Expansion of the Function of Kindergarten and Nursery School and the Unification of Kindergarten and Nursery School :

Based on Data Collected on Institutions by Questionnaire

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the connection between the expansion of the function of kindergarten and nursery school and the unification of them. For this purpose, the author analyzed current trends and the issue of the expansion of the function of kindergarten and nursery school based on the results of research into each of the institutions. The following two points became clear from the result of the investigation. One point is that the function of the kindergarten and that of nursery school have become similar. Another point revealed is that the needs of a child-nurturing family exist as a background of the expansion of the function. These findings suggest that the expansion of the function may possibly result in the unification of kindergarten and nursery school.