nursery room, play room, or toilet (hereinafter referred to as "nursery room, etc.") should be located on the first floor. However, if a fireproof building is equipped with evacuation equipment and equipment to prevent children from falling in places where children enter, exit, or pass through, evacuation equipment should be installed on the second floor in a position that is effective for evacuation. Additionally, the walking distance from each part of the nursery room, etc., to the other part of the nursery room must be 30 meters or less, measures must be taken to prevent the spread of fire to the outside of the cooking room, and the nursery school must be certified as a cooperative type. Parts of the walls and ceilings facing the interior of the nursery school are finished with non-combustible materials, equipment to prevent children from falling is installed in areas where children enter and exit or pass through, emergency alarm equipment, etc. If equipment is provided to report a fire to a fire department, and if flammable items such as curtains are flame-retardant, a childcare room, etc. must be located on the third floor. can be set up. In this case, as a general rule, nursery rooms, etc. located on the third or higher floors must be used for childcare for children under the age of three. |
| Kindergarten building: Area | The area of the building of the certified child care center must be greater than or equal to the sum of the following areas: ① Area determined according to the number of classes 1 class: 180 square meters 2nd class: 320 + 100 x (number of classes - 2) square meters ② Area obtained by multiplying 3.3m2 by the number of kindergarteners under 2 years old ③ Area obtained by multiplying 1.98㎡ by the number of kindergarteners aged 2 years old However, in the case of an existing nursery school, ① can be the area obtained by multiplying 1.98 m2 by the number of children aged 3 years or older. |
| Garden: area | The garden must have an area larger than the sum of the areas listed below. ① The larger of the following areas: (A) Area specified in the column below 2nd class or less: 330 + 30 x (number of classes - 1) square meters 3rd class or more: 400 + 80 x (number of classes - 3) square meters (b) Area obtained by multiplying 3.3 square meters by the number of children over 3 years old ② Area obtained by multiplying 3.3 square meters by the number of children aged 2 to 3 years old However, in the case of an existing kindergarten, ① can be set as (a), and in the case of an existing nursery school, ① can be set as (b). |
| Staff room and health room | It is necessary to have a staff room and a health room. Please note that the staff room and health room can be used together. |
| Infant room or nursery room | It is required that an infant room or a nursery room be provided. The area must be at least 3.3 square meters multiplied by the number of children under 2 years of age. |
| Nursery room and play room | It is necessary to have a nursery room and a play room. The number of nursery rooms (limited to those for children aged 3 and over) must not be less than the number of classes. Please note that the nursery room and play room can be used together. The area shall be 1.98 m2 multiplied by the number of children aged 2 or older. However, this does not apply to existing kindergartens. |
| Kitchen room | A cooking room must be provided. When providing meals prepared outside a child care facility that is accredited as a child care facility to children aged 3 years or older (limited to cases where child care is not provided for children under 3 years old), or when providing meals to children aged 3 years or older If there are fewer than 20 children using the method of cooking at a certified childcare center, it is not necessary to have a cooking room. Even in this case, it is necessary for the certified childcare center to provide facilities with cooking functions such as heating and storage for the necessary cooking. |
| Toilet | A toilet must be provided. |
| Drinking water equipment, hand washing equipment and foot washing equipment | Drinking water facilities, hand-washing facilities, and foot-washing facilities must be provided. Drinking water facilities must be provided separately from hand-washing facilities or foot-washing facilities. |
Management standards
| Director of a certified nursery school cooperative kindergarten | It is necessary to have one principal in a certified kindergarten and child care center, and the principal must have a specialized teacher's license or a type-1 teacher's license, be registered as a childcare worker, and be a certified childcare center for educational facilities. Or a person who has been in the position of a staff member of a child welfare facility for more than five years, or who has the ability to appropriately manage and operate a certified child care center that cooperates with childcare facilities, and is recognized to have the same qualifications as the above person. It is necessary. |
