ARTICLES
All articles
Articles to help childcare workers and child instructors in Japan get what they are entitled to. Every one cites public sources.
01Returning to childcare work after a break | What returners want most is to see the workplace firstThe support that qualified childcare workers not currently in the field want most is “a chance to see the actual workplace before starting” (41.8%). A guide to the re-employment preparation loan, the Childcare Worker and Nursery Support Centers, easing back in step by step, and using visits and trial shifts.Re-employment preparation loan of up to ¥400,000, forgiven after 2 years of work (conditions apply)02Pay-improvement add-ons (処遇改善等加算) and allowances for childcare workers | How much reaches your pay depends on the nurseryFrom FY2025 the pay-improvement add-on for childcare workers has three tiers. From up to ¥40,000 a month for deputy heads and leaders, to higher staff costs in the official fee schedule, published model salaries (ここdeサーチ) and how allowances are taxed, explained from a childcare worker’s point of view.The add-on is paid to the nursery. Each nursery shares it out differently, so ask on your visit03Childcare worker housing support (保育士宿舎借り上げ支援事業): who qualifies, the cap, and how it differs from a housing allowanceUnder the national standard, the childcare worker housing support program covers up to ¥75,000 a month. It is for full-time childcare workers within 5 years of being hired, among others, and conditions vary by municipality. Also explained: how company housing and a housing allowance are taxed differently.Whether it is offered depends on the municipality and the nursery, and job ads do not always say04Income walls (年収の壁) for part-time childcare workers in 2026 | ¥1.78M, ¥1.36M, 20 hours a week, ¥1.3MThe income walls shift a lot in 2026: the ¥1.78 million income tax threshold (for 2026), the ¥1.36 million dependent deduction limit, the planned removal of the ¥1.06 million wage requirement (October 2026), and contract-based assessment of the ¥1.3 million limit (from April 2026), worked out with a part-time childcare worker’s hourly wage.At the average part-time hourly wage, 20 hours a week already puts you over ¥1.3 million a year05Working as a childcare worker while raising kids | Childcare fee loans, the short-hours benefit and regional gaps in nursery placesLoans toward childcare fees for childcare workers raising preschoolers, loans toward babysitter costs for early and late shifts, the childcare short-time work benefit (from April 2025), the amended Child Care and Family Care Leave Act, and waitlisted children by prefecture.Childcare workers who return and put their own kids in daycare can borrow about half of the fees0610 things to check on a nursery visit or trial shiftDo staff actually get breaks? Is paperwork taken home? Plus staffing ratios, ICT, how pay-improvement money is shared, and easing back in. Ten things childcare workers can check on a visit or trial shift, with figures from public surveys.About 35% of childcare workers get less than 30 minutes of break a day. Job ads won’t tell you