CCS+Pro, a childcare support system developed by "nurseries" themselves to meet "on-site needs

With the recent shift to IT in daycare centers, various manufacturers are offering "childcare support systems" to manage "arrival and departure of children," "attendance of childcare workers," etc. "CCS+Pro" is one such system. The "CCS+Pro (abbreviation of Child Care System+Pro)" introduced here is one such system. This system was developed by a company that operates a "nursery school," and its functions have been further improved by linking it with "childcare robots" and "sensors for monitoring naptime sleepers. The BabyTech.jp editorial staff interviewed Mr. Naoki Tanaka (hereafter, titles omitted) of the Research and Development Department of social solutions, Inc. which develops and operates such a "CCS+Pro," and asked him about the system, its development process, and future development.

(We spoke to...)
social solutions inc.　Manager in Charge, Research & Development Dept.
Naoki Tanaka

System development" started with just one nursery school

Editorial:Let me begin by asking how the "CCS+Pro" childcare support system was developed.

Tanaka:Originally, our company was named "Global Bridges" and started with one unlicensed nursery school, "Ai Ai Nursery School Makuhari" in 2007. As we operated many daycare centers from there, we were faced with the need to streamline the operations of our daycare centers. To this end, we began to create our own "childcare support system. At some point, NTT East took notice of this, and we began external sales of the system in 2014.

Editorial:It is great to collaborate with NTT East.

Tanaka:Our credibility was greatly enhanced when we were allowed to use NTT East's logo (laughs). (Laughs) Normally, it is not easy for NTT East to use our logo, but it seems that they shared our mission of "solving Japan's population problems through the childcare business. This support center is available from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., including weekends and holidays.

Editorial:If I don't know how to use the childcare support system, I can get good telephone support.

Tanaka: NTT East thought that while the number of corporations newly adopting the Internet was decreasing, nursery schools were not yet adopting the Internet... and decided to enter the nursery school industry. This is why NTT East decided to enter the childcare industry. Originally, our company was involved in supporting the opening of daycare centers (editor's note: we no longer do this), and we have supported the opening of about 200 centers throughout Japan. Among them, Social Solutions Inc. was created in 2015 as a company that specializes more in ICT business.

Childcare support system called "CCS+Pro" that integrates a variety of functions

Editorial:Then, can you tell us about the contents of "CCS+Pro"?

Tanaka: The childcare support system initially developed is called "CCS". The additional functions developed to date were integrated and released in 2017 to become "CCS+Pro", which is now available. In addition to this "CCS+Pro," there is also the "Childcare Support Robot VEVO" and the "VEVO's Sensor" nocturnal sleep check support system, which will be released on October 1, 2019.

Editorial:Do they all work with "CCS+Pro"?

Tanaka:That is correct. First of all, the "work scheduling function" is the most important feature of "CCS+Pro". This function automatically calculates the "required number of assigned childcare staff" that meets the standards of each municipality based on the attendance schedule of the children. The daycare centers can then create shifts for their childcare staff based on the numbers calculated by this system, which can be described as a shift creation support function. We have obtained a patent for this technology. In addition, the system can also manage the arrival and departure of children, calculate fees for extended daycare, and manage the attendance of daycare staff. The system also supports the preparation of documents to be submitted by daycare centers to the local government.

Editorial:So you have all the functions you need to run a daycare center.

Tanaka:CCS+Pro" also has a photo and video sharing tool called "MEMORU. There is a great need for parents to know how their children are spending their time at preschool, but this has been a burden on the childcare staff. We are providing this as a service that makes it easier for parents to know how their children are doing.

MEMORU, a tool for selling photos and videos

The "VEVO sensor" is one of the features of the CCS+Pro. The most common cause of fatal accidents in daycare centers is "accidents during noontime sleep. Since many of these accidents occur when children fall asleep on their stomachs, this function quickly detects when children fall asleep on their stomachs and informs the nursery staff, thereby supporting double-checking by the nursery staff and IT. The system has already been introduced at our directly managed daycare centers, and after thorough testing, we are now ready to launch this new product.

The "RENRAKU NOTEBOOK" application replaces the various types of notifications that parents send to day-care centers, such as "I will be picking up your child 30 minutes late," which are usually done by phone. When the information is entered in "RENRAKU NOTE", the nursery school is notified, and when the nursery school staff checks the information, it is reflected in "CCS+Pro" so that the pick-up time can be adjusted. Of course, the system also serves as a "contact book" between the daycare center and the parents. Until now, paper contact sheets were mainly used, but these were used up after six months or a year, and there was no way to review what had happened in the past. In addition, the contact sheets are kept in the hands of the parents, and the nursery staff cannot check the past contact sheets. Contact Notebook" is a service that compensates for the weaknesses of paper contact sheets.

