- Talk Show by TV Personality Kaori Manabe and Sensei Maa (Masataka Kikuchi) "What's Baby Tech to Help Moms, Dads, and Childcare Providers? was held.
- Interesting seminars including a talk show by Mr. Hiroyuki AHARA, author of the popular picture book "Kumano Gakko" and a seminar on the field of childcare from the perspective of managing "HoiClue," a website used by one out of every two childcare workers.
The Childcare Expo 2019 was held at the Shinjuku NS Building Event Hall for two days from June 7 (Fri.) to 8 (Sat.), 2019. This article, the second part of the venue report, focuses on the talk show held on the main stage on June 8 (Saturday), the second day of the event!
More and more expectations for baby tech, which is showing great progress! Kaori Manabe and Sensei Well Sensei to speak on the talk show
In order to make more people aware of the promising role of "baby tech" as a backup for the difficulties and challenges in childcare and childcare, a talk show titled "What is Baby Tech to Help Moms, Dads, and Childcare Providers?" to introduce "BabyTech" to a wider audience. The three speakers on the main stage were TV personality Kaori Manabe, who herself is a mother of a 3-year-old child, Masataka Kikuchi, who is active mainly in the field of childcare under the nickname "Maa-sensei," and Tetsuya Nagata, President of Papasmile, Inc. The atmosphere was friendly, and the three men engaged in a lively crosstalk.
Many people packed the gorgeous talk show.
Prior to the talk show, Tetsuya Nagata, Chairman of the "Baby Tech Award Japan 2019" Executive Committee and President of Papa Smile Inc. gave a presentation on baby tech to help children, mothers, fathers, and childcare providers. He explained to the visitors that the "Baby Tech Award Japan 2019" consisted of six genres: 1) feeding and eating, 2) learning and playing, 3) safety measures, 4) pregnancy, 5) health management, and 6) facility management, and that many excellent products and services were submitted to the award, which made the talk The expectations for the show were also raised.
TV personality Kaori Manabe.
Hopefully BabyTech will help them grow up!"
TV personality Kaori Manabe says she had never heard of the term "baby tech" until now. When her child, now 3.5 years old, was just born, she downloaded many smartphone apps that she thought would be useful for childcare, but she was frustrated because she could not find an app that she was satisfied with in terms of usability. She expressed her opinion from a user's point of view, saying, "I think that having the 'Baby Tech Award Japan' endorsement is a big relief for people who use it. She also said that she struggles daily with her child's reluctance to actively eat food. Based on his own experience, he has high expectations for the future of BabyTech, proposing the enhancement of products and services that are not limited to specific genres, such as those for children who do not eat or sleep well, but are tailored to each child's personality and individuality. I hope BabyTech will help children grow up healthy and happy. If mothers and fathers can relax, I am sure this will be passed on to their children.
Another product of personal interest was the "Melody i" (Melody International Inc.), which won the grand prize in the pregnancy category. She had once been lent a similar device when she herself was pregnant. At that time, it was about the size of an old shoulder-type cell phone. She expressed her shock at the remarkable advances that had been made in just a few years, including the ability to become very compact and communicate information remotely.
Masataka Kikuchi, who also served as a judge for the "BabyTech Award Japan" (Well Sensei)
Masataka Kikuchi, a.k.a. Ma-sensei, is the president of Kikuchi Gakuen Educational Corporation and also sings on Shizuoka Daiichi Television. He reflected on the "BabyTech Award Japan," for which he served as a judge, saying, "All of the products and services were very competitive, and I could clearly feel the enthusiasm of each company from the entry sheets. He also shared his own experience in his work, saying, "The turnover rate in the field has decreased as ICT has evolved. I believe that incorporating technology does not mean denying the way things have always been done, but rather adding efficiency and ease of use.
Why "HoiClue," a Platform for "Play" and "Learning," is Overwhelmingly Supported by Childcare Workers
Minami Amemiya struggles with new challenges every day.
Ms. Minami Amamiya, CEO of Kids Color Inc. and a nursery school teacher, participated in the seminar on the theme of "The Childcare Workplace as seen through the operation of HoiClue, which is used by one out of every two nursery school teachers. Ms. Amemiya, who has been working with children for 6 years at several nursery schools, launched HoiClue 9 years ago through her experience in the workplace. The site introduces various initiatives targeting childcare workers, such as conducting surveys on ideal childcare, employment, and job turnover. She expressed her enthusiasm for the future, saying, "We want to continue to be a place (website) that not only provides ideas, but also allows us to explore them from the perspective of children and childcare workers.
The Power of Picture Books" by Hiroyuki Aira, author of "The Bear's School," to be passed on to children
The current nursery school teachers asked Mr. Aihara, who says, "Picture books are the happiest medium.
In the talk show by Mr. Hiroyuki Aira, the author of the popular picture book "The Bear's School," he introduced the secret story behind the creation of "The Bear's School," what he considers important, and what Mr. Aira thinks are the requirements for a good picture book. In the latter half of the talk show, Mr. Aiara answered questions about picture books and storytelling submitted to "teachersys," an Instagram site run by four active nursery school teachers. The audience laughed at the funny exchanges between the nursery school teachers and Mr. Aiara.
The 2nd Childcare Expo is scheduled for June 2020
<After the interview
The first Childcare Expo and the BabyTech Award Japan 2019 ended with great success. The sight of various products and services ranging from feeding and eating to learning and playing, safety measures, pregnancy, health management, and facility management all under one roof gave us a renewed sense of the market potential, and made us realize that it is essential to raise awareness of baby tech even more. As Kaori Manabe commented, "BabyTech still has a lot of room to grow," expectations are high for how much awareness BabyTech will gain at the 2nd Childcare Expo, and for the products and services that will bring happiness to the lives of all people, including children, mothers, fathers, and caregivers, as they raise their children. I am very excited to see how much BabyTech will be recognized at the 2nd Childcare Expo.
