I was saved by a nursery teacher, but why... A series of job separations Unchanged standard November 21, 18:55

With a sad heart, I celebrated my son's 1st birthday.

"I turned 1 year old without being able to do so much..." I

was worried about my child's slow development.

However, things changed when I entered kindergarten.

The nursery teacher found her son's small growth every day and was happy with her, which made me feel lighter.

Nursery teachers can be said to be a parenting partner for parents.

However, the environment in which these nursery teachers work is becoming increasingly severe.

What on earth is happening?

(Hiroko Ujiie, Metropolitan Area Bureau Reporter)

saved by caregiver

The photo at the top is my (reporter) eldest son who celebrated his 1st birthday five years ago.

Rolling over, crawling, sitting, etc., were developed at a much slower pace than in childcare books.

He was lonely because he couldn't talk to his mother's friends who were close to his child's age.

He was worried that "Isn't the way I raised my child wrong?"

Perhaps for that reason, I don't have many pictures of him at the time when he was supposed to be in his prime.

However, things changed when I entered kindergarten.

A nursery teacher (hereafter referred to as a teacher) found his son's small growth every day and told me about it.

When I reread the contact book from that time, it says, "I'm gradually becoming an older man!"

I was really encouraged by such warm comments.

Furthermore, even in the short time it took to drop off and pick up the children, the teachers carefully told us about the children's hard work so that we could visualize the situation.

I also became able to see the good side of my child, and my heart became lighter.

We parents and children feel that we have been saved by "nursery school" and "nursery teacher".

I was raised as a “mother”

Like me, there are many parents who feel that nursery teachers are their partners in child-rearing.

“It was not only my child who was raised by the nursery teacher, but I was also raised,”

says Yoshiko Shimosato, a beautician in Nagoya.

Shimosato, who has three children, one in nursery school and two in elementary school, has been using nursery schools for 11 years.

In order to return to work on her 57th day, she relied on nursery schools.

Mr. Shimosato, who was raising a child for the first time, received many childcare consultations, such as the angle of the baby bottle when giving milk and how to proceed with baby food.

There were many things she didn't understand about her first childcare, but she says that she gained confidence through repeated interactions with nursery teachers.

She said to me, "She thought about the health and mental stability of her child first and foremost, that the mother was not doing well." He told me.

Yoshiko Shimosato:

“My father passed away a few days before my older child was born. Maybe it was because of that shock that I didn’t produce any breast milk at all, so I was worried. , ``It's fine with milk, don't feel guilty.'' I was really grateful for the words of a child-rearing professional.It's thanks to the teachers that I can laugh and talk about difficult times. One of my mom friends called the nursery school her ``second home,'' and I've consulted her on a lot more than my own mother."

“The teacher is gone”

Mr. Shimosato says that he has always been worried about the busyness of the nursery teachers.

This feeling was strengthened by an incident at a nursery school where I used to leave my child.

It was because I felt sad when the nursery teacher who had been polite to my child had to take a leave of absence due to mental illness.

Ms. Yoshiko Shimosato:

“I think there are times when a teacher who works hard can end up working too hard. It must be difficult for the teacher himself, and it is sad for the parents to lose the teacher they are so familiar with. Children who find it difficult to put into words may suddenly become reluctant to go to nursery school or become unstable.

Hearing this reminded me that I had the same experience.

At that time, there was no end to the number of nursery teachers who suddenly quit at the nursery school that we used as parents and children.

There was also a tearful farewell to the teacher who listened to my various worries and adored me.

Even for my eldest son, who has a shy personality, I think he was very worried about the sudden disappearance of the teacher he had come to love.

The teacher was always smiling in front of us parents and children.

However, at that time, I felt that the work environment was difficult to continue working, but I didn't go in and ask.

What lies behind the successive resignations?

As someone who has been supported by a nursery teacher in raising children, I decided to hear from the people involved again.

Placement standards of the country Almost unchanged after the war

Nursery school is a very important place for us parents and children.

As I proceeded with the interview, I ran into a big question.

That is the problem of the placement standards for nursery teachers that the country has decided.

In fact, the labor costs of childcare workers are borne by the national and local governments, and only the number of children calculated based on the placement standards is paid.

For example, for a 0-year-old child, there is one nursery teacher for every three children, and for a three-year-old child, there is one nursery teacher for every 20 children.

