A new place for childcare where children ages 0-3 and their parents can foster interaction and consult with professionals about their concerns in the comfort of their own home. The first 300 pairs of children will be admitted free of charge.
- The following is content from the press release -
Online Childrearing Plaza Association (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Chihiro Taki) will launch a full-scale "Virtual Parent and Child Plaza" utilizing the Metaverse Space on April 10, 2025. In today's age of nuclear families and the weakening of local communities, we will provide a new space where children aged 0-3 and their parents can foster warm interactions, discuss their true feelings, and consult with specialists, all from the comfort of their own homes. This initiative aims to reduce the sense of isolation and anxiety caused by child-rearing and realize a society in which all parents can raise their children with peace of mind.
Background of Initiatives
In today's society, with the declining birthrate, the nuclear family, and the decrease in connections with people in the community, parents raising infants and toddlers can easily feel anxious and isolated in their child-rearing. Although there are more than 8,000 local child-rearing support facilities nationwide, many parents are unable to use these facilities due to geographical, time, or psychological hurdles.
There is no place nearby where parents and children can get together..." "Going out with children is more difficult than I thought it would be.
This is an earnest voice that we have heard directly from parents raising children aged 0-3 years old at Mama Koperu, an online childcare plaza that our association has operated since 2018.
Virtual Oyako Hiroba" was created to resolve these issues and realize a society where all parents can raise their children with peace of mind. It provides a safe and secure place where people can talk about their true feelings, as people can easily participate online from anywhere in Japan from the comfort of their own home, and the use of avatars enhances anonymity.
Initiatives of the Online Childcare Plaza Association
In 2018, the Association opened the nation's first online child-rearing plaza "Mama Koperu" and has supported a total of over 8,500 pairs of parents and children. As a pioneer in online childcare support, we have accumulated know-how and achievements.
Many participants said, "I can use this service from the comfort of my home" and "It was a spiritual support!" On the other hand, the conventional video call system (Zoom) was used to hold the event by appointment only,
We also felt that we were not meeting the real-time needs unique to the infant stage, such as "I want to talk now...," "I want to connect now...," and "I want to consult now....
Therefore, we have been searching for ways to deliver childcare support more widely and deeply, and in 2024, we will try to utilize the Metaverse space. Over a six-month period, a total of more than 1,100 pairs of children aged 0-3 years and their parents used the space, and we received comments such as "I feel secure that I can access the space anytime without reservations" and "It helps me mentally to be connected to society whenever I want and as much as I want.
The main opening of the "Virtual Oyako Hiroba" in FY2025 will relieve the loneliness and anxiety that parents may feel, and will provide a system for immediate and professional support by specialists.
Virtual Oyako Hiroba" support and how to use it
1. Elimination of sense of isolation
Visitors are free to come to the room anytime between 10:00 and 16:00 on weekdays to exchange information and interact with parents and children from all over the country.
We offer a variety of events for parents and children to enjoy together, and provide a place where participants can share and sympathize with each other's child-rearing concerns and worries.
2. Reduction of childcare anxiety
Lectures and individual consultations by childcare professionals, midwives, clinical psychologists, pediatricians, and other specialists are held on a regular basis, with the aim of alleviating the anxieties and worries of child rearing.
We offer specific advice in specialist courses tailored to your child-rearing needs, such as "baby food courses," "preventing baby illnesses," and "self-care during child-rearing."
If necessary, we collaborate with local childcare support organizations and specialized agencies to provide more appropriate support.
Easy to use! First 300 pairs available free of charge!
- After registering as a member through the dedicated website, you will be guided on how to access "Virtual Oyako Hiroba".
- In FY2025, the first 300 pairs of children will be admitted to the program free of charge (participation in FY2025 is open to pregnant women and parents and children born on or after April 2, 2022).
Satisfaction rate of participation: 96%, Recommendation rate of use: 96%/
Future Outlook
- We will accumulate data on online childcare support and establish more secure, safe, and effective support methods and management systems.
- By strengthening cooperation with local governments, childcare support professionals, and businesses throughout Japan, we aim to build a more comprehensive support system, expand the circle of support, and help more families raising children.
About interviews and inquiries
- If you are interested in covering the "Virtual Parent and Child Plaza" project, or if you are a local government, childcare support provider, or company interested in collaborating with us, please feel free to contact us.
- We are now mailing free of charge a "Report Report on the Use of Virtual Space (Metaverse) in Childcare Support" (40 pages in total), which summarizes last year's data. Please feel free to contact us to request a copy. (Please note that we may not be able to meet your request.)
