- The following is content from the press release -
(Head Office: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President: Shinya Takiyama) operates 65 preschools in the Tokyo metropolitan area as of October 2023 under the business philosophy of "Let the child grow and develop as he or she is. (Head Office: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President: Shinya Takiyama) operates 65 nursery schools mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area as of October 2023 under the business philosophy, "Let the child grow and develop in his or her own way. For about 20 years, Benesse's preschools have adopted a cross-age childcare system in which children of different ages live together in the same space during the early childhood period (3 to 5 years old), when children's relationships with each other are deepened, This approach helps to nurture a sense of autonomy and social skills. We have recently opened a website that provides information on our practice of cross-age childcare over the past 20 years and the methods we have developed based on this practical knowledge.
Figure: Benesse's nursery school different age childcare website
https://hoiku.benesse-style-care.co.jp/different_ages/
Changes in the Environment Surrounding Children and the Skills Necessary for Future Society
The Benesse Institute for Educational Research has conducted a survey* that shows an increase in the number of mothers and fathers, but a decrease in the number of friends, siblings, and grandmothers with whom children play on weekdays, compared to about 20 years ago. The proportion of children watching videos and playing with apps has also increased significantly, indicating that children are spending a lot of time playing that does not require interaction with others. On the other hand, globalization is further accelerating in the society that these children are entering, and they will be required to have the ability to cooperate with others who have diverse backgrounds and ideas. At Benesse preschools, we believe that living together with children of different ages from infancy will enable them to appreciate each child's individuality and to express themselves beyond age boundaries, and that cooperative activities in which children grow up with each other will be an important foundation for living in an unpredictable society in the future. We have been focusing on cross-age childcare.
*Source: Benesse Institute of Education, "The 6th Questionnaire Report on the Lives of Young Children," 2023, p. 29-31.
https://berd.benesse.jp/up_images/research/YOJI_all_P01_65_6.pdf
Visualizing Children's Capabilities and Caregivers' Involvement in "Different Age Childcare
We believe that it is important to improve the quality of caregivers' involvement in order to deepen children's interaction with each other and enhance the quality of cross-age childcare, so we launched the "Kinder Study Group" eight years ago. The study group has been systematically organizing practical knowledge of childcare under the supervision of outside experts and in cooperation with the Benesse Institute of Education. The contents of such efforts by the Kinder Study Group and the practice of cross-age childcare in preschools will also be made public on this website.
We hope that our 20 years of experience and methods in different age groups will provide hints for those involved in childcare and contribute to improving the quality of childcare. We will continue to provide useful content for those involved in childcare, keeping in mind our desire to create "a daycare center that people would want to entrust their own children to.
Content 1. Introducing case study initiatives in the Kinder Study Group.
Contents 2. also introduces different age groups at each school (image shown in figure)
[Benesse's nursery school initiative
We are posting information about Benesse's nursery activities on Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/benesse_hoiku/
Inquiries about this content
BENESSE STYLE CARE Corporation President's Office Public Relations TEL. 03-6836-1111
