All sick child day care rooms at the two facilities commissioned by the city can now check availability and make reservations from a smartphone.
- The following is content from the press release -
(Chuo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Masaki Sonoda) has announced that it will launch the sick child care support system "Azukaruko-Chan (sick child)" at all sick child care rooms of two facilities commissioned by Mitaka City, Tokyo, on October 2 (Mon.), 2012. https://azkl.jp/ (hereinafter referred to as "MISHOP") will begin accepting reservations using the "MISHOP Reservation System". This will allow users to check the availability and make reservations at all two sick child care facilities in Mitaka City from their smartphones.
Current utilization rate of sick child care "Inconvenience of use"
According to a survey by the Cabinet Office*, the utilization rate of sick child care centers nationwide is said to be about 30%. The major reason for underutilization is thought to be a lack of awareness as well as a difficult-to-use system represented by telephone reservations.
We conducted a survey of 300 working women with children throughout Japan and found that 88% of them answered that they had never used sick child care services. Furthermore, when those who had never used sick child care were asked if they had heard of sick child care, 75% responded that they had not heard of it or that they had only heard of it by name. The survey results also showed that the complexity of the procedures kept them from using the service.
The introduction of Azukaruko-chan is expected to solve two problems in particular: "difficulty in use" and "lack of recognition. We have concluded an agreement with Mitaka City in order to facilitate the smooth use of Azukaruko-chan by those who need childcare services for sick children.
Available at all sick child day care rooms at the two facilities commissioned by the city of Mitaka
With the introduction of Azukaruko-chan, Mitaka City will be able to visualize the real-time availability of sick child care facilities at two facilities in the city. In addition, reservations and cancellations can be made from a smartphone without worrying about time. In addition, instead of filling out and submitting a paper registration form, which had to be filled out and submitted in advance, registration can now be done via Azukaruko-chan on a smartphone.
Azukaruko-chan also aims to improve convenience not only for parents but also for sick child care centers. Conventional telephone reservations have the disadvantages of making it difficult for staff to concentrate on childcare and of not being able to immediately connect with parents because calls cannot be received after hours. Azukaruko-chan's online reservation function solves these problems.
Azukaruko-chan believes that the sick child care business can be improved by connecting parents who need sick child care with sick child care centers that have openings, without time constraints.
In addition, pamphlets and posters will be produced to strengthen awareness of this initiative and the sick child care service itself, and will be distributed and displayed at nursery schools and other facilities in Mitaka City. We will continue to promote the provision of this service so that Ko-chan can be of help in the use, operation, and awareness of the sick child care service.
*Data on the utilization rate of childcare services for sick children / Cabinet Office, "Childcare Services for Sick Children" (released on January 24, 2014)
https://www8.cao.go.jp/shoushi/shinseido/administer/setsumeikai/h260124/pdf/s5-6.pdf
Sick child care in the palm of your hand. What is the sick child care support system "AZUKARUKO-CHAN"?
Azukaruko-chan is a search and reservation service for sick child care that connects parents and sick child care centers. Parents can easily search for and reserve a sick child daycare center anytime via LINE or the Web. For the staff of the facility, the service has the advantage of freeing them from complicated paperwork and allowing them to concentrate on childcare. Municipalities that have introduced the service will be able to centrally manage information on all of the sick child day care centers they have outsourced to in their area. Currently, 166 facilities and 9 municipalities have introduced the system, and the number of registered children has exceeded 87,000 and cumulative reservations 250,000.
Outline of Good Button Co.
Founded in 2017 by Masaki Sonoda, an obstetrician and gynecologist, with the idea of realizing a society where people can give birth and raise children with peace of mind, Azukaruko-chan was released in 2020 as a service to support the sick child care business from the three sides of parents, facilities, and local governments. In 2023, the company name was changed from Connected Industries to Good Baton, with the vision of providing comprehensive support not only in the sick child care business, but also in areas related to "giving birth," "raising children," and "nurturing children.
Representative Director: Masaki Sonoda
Location: 6-7-11 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Date of establishment: July 7, 2017
Business activities: Search and reservation service for sick child daycare centers, management consulting for sick child daycare centers