What surprised me was that the standards in this country have remained almost unchanged since the war, for more than half a century for children aged 1 and 2, and for children aged 4 and 5, and have never been revised since 1948.

When I interviewed, some nursery schools couldn't keep up with the number of nursery teachers, so the nursery side took care of the increased labor costs and reduced the take-home pay per nursery teacher. There were quite a few places that did.

These kindergartens are forced to run at the last minute.

Furthermore, in recent years, the number of issues that nursery teachers have to deal with, such as the problem of child abuse and how to deal with COVID-19, is increasing.

Some local governments have set up their own budgets to increase the number of childcare workers, but they said, I want you to reconsider this placement standard.”

“The site is on the edge of a precipice”

I also met a nursery teacher who appeals to the reality of such a harsh childcare site through a manga called “Preschool on the Cliff”.

I'm Shotori Sakamoto (34), a nursery teacher from Aichi Prefecture.

Based on his own experience, he drew a manga based on his own experience and posted it on SNS in February this year, wanting to know the actual situation when 20 3-year-old children were seen by one nursery teacher according to the national standard.

It became a topic.

Here is Sakamoto's manga.

School lunch time.

After one nursery teacher finished serving 20 people, everyone finally started eating.

However, before I could feel relieved, the kindergarteners began to say things like, "I dropped my spoon" and "Please cut it down."

The nursery teacher is depicted as being chased by one person while continuing to say "wait for me".

According to Ms. Sakamoto, school lunches are like this every day, and it is difficult to keep a close eye on the children to prevent accidents such as choking on food.

"I want the current placement standards to be reviewed so that childcare workers can work with peace of mind in order to protect the safety of children."

Sakamoto's heartfelt thoughts.

Nursery teacher Masatori Sakamoto

"I have seen many young nursery teachers quit after 2 or 3 years because they thought they weren't suitable for it. I think that it is possible to provide safe and secure childcare for children who receive childcare and guardians who leave children in that environment.”

I asked the person in charge of the country

How will the government respond to the voices of these kindergarten teachers?

We asked the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, which establishes ministerial ordinances regarding placement standards, and the Cabinet Office, which controls the budget for operating costs for nursery schools.

Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare official:

“Of course, it seems desirable to change the standards and increase the number of people to be assigned, but depending on the region, it may not be possible to secure the necessary childcare workers. The garden may leave."

Cabinet Office official:

"For 3-year-olds who have been pointed out to be particularly difficult, we have been paying extra if they are placed at 15 to 1 since 2015. This is using the financial resources when the consumption tax was raised to 8%. However, securing stable financial resources for 1-year-olds and 4- and 5-year-olds has become an issue, and we try to secure a budget every year, but the current situation is that we have not been able to do so.”

Expert “Does not meet diversifying childcare needs”

We also asked experts for their opinions.

Yuichi Murayama, director of the Childcare Research Institute and a former professor at Teikyo University, pointed out that it may be difficult to meet diversified childcare needs based on the current national standards.

Yuichi Murayama, Director of the Nursery Research Institute

"Infant childcare and extended childcare are increasing, and childcare needs are diversifying. Despite this, I think it is a problem that improvements in nursery staff placement have not progressed. The government's placement standards for childcare Some kindergartens have reduced the salary per employee and secured only the number of staff.In the last-minute allocation of staff, accidents are likely to occur, and serious accidents are increasing.There is a need to "expand the amount" such as the maintenance of nursery schools Emphasis has been put on it, and the current situation is that the discussion of 'the quality of childcare' has been postponed."

We are waiting for your opinion

As a parent, when I finally finished work and picked up my child from daycare, I was relieved to see his face. Become.

However, when interviewed, we can see the reality of nursery teachers who do not even have time to have such a small conversation with their guardians.

I once again feel that improving placement standards is an important issue for nursery teachers, parents, and children.

The Children's and Family Affairs Agency will be established in April next year, and we are conducting interviews based on everyone's opinions on this issue under the title "Reality of childcare sites."

Please let us know your thoughts here.

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Metropolitan Area Bureau Reporter

Hiroko Ujiie

Joined in 2010 Mother of two boys who enjoy going

to the Metropolitan Area Bureau

nursery school through Okayama and Niigata stations