Editorial:What are the features of CCS+Pro?

Tanaka: I think the feature of CCS+Pro is the integration of our various services. This unifies the feel of all services, allowing users to use them without any sense of discomfort. Another feature of CCS+Pro is the wide variety of functions. Since we have directly operated daycare centers, we are in an environment where we can easily receive feedback from the childcare frontlines. As a result of incorporating requests from the nurseries, the system has become as multifunctional as it is today.

Editorial:Indeed, it would be confusing if the "attendance system" is made by Company A, the "staff attendance system" by Company B, and the "communication system with parents" by Company C. Are there any unusual features?

Tanaka:One unusual feature that is not found in many other companies' systems is the "cabinet function. This is a so-called "file sharing server," a service where files created on both the daycare center and headquarters sides are stored and can be used by either side. For example, our company has 56 directly operated daycare centers nationwide (as of December 1, 2019), and as the number of centers increases like this, it is difficult for each daycare center to complete its administrative work alone, and support from the headquarters is essential. To facilitate this communication, the "cabinet function" is indispensable. Another security feature is the ability to limit the range of data that can be viewed and manipulated by users through ID management. The director is limited to this range, the headmaster to this range, nursery staff to this range, and part-time staff to this range, and so on. Even in a large organization, the system allows for the division of duties while maintaining a high level of security.

CCS+Pro" with a wide variety of functions

List of "CCS+Pro" features

VEVO, a childcare robot that nurtures children's dreams and a valuable source of information for parents

Editorial:Your company's "VEVO childcare robot" is a very unique initiative.

Tanaka:VEVO has a sensor that recognizes children when they stand in front of it. When a keychain containing an IC chip is placed on VEVO's chest, VEVO speaks a line that matches the child's voice. The VEVO will say "Good morning", "Bye-bye", "Happy birthday, 00-kun", "00-kun, you grew XX cm taller than VEVO", and so on.

Childcare robot VEVO and Ms. Tanaka

Editorial:What are the results of your VEVO implementation?

Tanaka:The April-May 2019 survey found that daycare centers with VEVO significantly increase the number of conversations between childcare staff and parents than those without. Typically, it is not uncommon for childcare workers and parents to not talk for five seconds. We believe this is because a single word from VEVO creates a topic of conversation between the parents and the childcare provider, or because the childcare provider talks about information other than what VEVO talked about. Normally, parents can only find out how their children are doing through contact sheets. If they have more conversations with the childcare workers, they will be able to know more about their children in more detail. Incidentally, one of VEVO's lines that is particularly appreciated is the "lunch menu. When the VEVO says, "I had ____ today," when you pick up your child, they are likely to say, "Well, then, let's have something different for dinner tonight.

Keychain to communicate with VEVO

VEVO's sensors" to predict changes in children's physical condition.

Editorial:VEVO's Sensor," which has a nap check function, is a type of sensor that is attached to the child. What was the purpose of using a sensor type instead of a sheet type where the children lie on it?

Tanaka:Our aim is to use the sensor to measure the "skin temperature" of children during nap time, and by quantifying and analyzing the fluctuations in the detected temperature, we hope to be able to determine which children need to be more careful about their physical condition, and to use this information to alert the children. VEVO also has a function to report the "nap time" recorded by the sensor to the parents. Parents can only guess at the physical condition of their children, who cannot speak, from their "diet" and "sleep. Therefore, the nap time reported by VEVO is also a valuable source of information.

Appearance of VEVO sensor

VEVO sensor installation image

VEVO may lead to the birth of a "robot technician"!

Editorial:What feedback have you received from people using your company's services?

Tanaka:First of all, I think people are pleased with the "work schedule function" of CCS+Pro. We have received many comments such as ...... that they used to calculate the "number of required childcare workers" by themselves using Excel, and they are very happy that this has been automated. We have also received many comments that "CCS+Pro" helps those who have no experience in the childcare industry to understand what they need to do to operate a daycare center, such as the recent "company-led daycare centers". In addition, we also heard one child say, "I want to make friends with VEVO in the future. In the past, the only environment where robots existed around us was in cartoons, but now that there are actual robots around us and these children are going to elementary school to take programming classes, I think it will have a positive impact on their future. ...... I think it will have a positive impact on the future. We have also received requests for new features, such as "support for different formats for each municipality," and we intend to make further improvements.

Mr. Tanaka speaking about customer feedback

<After the interview

I was very impressed by the ease of use of the system, which can only be achieved by a system developed by a company that operates daycare centers, and by its efforts to reassure parents and nurture children's dreams. In particular, the linkage between the VEVO childcare robot and the noon sleep check sensor has many possibilities, doesn't it?　The company is truly at the forefront of baby tech, and we will keep an eye on its future developments.

Official website of social solutions, Inc.
https://socialsolutions.jp/