- Below is the content from the press release--
UNIFA CORPORATION (HQ: CHIYODA-KU, TOKYO; CEO: YASUYUKI TOKI; HEREAFTER "UNIFA"), WHICH USES TECHNOLOGY TO SOLVE SOCIAL ISSUES RELATED TO CHILDCARE AND CHILD REARING, CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF 2,000 PARENTS WHO USE CHILDCARE FACILITIES TO FIND OUT THEIR VIEWPOINTS WHEN CHOOSING A CHILDCARE FACILITY WHEN THEY ENROL AND THEIR CURRENT SATISFACTION LEVELS. A QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED.
■ Summary of survey results.
Sources of information collected, information needed and items of importance when choosing a childcare facility
- Around 50% of parents referred to the websites of individual childcare facilities when searching for childcare facilities.
- The functions and information that we wanted when looking for childcare facilities included batch searches, parent reviews and information on photos and articles showing what the school is like.
- In terms of the items that were important when deciding where to leave the children, items related to the life cycle, such as distance and hours of childcare, tended to be high.
- Around 90% of parents said they were generally able to get into the childcare facility of their choice.
ICT ADOPTION RATES, IMPRESSIONS OF ICT AND DIFFERENCES IN PARENTAL SATISFACTION WITH ICT ADOPTION IN PARENTAL COMMUNICATIONS.
- ABOUT 32% OF CHILDCARE FACILITIES HAD INTRODUCED ICT AS A TOOL FOR COMMUNICATING WITH PARENTS.
- THE IMPRESSION OF ICT HELD BY PARENTS OF ICT-INTRODUCING PRESCHOOLS WAS GENERALLY POSITIVE, WITH PARENTS SAYING THAT ICT WAS 'EASY TO USE AND UNDERSTAND', 'FUNCTIONAL, CONVENIENT AND MULTIFUNCTIONAL' AND 'BENEFICIAL TO PARENTS (HELPS REDUCE THE BURDEN)'.
- WHEN COMPARING SATISFACTION WITH CURRENT CHILDCARE FACILITIES WITH AND WITHOUT THE INTRODUCTION OF ICT, PARENTAL SATISFACTION WAS APPROXIMATELY 10% HIGHER IN ICT-INTRODUCING PRESCHOOLS.
■ Survey summary
- Survey summary: Survey on the selection of preschools.
- Survey method: internet survey.
- Survey area: nationwide.
- Study period: March 2022.
- Survey population: parents in their 20s to 40s who leave their children aged 0-3 years in childcare facilities.
- Sample size: 2,000s.
- Research company: Rakuten Insight.
■ Survey results.
- When looking for childcare facilities, around 50% of respondents referred to the websites of individual childcare centres, followed by the websites of local government childcare departments and actual visits to childcare centres.
- The most common source of information when looking for childcare facilities was a batch search of 'approved and unapproved' childcare facilities that could be considered in their area of residence, followed by parental reviews and photos and articles that gave a good view of what was going on and happening in the childcare setting.
- In terms of items that are important when deciding where to leave children, items related to the lifecycle, such as distance and childcare hours, tended to be more important, with around 23% of respondents choosing items related to the quality of childcare, such as the state and quality of the care (how the child is treated, how attention is given, safety measures, etc.).
- When the total of "I was able to get into a childcare facility of my first choice" and "I was able to get into a childcare facility that was not my first choice but was among my preferences" was included, around 90% of respondents said that they were generally able to get into the childcare facility of their choice.
- AROUND 32% OF PARENTS ARE AWARE OF ICT USE IN CHILDCARE FACILITIES, INDICATING THAT ICT USE IS STILL NOT VERY HIGH IN DAY-TO-DAY COMMUNICATION WITH PARENTS.
- THE MOST COMMON IMPRESSION OF ICT HELD BY PARENTS WHO SAID THEY HAD INTRODUCED ICT WAS THAT IT WAS 'EASY TO USE AND UNDERSTAND', FOLLOWED BY 'FUNCTIONAL, CONVENIENT AND MULTIFUNCTIONAL' AND 'BENEFICIAL TO PARENTS (HELPS REDUCE BURDEN)', INDICATING THAT PARENTS HAVE A GENERALLY POSITIVE IMPRESSION OF ICT.
- PARENTS ATTENDING PRESCHOOLS WITH ICT WERE APPROXIMATELY 10% MORE SATISFIED WITH THEIR CURRENT PRESCHOOL THAN THOSE ATTENDING PRESCHOOLS WITHOUT ICT.
■ About Unifa
Unifa is a start-up in the Childcare-Tech domain that aims to solve social issues related to childcare and childcare. With the company's purpose (raison d'etre) to "create a new social infrastructure that generates family happiness around the world", Unifa develops and provides the IoT- and AI-based childcare support service Rukumee. Through the Smart Nursery School®, Smart Kindergarten® and Smart Children's School® concept, we are contributing to the creation of an affluent society in which it is easy to work while raising children. Smart Nursery School® won the Good Design Best 100 Award 2021 and the Good Focus Award (New Business Design), a special award, while Lukumi won the ASPIC IoT, AI and Cloud Award 2021, which is awarded to cloud services that are beneficial to society, in the social industry-specific ASP/SaaS category, which is awarded to cloud services that are beneficial to society. Unifa was also selected as a J-Startup.
Company profile
Company name: Unifa Corporation
CEO: Yasuyuki Toki
Established: 2013
Location: 2F Sumitomo Fudosan Chiyoda Fujimi Building, 1-8-19 Fujimi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Company URL: https://unifa-e.com/
UNIFA, WHICH PROVIDES THE LUKUMI SERIES OF CHILDCARE ICT SERVICES, CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF 2,000 PARENTS WHO USE CHILDCARE FACILITIES TO FIND OUT THEIR PERSPECTIVES ON CHOOSING A CHILDCARE FACILITY WHEN THEY ENROL AND THEIR CURRENT LEVEL OF SATISFACTION.
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