Editor: Is there an opportunity to hear from parents?
Koike： Until now, we have not actively interviewed parents. This is because we value the fact that our business is based on childcare workers first, and our first priority is to be close to childcare facilities and workers. From now on, we are going to focus on supporting parents, and we just started a new initiative in July.
Editor: Why did you decide to focus on providing support to parents as well?
Koike： For example, up to around the age of two, children grow remarkably every day. You may notice big changes, such as a child's head sitting up or crawling, but you may not notice small changes, such as a child being able to hold a bottle. No matter what the change is, it is invaluable to parents who are raising their children. Nursery schools keep detailed records of weight, body temperature, and daily changes, so if parents can also grasp information about development, it will help them better understand how their child is developing, and it will also serve as an opportunity to strengthen cooperation between parents and childcare facilities.
We want to use data to make everyone happy, including childcare workers, children, and parents.
Editor: It sounds like there are a lot of things we can see through data.
Koike： Information on development is very important. It can be used as a reference when considering what kind of education a child should receive. In some cases, it can even have an impact on their future. Mothers still tend to have more information about their children's development than fathers, so in the future we would like to provide a system that allows parents to share this information.
Editor: Could you tell us about your future plans?
Koike: I feel that one of our greatest strengths is our ability to record information as data while improving operational efficiency. For example, if a child is eating a lot of food but is not gaining height and weight, we may be able to find out whether the child has a developmental problem or whether there are circumstances that inhibit growth. This is important information that even the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and local governments do not manage, so we need to take all possible measures to manage the data and, with a sense of mission, make it socially valuable.
After the interview...
I was very surprised to learn that about 40% of a childcare worker's workday is spent preparing documents. The attention to detail and ingenuity, such as the simple operability so that even those who are not familiar with digital tools can use them, may be the result of the company's sincere attention to the voices of those in the field. If nursery school teachers, who are entrusted with the care of children's lives, are not exhausted and have more time and space to spend with the children, there will be more good news in the childcare industry.