| Period and time of education and childcare | The period and hours for providing education and childcare at a certified kindergarten/childcare facility must meet the following requirements. A. The number of weeks of education in each academic year shall be 39 weeks or more, unless there are special circumstances. b) The teaching time shall be 4 hours, with appropriate consideration given to the level of mental and physical development of the kindergarteners, the season, etc. C. The time for education and childcare for kindergarten children who fall under the category of children who require childcare (including educational hours for children who fall under the category of children who are 3 years old or older and require childcare) is 8 hours per day. As a general rule. Items A to C above shall be determined by the school principal in consideration of the working hours and family circumstances of the child's guardian in the region. |
| Ensuring health and safety | The following systems are required to ensure the health and safety of children: A. Health checkups for kindergarten children should be conducted twice each year. B. At least once every semester, conduct a systematic safety inspection to check for any abnormalities in the facilities and equipment normally used by kindergarteners. c. Conduct environmental health inspections regularly every school year. D. Develop a concrete plan regarding the necessary measures to ensure the safety of kindergarteners in the event of an earthquake, storm, flood, fire, or other emergency disaster. E. Conduct evacuation and firefighting drills at least once a month. |
| Joining insurance etc. | In the event that a child is in danger or harm due to an accident, etc., it is necessary to make every effort to be able to deal with it appropriately, such as by taking out appropriate insurance and mutual aid systems. |
| Management status evaluation system | It is necessary to strive for the following a-c. A. Conduct self-assessment of the status of education, childcare, child-rearing support projects, and other operational status at certified kindergartens and kindergartens, and publish the results. (b) Based on the results of the evaluation in step (a) above, the guardians of the children at the child care facility and other persons concerned with the child care facility shall conduct an evaluation, and the results shall be made public. C. The status of education, childcare, childcare support projects, and other operational status at certified kindergartens and kindergartens shall be periodically evaluated by outside parties, and the results shall be made public. |
| Providing information | Kindergarten-type certified childcare centers are required to proactively provide information regarding the status of education, childcare, and child-rearing support projects, as well as other aspects of the operation of the childcare- and childcare-type certified childcare center. |
| Complaint handling | In order to promptly and appropriately respond to complaints from children or their guardians regarding the education, childcare, and child-rearing support provided by certified kindergartens and kindergartens, kindergartens and nursery schools must establish a counter for receiving complaints, etc. Necessary measures must be taken. In addition, if you receive guidance or advice from the prefecture or municipality regarding the education, childcare, and childcare support you have provided, you must make necessary improvements in accordance with the guidance or advice. |
| Providing meals | Meals provided to children at certified kindergartens and kindergartens must be prepared in the kitchen. However, regarding the provision of meals to children aged 3 years or older, food prepared outside the child care facility may be brought in if the following requirements are met: Is required. A. System of certified nursery schools The facility is responsible for providing meals to the children, and the facility has a system in place that allows the manager to take necessary precautions such as hygiene and nutrition, and the contents of the contract with the cooking contractor. thing. B. Consideration by a nutritionist Necessary consideration must be given by a dietitian, such as having a system in place where the child can receive guidance from a nutritional perspective regarding menus, etc. from a dietitian at the child care facility, other facility, public health center, municipality, etc. C. Requirements for a cooking service contractor The person entrusted with the cooking work must be fully aware of the purpose of school meals at the child care facility and have the ability to properly carry out the cooking work in terms of hygiene, nutrition, etc. D Meal provision system Be able to respond appropriately to the content, frequency, and timing of meals for kindergarten children, including providing meals according to the child's age, developmental stage, and health condition, taking into account allergies, atopic dermatitis, etc., and providing the necessary amount of nutrients. . E. Provision based on the dietary education plan Efforts should be made to provide meals based on a dietary education plan that stipulates matters to be considered regarding food according to the child's growth and development process. |
For childcare facility management business, please contact Support Administrative Scrivener Corporation
Applications for childcare facility management projects are highly specialized and can be said to be one of the fields in which there are few administrative scriveners who can handle them.
Our staff has a track record of applying in all prefectures across the country. Please contact us by all means.
Person in charge: Junya Yamada
