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Daycare, age 0 to 2 (0〜2歳児)0〜2歳児（保育園）

The baby and toddler classes at a 保育園 (licensed daycare) are care, not school: the city sets the fee and the hours band, and the day runs on meals, naps and play. For the child these are the years of bonding with the adults who care for them, learning to trust people, and picking up whatever language they hear most.

Age 0–2

Body and mind this year

  • Infant health checks and the vaccines a daycare asks to see

    乳幼児健診と保育所が確認する予防接種

    The 母子健康手帳 (maternal and child health handbook) goes with you to every infant health check and vaccination, and the daycare reads it to see which vaccines your child has had.

    At home: Your child does not turn toward voices or sounds from another room, or does not follow a toy with their eyes; raise it at the next health check.

    Ask the teacher: Is there anything in my child's handbook or vaccination record you still need from us?

  • What each age is working on: the ministry's stages from infancy to high school

    子どもの発達段階ごとの特徴と重視すべき課題（文部科学省）

    The ministry's paper describes these years as the time a child forms a bond with the adults who care for them and a basic trust in people, and the daycare staff become part of that.

    At home: Your child rarely turns to you or a familiar carer for comfort when upset or hurt; mention it to the daycare or at the next health check.

    Ask the teacher: Who does my child go to when upset during the day, and how do they settle?

  • Sleep and the daily rhythm by age: the national sleep guide and the 早寝早起き朝ごはん campaign

    こどもの睡眠時間の目安と「早寝早起き朝ごはん」

    A baby or toddler needs far more sleep than an adult, a daycare nap included, and the national sleep guide gives the hours by age; a steady bedtime makes the daycare morning easier.

    At home: Your child is often still asleep when it is time to leave, or the daycare says they were sleepy all morning.

    Ask the teacher: When and for how long does my child nap at daycare?

If your child came from abroad

This year's decisions

  • Kindergarten, daycare, a certified children's centre, and a small local programme

    幼稚園・保育所・認定こども園・地域型保育

    Before the preschool years, families choose between staying at daycare, a 幼稚園 (kindergarten) or a 認定こども園 (certified children's centre), and the names sound alike but the rules and applications differ.

    Ask the teacher: Does this daycare keep children until they start school, or will we need to apply somewhere else?

How the system works this year

  • The first weeks at daycare: settling-in, meals, pickup, and when a sick child can return

    ならし保育・給食・送迎と感染症の登園のめやす

    The first days are short ones, called ならし保育 (settling-in care), while your child gets used to the room and the staff, and the monthly fee is not reduced for them.

    Ask the teacher: How long do you expect settling-in to take for my child, and when can we move to a full day?

  • Daycare hours: standard time, short time, and what extended care costs

    保育標準時間・保育短時間と延長保育

    The city certifies how much care your child needs, 保育標準時間 (standard time) or 保育短時間 (short time), and pickup outside that band is 延長保育 (extended care), booked and paid on top.

    Ask the teacher: What is the latest pickup inside our band, and how do we book extended care when work runs late?

  • How licensed daycare fees are set: tax bands, ages 0–2 and 3–5, siblings

    保育料の決まり方（市民税・無償化・きょうだい減免）

    The 保育料 (monthly daycare fee) is set by the city from your household's resident tax and your child's class age, and for these classes the national rule makes it free only for a household that pays no resident tax, with city reductions for brothers and sisters on top.

  • Temporary daycare, sick-child care, and Tokyo's babysitter grant

    一時保育・病児保育とベビーシッター利用支援（事業者連携型）

    When your child is too ill for the group, 病児保育 (sick-child care) is a separate place you book, and 一時保育 (occasional care) is for a child without a daycare place; register with a facility before the first fever.

    Ask the teacher: Which symptoms mean you will call me to collect my child, and what do you need before they come back?

With your child