A New 15-Minute 'Mutual Learning' Online Training Service for After-School Workers: Launch of 'Gakken After-School Teacher Support COLLOQ'

Gakken Cocofump Nursery Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, Shinagawa / President: Chie Yamazaki), a group company of Gakken Holdings Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, Shinagawa / President: Hiroaki Miyahara), is pleased to announce the launch of an online training service for facilities, 'Gakken After-School Teacher Support COLLOQ' , on April 1, 2026. After-school care facilities are experiencing growing demand as a 'third place' after school and home for elementary school children to spend their after-school hours, driven by the social background of the 'first-grade wall' (*). The capacity of these facilities has been expanding in recent years. The frontline of after-school care faces many challenges, such as the human resource development, recruitment, and retention of support workers who watch over the children. Leveraging the know-how and content based on its track record of operating after-school care facilities accumulated over many years, the Gakken Group will provide a new service that meets the needs of support workers and facilities. *First-grade wall: A significant difficulty faced by dual-income households trying to balance work and child-rearing when their children enter elementary school (at age 6), as after-school care hours are shorter than in nursery school, and they need to accommodate long vacations like summer break. The 'After-School Child Measures Package 2026', jointly published by the Children and Families Agency and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, lists 'enriching training that contributes to quality improvement' as one of the promotional measures. Along with the expansion of after-school children's clubs, substantial training for support workers is clearly required. Securing support workers, who determine the quality of after-school care, is an urgent issue due to personnel shortages and high turnover rates. To become an attractive facility for parents and support workers, and a facility with low turnover, improving staff qualifications and fostering teamwork are essential. Therefore, based on our track record of publishing numerous books such as study guides, encyclopedias, and workbooks for school-age children, as well as the expertise and know-how Gakken Cocofump Nursery has gained over the past 10 years by directly operating after-school care facilities, we have launched a new type of in-facility online training service that contributes to both. ■ Features of 'Gakken After-School Teacher Support COLLOQ' A new in-facility online training service that generates communication and mutual learning in 15 minutes. Because the Gakken Group operates actual after-school care facilities, it is a service that listens directly to the voices of support workers and responds to their desire for 'this kind of training.' 1. You can learn without strain in a short time. -> You can take the course using spare time, such as 15 minutes per theme. The themes are set based on common situations and problems encountered on site, and the content can be applied in practice. 2. Content emphasizing 'mutual learning and discussion' among staff, not just a one-way lecture style. -> Through interactive content, it promotes communication among staff, and new discoveries and insights can be expected.