- Childcare Worker Bank! Connect" is a service that streamlines the complicated paperwork of childcare workers with the power of ICT.
- The major difference from similar services is that "shift and attendance management" performed by management staff, such as the principal and head teachers, is covered.
- The creation of more leeway in park management reduces the burden on frontline childcare workers, management, and the principal, creating a virtuous cycle.
The workload of childcare workers is often covered in the news. A major factor contributing to this burden is the cumbersome paperwork. Many childcare workers are so busy with paperwork that they do not have time to eat lunch, and even when they return home, they still have a lot of work to do. This is true not only for the staff who work with children in the field, but also for the principal and head teachers who are in management positions. The "nursery school teacher bank! Connect" is a service that uses technology to solve such difficulties in the childcare industry. The nursery teacher bank won the excellence award in the "BabyTech® Award Japan 2021 Childcare ICT Category"! We spoke with a representative from Nextbeat Corporation, the developer of the service, about the features of Connect and the future it aims to achieve.
(We spoke to...)
Nextbeat Inc.
Childcare Bank! Connect Manager / Yuta Sato
Childcare Bank! Connect Development Manager / Shinya Morikawa
(Titles omitted)
Supports complex shift and attendance management, reducing the burden on managers!
Editorial:Thank you for your cooperation today. First of all, could you tell us about the concept of "Childcare Worker Bank! Could you tell us about the concept of "Childcare Worker Bank!
Sato:This service uses technology to streamline clerical work at daycare centers and kindergartens and reduce the workload of childcare workers. Specifically, the service streamlines the complicated paper-based tasks such as staff shift management, attendance management, and arrival/departure management.
Editorial:Thank you. Is paper-based paperwork still time consuming?
Sato:Yes, I agree. I often visit various preschools, and I often hear from on-site childcare workers that "there is a lot of paper and the preparation itself is time-consuming," or "during an audit, it took time to find previously prepared documents in the many binders.
Childcare workers are always taking care of children from morning to snack, walk, lunch, nap, free time, and drop-off. Many of them probably don't have time to eat lunch because they are busy with the paperwork for contact sheets, child registers, etc., while working. We hear that many of them stay behind to do paperwork even after the children have left the kindergartens.
Editorial:Even though you are just busy, there is a huge amount of paperwork work that you don't see.
Sato:While it is hard work for the childcare workers on site, I also feel that the burden on the principal and head teachers, who manage the entire school and each class, is also very heavy.
Editorial:What specific areas are the most difficult?
Sato:The most difficult part is "shift management" of staff. In nursery schools and kindergartens, teacher assignments change on a daily basis. Since there are many female staff members who work while raising children, there are often minor adjustments due to children's illnesses and other reasons. In recent years, shift management has become even more complicated due to Corona, and in many cases, the time required by the principal and head teachers to create shifts is enormous.
Editorial:It is that hard work, isn't it? May I ask you to briefly tell us about how you actually work your shifts?
Sato:The premise is the working conditions of the staff. For full-time employees, monthly working conditions must be within the working hours set by law and employment regulations, and for part-time employees, there are various types of employment, such as those who want to work within the range of their dependents or those who have limited working hours. The current situation is that each person has different conditions, and the head teacher, principal, and shift supervisor are concerned about these different conditions and put together the "puzzle".
An additional and related issue is the "placement criteria". Regulations determine the number of qualified personnel according to the number of children in the preschool, and we need to make sure that the classes rotate on the premise that these conditions are met. If we only follow the minimum rule, we will not be able to ensure that the childcare system "rotates well," so we set up the daily, weekly, and monthly schedule while considering this delicate balance. Since many of our preschools are staff-oriented, we have to combine these rules with fairness assurance and other detailed rules to finally create a shift.
Editorial:It really is a complicated mix of many factors.
Sato:The main difference between "Childcare Worker Bank! The major difference between "Connect" and similar services is that it covers not only the work of childcare workers, but also "shift attendance management" for these managers, as well as paid leave and overtime commission management.
Editorial:Can you tell us more about that feature as well?
Sato:With regard to shifts, the system reduces the burden on managers and executives and allows them to see at a glance the status of their assignments. There is no need to create shifts from scratch, as the "Automatic Shift Creation" function creates shifts with a single click, using past shifts as a reference, and a function called "Rotation Shift" allows regular shifts to be created.
The system incorporates points that should be seen in the childcare industry, such as the ability to link monthly shifts to daily placement sheets, fair placement, and grouping based on work style, so labor can be saved without making major changes to current operations.
Editorial:So many considerations are taken into account, even for a single shift!
Sato:Shift creation alone is still "toothless".
In particular, since most preschools in the childcare industry use a variable working hour system, the work involved in tabulating the data is enormous, including checking shifts, attendance records (attendance registers and time cards), and application documents (applications for paid leave and overtime work).
Childcare Worker Bank! Connect has been designed to be more than just a shift creation efficiency system, with functions that streamline not only shift creation, but also the cross-checking of attendance, paid leave, and overtime management. We believe that this is an area where mistakes that directly affect payroll cannot be tolerated, and therefore we believe that this is an area where we should promote operational efficiency.
Because ICT for checking attendance, contact sheets, and paperwork has greatly progressed over the past five years, we need to systemize the areas related to attendance and payroll, including reforms in the way the childcare industry works and the improvement of the working environment. It is with this strong belief that we continue to face our daily work.
Editorial:I don't think there are many systems that support the work of managers and executives. Can you tell us why you are thinking of reducing the burden not only on the front-line childcare workers but also on the management level?
Sato:While the work performed by the childcare staff is important, it is the management team, the principal, and the head teacher who set the direction of how the daycare center should be. We believe that by reducing the workload of those involved in management, we can free up time to think about a better way for the center to operate.
