Ouchien" to share "growth of children" in nursery schools and kindergartens with parents

It is still fresh in our minds that nursery schools and kindergartens across Japan were closed this spring due to the spread of the new corona infection. Many families with children were in turmoil during that period. Various new services were launched across the country in an effort to improve the situation of children not being able to attend nursery schools and kindergartens (......). One of the most popular services is "Ouchien," an online video streaming service for childcare. One of the most popular services is "Ouchien," an online childcare video streaming service. The BabyTech.jp editorial staff interviewed Mr. Yusuke Kusakabe (hereafter, Yusuke Kusakabe) of Smart Education Co, (hereafter, honorifics omitted), the company that provides the service, for an overview of the service, the background of its development, the impressions of users, and future developments.

(We spoke to...)

Smart Education Inc.
Director, CFO/Co-Founder
Yusuke Kusakabe

Ouchien" combines "privacy-oriented" and "anyone can use" features.

Editorial:Please give us an overview of "Ouchien" and its features.

Kusakabe:Our main services are the distribution of an educational/intellectual education application called "Kodomo Mode" and the provision of educational materials for nursery schools and kindergartens called "kits. Of these, "kits" is designed to foster children's independence and creativity through unique ICT education using iPads in nursery schools and kindergartens, and "Ouchien" was actually created as an extension of "kits". KICTU" is not a so-called "study" program to prepare for school tests, but a fun way to learn what in the past was called "emotional education" on the iPad. Currently, "KITTU" is being used at 400 nursery schools and kindergartens.

Kits" are used in nursery schools and kindergartens

Kusakabe:Now, what triggered the creation of "Ouchien" was an SOS from nursery schools and kindergartens using "Kits" in response to the spread of the new type of corona infection. It was from the end of March to the beginning of April this year. We received a number of inquiries from nursery schools and kindergartens that were closed due to the new corona outbreak and wanted to do something about the situation where children and parents were separated from the nursery schools and kindergartens. ...... We have received numerous inquiries. This led us to the idea of creating a "safe, secure, and easy-to-use service for distributing videos taken at day-care centers and kindergartens.

Editorial:That's all I'm asking, and it sounds like you could use "YouTube" .......

Kusakabe:We initially proposed this, but nursery schools and kindergartens were very concerned about the privacy issues for teachers, as their videos could be broadcast to the entire world, and they were not able to use YouTube. Therefore, we started "Ouchien" as a "YouTube only for nursery schools and kindergartens" that only allows videos taken in a closed, password-protected environment to be distributed to the homes of parents. The response was unexpectedly strong, and as of September 2020, the number of users has exceeded 800 preschools.

Editorial:Compared to the spread of "Kikkatsu" to 400 preschools in five years, "Ouchien" has exploded to more than 800 preschools in less than six months!

Menu screen of "Ouchien

An example of a video uploaded to "Ouchien

Kusakabe:Perhaps it was a good thing that it was a "browser (chrome, safari, etc.)" based service that could be used on a computer, smartphone, or tablet, rather than an app. Some families with high IT literacy use Amazon FireTV to view the videos on their home TVs.

Editorial:By the way, didn't you have a live-streaming feature when you first released it?

Kusakabe:Yes, it is. Live streaming has a heavy server load, so we introduced it this August when we started charging for the service.

The changing and developing use of "home-en".

Editorial:I recently read a newspaper article on ...... where a kindergarten in Tokyo held an entrance ceremony that had been postponed due to the spread of the new corona infection, and the event was streamed live on "Ouchien".

Kusakabe:There was great interest in the event, with more than 100 parents viewing the event. This is one example of how we have been used to avoid "density" in the organization of events at kindergartens.

Photo Shooting for "Ouchien

Editorial:In addition to these live broadcasts of the entrance ceremony, how is "Ouchien" being used?

Kusakabe:During the period of closure due to the new Corona, the main distribution of "teacher talk videos," in which, for example, teachers from each nursery school and kindergarten appeared to teach "hand play songs" and "how to use scissors," was mainly provided. However, after the closure period, the use of "Ouchien" has changed as people have come to recognize that it is a very useful tool for informing parents about what is going on at the day-care centers and kindergartens. Because "children's privacy" is protected in a closed, password-protected environment, more and more videos are being taken of children's activities at day-care centers and kindergartens. Some nursery schools and kindergartens have said, "This is the kind of service we have been waiting for! We have also received comments from nursery schools and kindergartens saying, "This is the kind of service we have been waiting for!

