- The following is content from the press release -
(headquartered in Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; Yoshinori Koike, President; hereinafter "Codomon") and BENESSE STYLE CARE GROUP INC. (Head Office: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President: Hitoshi Kobayashi; hereinafter "Benesse Style Care Group") have launched the "Children's Story Project*1 ," a joint development project for an AI function to support the recording of children's daily routines and growth at childcare facilities after repeated demonstration experiments.
The AI function to be developed in this initiative will be based on daily childcare records accumulated in the "Childcare Documentation" (*see below), a function of the "CoDMON" childcare ICT system, and the AI will support "review of childcare" such as child charts*2 and records of essentials*3. In this way, while respecting the records kept by caregivers, AI reduces the workload of reviewing and summarizing records, aiming to realize childcare that focuses more carefully on each individual child.
*1: "Children's Story" is a trademark and patent pending.
*2Child chart: A document that regularly records each child's situation and upbringing, prepared throughout the year in order to improve the quality of childcare.
3Kyoho: A document that is prepared once a year to visualize the overall growth process of each child.
Background and issues of the project initiation
In childcare settings, daily journals are prepared to record children's daily activities, and instructional plans that specifically plan the purpose and flow of educational and childcare activities are prepared on a daily basis. Furthermore, based on these, it is necessary to prepare child charts and annual records on a regular basis. However, the preparation of child charts and annual records requires time and effort to review and reconstruct past childcare records in the daily logbooks and instructional plans. This work can take more than one hour per child, and the burden of this task is a major challenge for busy childcare providers.
Initiatives and Objectives
In this project, we are developing a "Children's Story" function, in which AI analyzes and summarizes daily childcare records accumulated in the "Childcare Documentation" provided by Codomon, and supports the creation of child charts and records. This will enable childcare providers to concentrate on "thinking about children" and improve work efficiency while carefully capturing each child's growth and individuality.
Codomon and Benesse Style Care Group are aiming to "utilize AI to enhance the quality of childcare" rather than simply automate some aspects of childcare work through AI. The "Children's Story" function to be tested in this project is an initiative to reduce the amount of work time spent by caregivers on paperwork and maximize the time they have to be deeply involved in their children's development.
Click here to watch a video introducing "Children's Story" (Japanese only) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IRcStgt6_k )
Possibilities of AI Application Revealed by the Demonstration Experiment
The following comments were received from childcare facilities that participated in the demonstration experiment:
I thought AI was cold. But I was surprised to find that my words became a "living record.
The monthly child registration forms, which used to take more than 30 minutes per person, are going to be a lot easier."
The 10 figures and the 5 domains helped us to reorganize our "growth" and "learning" that we were not fully aware of in our daily activities, and we realized that there was such learning in our play, which gave us confidence. It helped me gain confidence."
Highly rated in childcare AI seminars.
The Childcare AI Seminar held in February 2025 attracted 1,282 registrations and received a high rating of 98.4% in participant satisfaction.
It's nice to know that AI can provide support because writing ability varies from childcare provider to provider."
I haven't worked on documentation yet, but this makes me want to give it a shot."
It's only been a short time since we introduced Codomon, but seeing the AI create the essentials record made me feel that this is the future of childcare."
Call for endorsing facilities
Facilities participating in the "Children's Story Project" will receive advance applications for a trial version of Codomon's newly created childcare AI service, as well as updates on the progress of the project and verification results. In addition, we will develop a trial version of "Children's Story" based on feedback from participating preschool teachers. If you are interested in participating in this project, we would like to hear from you. If you would like to enter the project, please fill out the application form below.
Application period : Until around December 2025 (tentative)
Scheduled to be offered: Advance application information for the tasting version
Sharing of project progress and verification results
Hearings on service introduction, etc.
Entry :https://info-hoiku.benesse.ne.jp/seminar/hoikuai/kodomostory_entry/
What is Codomon's "Childcare Documentation"?
Childcare Documentation was jointly developed by Codomon and Benesse Style Care Group under the supervision of Dr. Keitomo Soyobuta, Professor of the Faculty of Education at Tamagawa University, with the hope of "incorporating documentation into daily childcare without increasing the burden on teachers.
Childcare Documentation," which records daily activities of children at the preschool with photos and comments, is not only a simple record, but also a consistent way to review and plan childcare activities. The content of these records can be linked to the daily logbooks and contact sheets, etc., and the daily development of the children can be shared with other caregivers and parents.
Codomon Corporation Company Profile
◆Location: 10F Gotanda JP Building, 8-4-13 Nishi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo
◆Capital: 68.25 million yen
Representative: Yoshinori Koike, Representative Director
◆Established: November 2018
◆Business activities: Operation of ICT service "Codomon" for childcare and educational facilities, operation of photo sales service, settlement agency service, recruitment support business, preschool child recruitment support business, operation of EC site "Codomon Store" for childcare facilities, online training business
