- The following is content from the press release -
(Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Yasuyuki Toki; hereafter "Unifa"), a company that uses technology to solve social issues related to childcare and child rearing, has completed or decided to introduce its comprehensive childcare ICT service "Rukumi" at 28 new local governments nationwide*. This brings the total number of locations where the service has been introduced to 56 local governments nationwide. Going forward, Unifa will continue to work with local governments and childcare facilities nationwide to resolve issues such as the workload and working environment at childcare facilities, while utilizing the latest technologies such as IoT.
*Two of these municipalities have begun demonstration experiments.
Local governments that have introduced "Lukumi" (54 locations in total, in order of prefecture administration)
Asahikawa City, Hokkaido; Eniwa City, Hokkaido*; Atsusawabe Town, Hokkaido*; Otosaki Town, Hokkaido*; Kitakami City, Iwate Prefecture*; Kaminoyama City, Yamagata Prefecture*; Sukagawa City, Fukushima Prefecture; Naraha Town, Fukushima Prefecture*; Tomioka Town, Fukushima Prefecture*; Toda City, Saitama Prefecture; Iruma City, Saitama Prefecture*; Kuki City, Saitama Prefecture; Kisarazu City, Chiba Prefecture*; Yachiyo City, Chiba Prefecture*; Chuo-ku, Tokyo*; Toshima-ku, Tokyo*; Fujieda City, Tokyo Komae City, Tokyo; Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture; Kakamigahara City, Gifu Prefecture; Kawabe Town, Gifu Prefecture; Nozawaonsen Village, Nagano Prefecture*; Shimada City, Shizuoka Prefecture*; Fujieda City, Shizuoka Prefecture*; Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture; Seto City, Aichi Prefecture; Owari Asahi City, Aichi Prefecture; Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture; Yao City, Osaka Prefecture; Ashiya City, Hyogo Prefecture*; Itami City, Hyogo Prefecture; Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture; Kakogawa City, Hyogo Prefecture*; Takarazuka City, Hyogo Prefecture, Hashimoto City, Wakayama Prefecture; Yonago City, Tottori Prefecture; Kasaoka City, Okayama Prefecture*; Higashi-Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture; Haida Town, Hiroshima Prefecture*; Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture; Kudamatsu City, Yamaguchi Prefecture*; Nagato City, Yamaguchi Prefecture*; Iizuka City, Fukuoka Prefecture*; Onojo City, Fukuoka Prefecture; Koga City, Fukuoka Prefecture; Motoyama Town, Saga Prefecture; Tamana City, Kumamoto Prefecture; Yamaga City, Kumamoto Prefecture*.
*Local governments that will be added this time. Other local governments have already been announced in the February 1, 2019, May 14, 2020, and August 27, 2020 releases. Seven locations are undisclosed at the request of the local government.
Local governments that started the demonstration experiment (2 locations in total, in order of prefecture administration)
Fukuroi City, Shizuoka Prefecture; Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture
About Lukumi
The duties of childcare workers are extremely diverse, ranging from managing children's arrival and departure from school and watching over them during naptime (nap time), preparing daycare diaries and plans, preparing documents to be submitted to parents and local authorities, and managing shifts for childcare workers. In addition, it has been pointed out that the large number of documents that childcare workers must prepare and the lack of progress in the use of ICT for peripheral and auxiliary childcare tasks are factors that keep them busy*1.
The "Lukumi" series will enhance data linkage, automatically consolidating data such as attendance, temperature, sleep, meals, and bowel movements, as well as photos taken with Lukumi Photo, and automatically posting the data to forms and contact sheets. This will enable DX (Digital Transformation) of childcare-related operations, significantly reducing the workload and creating more time for the childcare staff. The time created will also allow caregivers to spend more time with their children, which is important for them, and by providing a function for creating photo documentation, it will create an environment in which caregivers can easily share their observations of children's growth with other caregivers, thereby increasing rich communication and contributing to the creation of job satisfaction for caregivers and improvement of the quality of childcare. This will also contribute to the creation of a more rewarding environment for caregivers and the improvement of the quality of childcare.
*1: Source: "Report on improving the attractiveness of childcare workplaces and occupations" (September 2020, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare)
About Unifa
Unifa is a startup in the Childcare-Tech domain that aims to solve social issues related to childcare and childcare. With the company's purpose of "creating new social infrastructures that create happiness for families around the world," Unifa develops and provides "Rukumi," a childcare support service that utilizes IoT and AI. The service is currently installed in 56 municipalities and has been introduced in a cumulative total of approximately 13,000 locations (as of November 30, 2021, according to our own research). Through the development of "Smart Nursery Schools®, Smart Kindergartens®, and Smart Childcare Centers®," we are contributing to the creation of an affluent society in which it is easy to work while raising children. Smart Nursery School" received the Good Design Best 100 Award in 2021 and a special Good Focus Award for "New Business Design," while "Lukumi" received the Advanced Technology Award in the social industry-specific ASP and SaaS category of the ASPIC IoT, AI and Cloud Award 2021, which is given to cloud services that are beneficial to society. In addition, Lukumi received the Advanced Technology Award in the social industry-specific ASP and SaaS category of the ASPIC IoT, AI, and Cloud Award 2021, which is given to cloud services beneficial to society. Unifa was also selected as a J-Startup.
*Smart Nursery School®, Smart Kindergarten® and Smart Children's School® are registered trademarks.
Company Profile
Company name: Unifa Corporation
Representative Director & CEO: Yasuyuki Toki
Established: 2013
Location: Sumitomo Fudosan Chiyoda Fujimi Building 2F, 1-8-19 Fujimi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Company URL: https://unifa-e.com/
The number of municipalities that have introduced Unifa's comprehensive childcare ICT service "Lukumi" has increased by 28 new locations, bringing the total to 56.
Let's take a look at the details from the press release.