Looking Back at Childcare Hunting 8 Years Ago: From Small-Scale Childcare to Kindergarten, a Choice Filled with Hesitation
The severity of the point-based competition where you cannot get into a nursery school even if you want to.
Having no choice but to select a small-scale nursery school, and having to start the childcare hunting process all over again after age three.
Eight years ago, I was desperate to choose a path for my eldest and second daughters. I will look back on my childcare hunting experience, considering the background of the system and my current perspective.
1. How I started childcare hunting
Eight years ago, my eldest daughter was three and my second daughter was one.
Someone I hadn't spoken to in a while reached out and asked me to help with some work. I had been thinking about returning to the workforce myself, and that request gave me the push I needed to start looking for childcare.
The childcare environment in the area where I lived at the time was quite different from today. There were only a handful of licensed nursery schools that could accommodate children from ages 0 to 5, and only one near the station. There were about three more schools a bit further in the opposite direction from the station, but considering my commute and the logistics of drop-offs and pick-ups, they were not practical.
Moreover, it was a mid-year enrollment. Most of the spots were already filled, and my hope of having both sisters in the same school seemed unlikely to be fulfilled.
2. The reality of point-based competition and small-scale nursery schools
Childcare hunting at the time was all about "points."
If you were returning from maternity leave, it was standard to have over 200 points. However, in my case, I was starting a new part-time job, so even with my husband's points combined, we only had about 160, which put our priority for enrollment low.
The only schools I could visit were small-scale nursery schools (for children aged 0 to 2). Many were located in a single room of an apartment or on a floor of a building, and they had no playground. Outdoor play meant being taken to a nearby park. While I hesitated about whether this was truly a good environment for my children, I was pushed by the reality that "this is the only place I can leave them right now," and I submitted my application.
Here, I made a mistake that, looking back now, could be called a 'classic childcare hunting blunder'.
I should have made the nursery that could definitely take both of them my first choice, but I hoped that 'maybe I could get them into a nursery that takes children from 0 to 5 years old,' and ended up putting that as my first choice instead.
As a result, only my eldest daughter was accepted, and my second daughter was rejected. I had to start looking for a separate childcare arrangement for my second daughter all over again.
3. The Option of a Company-Led Nursery
Applications for licensed nurseries can only be made once a month, and time just kept slipping away while I waited. That was when company-led nurseries and unlicensed nurseries came up as options.
I visited a few, and the one I ultimately chose was a company-led nursery. The tuition was higher compared to a licensed one, and I ended up paying about the same amount for my second daughter as I did for my eldest, which made me wonder at times, 'What am I working for?' Even so, because of the peace of mind that comes with a company as the operating body and the welcoming atmosphere of the childcare staff, my second daughter attended happily with a smile.
On the other hand, my eldest daughter loved playing outside, so she couldn't adjust to the small-scale nursery that focused mainly on indoor activities, and she spent every morning crying on her way there. Since small-scale nurseries only go up to age two, the challenge of what to do for her next step was quickly approaching again.
4. Encountering the Option of Kindergarten
As graduation from the nursery was coming into view, I started looking into kindergartens as a potential option once again.
Municipal kindergartens offer extended childcare until 5:00 PM
Private kindergartens offer it until 6:00 PM, and some further away even offer it until 7:00 PM
It was just at the time when the 'Free Early Childhood Education and Care' program was starting, which would significantly reduce the financial burden
As I continued to visit more schools, I realized the richness of the environment that kindergartens offer.
A large playground, an educational curriculum, and the stability of having the same teacher and the same class for three years. I felt that my eldest daughter would be able to attend with peace of mind—that is what I came to believe.
5. Changes in my eldest daughter after she started kindergarten
When she first started, she cried until after the Golden Week holiday in her first year. However, after that point, she stopped crying and began going to school with a smile.
Being able to play to her heart's content in the garden, participating in events with her peers, and the bond of trust with her teachers—I think all of these things suited my eldest daughter perfectly.
Even now that she is in elementary school, my eldest daughter talks about the kindergarten she attended as a 'place she loves.' Those happy memories remain within her as a solid sense of security.
And that experience was passed on to my second daughter and my eldest son. For the two of them, who had watched their older sister attending happily, the kindergarten remained a 'fun place' in their minds, and they started attending naturally; now, all three of them love kindergarten.
6. Looking back at the challenges of small-scale nursery schools
On the other hand, looking back, I also feel there are major challenges with small-scale nursery schools.
The biggest problem is the almost complete lack of support for paths after age three. Although the contract mentioned 'partner facilities,' in reality, there were no priority enrollment slots, and it was closer to just sharing information. As graduation approached, I had no choice but to start the childcare hunting process all over again from scratch.
The teachers on the front lines also held complex feelings, saying, 'We know what comes after this is difficult, but...' Blocked by the barriers of the system, they were in a position to watch over the children's growth, yet could do nothing regarding their future paths—I believe that pain was felt not only by the parents but by the teachers as well.
7. Changes in the System and Thoughts from Today
Eight years have passed since then.
With the spread of certified centers for early childhood education and care, the expansion of extended childcare, and the establishment of free early childhood education, the current situation for childcare hunting seems to have improved compared to back then.
However, regional differences and variations between individual facilities still exist, and some families continue to face the 'double burden of childcare hunting' (the two-round process of finding care for ages 0-2 and then again for age 3 and up).
Reflecting on my own experience at the time, what I think is that you have no choice but to choose the best option at that moment. While there is no such thing as a perfect choice within the constraints of systems and frameworks, the fact that I was able to find a facility that suited my eldest daughter as a result remains a great asset to me even now.
In Conclusion
If there is one thing I could say to my past self from eight years ago—
'It is okay to be lost. It is okay to worry. The path you chose while doing your absolute best at that time will surely become the right one,' is what I would want to tell her.
Systems and environments change with the times, but
the feelings of parents who worry about their choices while wishing for their child's happiness remain the same, now as they were then.
That is precisely why I want to leave this record here.