Tokyo-certified daycare (ninshō hoikusho): direct contract, 13-hour days, a fee cap

A Tokyo-certified daycare (認証保育所, ninshō hoikusho) is not the same as a licensed daycare (認可保育所, ninka hoikusho). It is Tokyo's own system, created because licensed daycare alone could not meet the needs of a big city. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government (東京都) sets its own standards (認証基準), certifies each facility, and guides it together with the city or ward.

What makes it different

The page lists these features of every certified facility:

• You sign a contract directly with the facility (利用者と保育所が直接利用契約できます).
• Fees are set by the operator, under a cap that Tokyo fixes (料金は上限を決めます).
• Facility standards are Tokyo's own, modelled on the licensed-daycare standards (認可保育所に準じた基準).
• Operators include private companies.
• Every facility takes children from age 0.
• 13 hours of opening is the basic rule (13時間の開所を基本とします).
• Each facility posts key information, so parents can compare.

The fee cap

The page quotes the programme rules (東京都認証保育所事業実施要綱 4): in principle, for use of 220 hours a month or less, the monthly fee must not exceed:

Child's age	Monthly cap
Under 3	¥80,000
3 and over	¥77,000

That monthly fee includes the basic fee, the first meal and snacks, materials used directly in care, utilities, one-twelfth of any annual fee, and consumption tax. Within the cap, each operator sets its own fees and fee structure. The page tells parents to ask the facility directly.

Type A and type B

	Type A	Type B
Ages	0–5	0–2
Size	20–120 children	6–29 children
Floor space, ages 0–1	3.3 m² per child (2.5 m² allowed mid-year)	2.5 m²
Outdoor play area	Required (a nearby substitute is allowed)	Not specified
Kitchen	Required	Required
Staff	Same ratio as licensed daycare; at least 60% full-time	Same
Director	Childcare qualification and experience in a child-welfare facility	Same

Before you sign

The page advises visiting first to see whether the facility's approach and atmosphere suit you, then reading the contract, including the fee system, in writing, and asking about anything unclear before you sign.

Because the contract is with the facility, a certified place is arranged with that facility. If you still want a licensed place, read your ward's guide for how using certified care affects that application. The list of facilities is on the Tokyo welfare bureau website (東京都認証保育所一覧).