抄録
The purpose of this paper is to describe how Playcentre activities in New Zealand are modeled after Japanese child care, especially with regard to young mothers in nuclear families when they engage in child-raising. In Japan, "Shoushika" was first taken up seriously by government and media in 1989, when the Japanese total fertility rate (TFR) dropped to 1.57. This new discourse resulted in the "Angel Plan" in 1994, the government's policy to attempt to increase birthrates. In spite of the government's appeals, the problem of low fertility is becoming more serious. In my analysis, it was found out that child care services have been partial to working mothers, and that the government had provided services to non-working mothers only as one-time side events. They need to empower parents to cheerfully raise children by themselves. Playcentre activities can serve as models. In this paper, I would like to examine early childcare in Japan, using my observations of Picasso Playcentre in Kokubunji-city, Tokyo. Interviews were conducted with 3 supervisors and 4 members of the Picasso Playcentre. This research shows that Picasso Playcentre uses their philosophy of "Families growing together" to appeal to Japanese parents.