Editorial:I also have a 2 year old daughter and would love to see a video like that!

The overwhelming advantage of "videos featuring only people you know well."

Editorial:What kind of feedback have you received from users of OCHAEN?

Kusakabe:First of all, many nursery school and kindergarten teachers were losing their energy because of the stress of not being able to do anything for their children under the situation of the spread of the new corona infection. We received many comments from preschool directors who said that using the "Ouchien" tool, they were able to send their voices to the children, and that it helped them regain their energy. ......

Editorial:That would be great!

Kusakabe:We have received comments from families that their children, who were bored at home, were very happy to receive videos of nursery school and kindergarten teachers whose faces they knew well. ...... We have also heard that "Ouchien," in which only teachers from nursery schools and kindergartens they know well appear, was safe for them to show their children because it is not uncommon for children to watch undesirable related videos on YouTube. The enthusiastic teachers improved their video shooting and editing skills, and even created a "video shooting NG collection" and "P.E. teacher's jumping box challenge video," which were enjoyed by the parents and children even more.

Editorial:These are precisely because of the "Ouchien" platform.

Parents and children enjoying "Ouchien" at home

Kusakabe:I also received a comment around June when they started coming back to preschool that small children seem to forget the faces of their preschool teachers after a month of not seeing them, and when they come to preschool for the first time in a while, they are confused. When they come to preschool for the first time in a while, they are confused and wonder "Who is he/she? However, we were also told that by watching videos of their teachers at home during "Ouchien," there were fewer children who were shy and cried on their first day back at preschool (......).

Editorial:Indeed, I saw a child at my daughter's daycare who was crying when daycare resumed and was told, "I have to start all over again from acclimation care ......".

Kusakabe:Although this is a duplication of what we have said about live-streaming, we have received feedback that it has been very helpful as a way to avoid "density". Even when a family member takes the approach of limiting the number of people who can attend an event to only one person, by telling them that the event will be live-streamed and that they can watch the recording later, they have been able to smoothly agree. We have also received feedback that "Ouchien" makes it possible for relatives who have been too far away to come and see the event to also be able to see the event. ......

We will continue to develop it as a "tool for cooperation between preschools, kindergartens and families.

Editorial:Can you tell us about the future development of "Ouchien"?

Kusakabe:We are currently working on a plan to add a "documentation" function to "Ouchien". Documentation" refers to the observation, analysis, and recording of children's activities by teachers at day-care centers and kindergartens, which are summarized on imitation papers with "photos" and "comments". Recently, an increasing number of nursery schools and kindergartens are displaying these documents for parents to see, and we are planning to provide "Ouchien" with the ability to support the creation of such documents and distribute them to parents on the screen. We believe that the use of video in the Ouchien documentation will provide a more realistic record than photographs, and will also reduce the amount of work required by the teachers who create the documentation.

Editorial:Yes, it seems hard to summarize with photos and handwritten comments on imitation paper in this day and age. ...... By the way, what are the benefits of "documentation"?

Kusakabe:For example, for an athletic meet, we do not simply report to the parents on the day of the athletic meet, but we can capture the "process of growth" of the children in more detail by documenting the practice leading up to the athletic meet. We are planning to conduct joint research with a professor at Kobe University, who is a leading expert in documentation, over the next year and a half, and we would like to continue to evolve "Ouchien" as a support tool for nursery schools/kindergartens and parents to work together to nurture their children.

After the interview

We want to know how our children are doing in preschools and kindergartens, how they are growing and discovering through various experiences, and the process of their ingenuity! I believe that most parents have the desire to know about their children's growth, discoveries, and creative processes through their various experiences. It is not enough to receive a few photos once a month. ...... "Ouchien" is a service that perfectly fits such needs. While conducting the interview, I even wondered ...... if my daughter's day-care center would introduce "Ouchien," and I felt that it would be a very powerful differentiation tool in an era when day-care centers and kindergartens are being selected due to the declining birth rate. I am looking forward to seeing more and more of this service in the future!

Introduction of "Ouchien" homepage
http://kdkits.jp/ouchien/

News Release on Joint Research on "Documentation
http://kdkits.jp/news/1264