In addition, by creating more leeway, a virtuous circle will be created, such as being able to follow up with staff members and distribute office work in an optimal manner. Childcare Worker Bank! Connect wants to continue to be the best partner for those involved in the management of such preschools as the birthrate declines and concerns about the childcare industry increase.
Easy 2-click access to the functions you want!
Editorial:From here, I would like to talk about the development of "Childcare Bank! I would like to talk to you about the development of "Childcare Worker Bank! First of all, could you tell us how you came to develop the service?
Morikawa:I will tell you about our development. Since our company was founded in 2013, we have been offering a job search support service for nursery school teachers and kindergarten teachers called "Nursery School Teacher Bank! a job change support service for nursery school teachers and kindergarten teachers. Through this process, we have come to understand the complexity of the administrative work that Mr. Sato just mentioned. In order to reduce the burden on nursery teachers and preschool directors and to change the childcare industry for the better, we created "Nursery Teacher Bank! Connect".
Editorial:What were some of the important points in developing "Childcare Worker Bank! What were some of the important points in developing "Connect"?
Morikawa:The most important point for us was that the service should be "truly usable in the field. Through our interviews, we learned that there were some preschools that had already introduced similar services, but were not using them because the introduction of the service had become the goal. In some cases, the steps to open the desired screen are complicated and stressful, and in others, even if the burden on the front line is reduced, the management staff, such as the principal and head teachers, are not taken care of. In some cases, the screen is too complicated to open! Connect" is a service that can solve such problems based on a thorough look at the childcare field.
Editorial:Can you give us more details?
Morikawa:Yes, the first one is the "2-step authentication function". In the field, multiple childcare workers access various functions from a single terminal. At this time, from a security perspective, it is necessary to log out and re-log in each time a user is switched. However, we found that it is difficult in practice to re-login each time a user is switched, given the busy nature of childcare operations and the fact that some staff members are not accustomed to using IT equipment. To ensure security and availability under such circumstances, we have solved this problem by first performing first-step authentication by those who are accustomed to using IT equipment and then performing second-step authentication, which is easier to operate.
Editorial:Are there others?
Morikawa:The entire system is then designed so that you can access the function you want to use with two clicks. By setting these rules, we are able to reduce the stress involved in the operation of the system. When creating the screens, the designers also visited the nursery schools together with the nursery teachers and the principal to get feedback from them and to make the screens easy to use.
Editorial:That's wonderful! Can you tell us about some of the challenges in development?
Morikawa:We took pains to develop functional aspects related to shift, attendance, and labor management, which are important in nursery school management. We have been struggling with the balance of product development and operation so that the system reflects the basic rules of the Labor Standards Act and the assignment standards, and complies with statutory revisions, while at the same time allowing even directors and head teachers, who "physically have little time to spare for administrative work," to quickly become familiar with the service and operate it easily. We have been struggling with the balance of product development and management so that even preschool directors and chief teachers can quickly become familiar with the service and operate it easily. If I had to do it all over again, I would not be able to say, "I want to do it! I can't say "I want to do it again!
It is because of these days of hard work that we have received comments not only from the preschools that have adopted our system, but also from laborers and consultants who have joined daycare centers, who say, "If you are looking for shift/attendance management in the childcare industry, we are the right choice for you! Connect" is very rewarding.
Some parts are still in the process of development. There are many challenges ahead, but I would like to continue to face the unknown barriers.
Editorial:We have found that this service is the result of the "I wish I had it! I found out that this service is a form of "I wish I had it! Thank you very much.
Job change, retention, operational efficiency.... We want to provide comprehensive services in the future.
Editorial:Can you tell us about the actual use of "Childcare Worker Bank! Can you tell us about the impressions of those who have actually used "Childcare Worker Bank!
Sato:We have received comments such as, "It took me one-third of the time it used to take! and "A half-day audit was completed in one hour." We have also received positive feedback such as "I wish I had known about this service sooner," and "It works well with working from home.
Editorial:Thank you very much. Finally, can you tell us about your future goals?
Morikawa:In addition to "Childcare Worker Bank! Connect," we have also been providing job search support for childcare workers since the company's inception, "Childcare Worker Bank! and "Daycare Worker Bank! Palette," which manages staff engagement and conditions. We have also launched the "Childcare Worker Bank! Connect," which promotes work style reform, will be linked to the "Child Care Worker Bank! Platform" to provide comprehensive services to solve issues in the childcare industry.
Editorial:Thank you very much for your time today!
After the interview
There are many services that support the complexity of paperwork for childcare workers, but among them is Childcare Worker Bank, which reduces the even more complicated work of managers, allowing them to spend more time looking at the frontline and thinking about the services provided by the preschools! Connect's services are beneficial to the childcare industry, as they delve deeper into the essence of the problem. I believe that reducing the burden on those who can change the policies of the preschools to keep up with the times and having them improve the entire preschool will not only differentiate them from other preschools and improve the working environment for childcare workers, but also give back to the mothers and fathers who leave their children with us to work. A nursery school teacher bank in the future, linked to other services! I look forward to seeing the connections that will be created!
Childcare Worker Bank! Connect" Official Website
https://kidsna-connect.com/site/
(ENDS)
Interviewing and writing:Misako Tateoka
From an IT company, she switched careers to the editing and publishing industry. Currently, I work as a freelance editor and writer, editing and writing in a wide range of fields such as travel, gourmet, and social.
What is important is "to convey valuable information to readers in an interesting and easy-to-understand manner.
He has been involved in the production of numerous magazines, including TRANSIT, FRaU, and Metro Minute.
BabyTech is always stimulated by all the services and products that I wish I had when I was a child! I am always inspired by the things I encounter at BabyTech. My hobbies are traveling, cooking, and aikido.
