Maternal and Child Health Handbook App "Boshimo" Now Available in Tateshina Town, Nagano Prefecture!

The Maternal and Child Health Handbook app "Boshimo," operated by Boshimo Co., Ltd., has been introduced in Tateshina Town, Kitasaku District, Nagano Prefecture, and has been available as the "Tateshina Kosodate App" since Wednesday, April 1.

Tateshina Town's basic philosophy is "creating a town where people can raise children with peace of mind and children grow up healthily." To ensure that all children grow up healthily and lead happy lives in the future, the town is developing an environment where the entire community supports child-rearing.

This time, the town has adopted "Boshimo," which allows for the digital recording of paper Maternal and Child Health Handbook data and has been implemented in over 830 municipalities. Operations are commencing in line with the Children and Families Agency's policy to promote the use of electronic Maternal and Child Health Handbooks and Maternal and Child Health DX (Digital Transformation).

"Boshimo" is an app that easily supports vaccination schedules, health check result management, and local information distribution via smartphones, tablets, and PCs. Since data is stored in the cloud, it serves as a backup in case the paper handbook is lost due to disasters or other reasons. It also supports continued use when moving to other municipalities or changing device models, allowing users to continue using it with peace of mind.

◆ Launching "Boshimo" in Tateshina Town, Nagano Prefecture—Supporting the Healthy Growth of Children and Staying Close to Child-rearing Households!

In Tateshina Town, systems are in place to reduce the financial burden on child-rearing households so that they can welcome childbirth with peace of mind and enjoy raising children. These include a welfare medical system for pregnant women, an original childcare fee reduction/exemption system, and free use of after-school children's clubs (gakudo hoiku) available until 7:00 PM. Additionally, the town is promoting initiatives to support children's growth, such as providing freshly prepared school lunches at nurseries, elementary, and junior high schools, and English classes taught by native teachers.

To make the town's initiatives more convenient for child-rearing households, "Boshimo" has been adopted as a new tool for disseminating child-rearing information.

◆ Providing Solid Support for Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Child-rearing with a Community-Based Child-rearing App!

The "Tateshina Kosodate App" adopted by Tateshina Town is a service compatible with smartphones, tablets, and PCs. It is packed with convenient features to help mothers and fathers busy with childcare and work, such as recording and managing health data for expectant mothers and children, managing vaccination schedules, providing advice on childbirth and childcare, sharing functions with family members like grandparents living far away, and notifying users of local information distributed by the town.

The "Dekita-yo Anniversary" (I Did It! Anniversary) feature, which can be used as a childcare diary, was created based on the Children and Families Agency's Maternal and Child Health Handbook format examples. It allows users to record developmental stages and childcare-related milestones, including the "Guardian's Record" section of the handbook, along with photos and messages. It also serves as a guide for the child's growth and development.

Furthermore, even when social environmental changes occur due to factors like infectious diseases, the app supports the creation of an environment where people can give birth and raise children with peace of mind even in emergencies. It enables the immediate delivery of important information, such as cautionary notices from the municipality and advice from public health nurses, to those who need it via text and video.

<Main Features of the "Tateshina Kosodate App">

[Guidance on Various Systems and Services Provided by the Municipality] ● Information on various subsidy systems suitable for the pregnancy and childcare periods, such as the child medical expense subsidy system and child allowance, as well as guidance on application procedures. ● Various announcements distributed by the municipality.

[Recording and Management] ● Recording of physical condition and weight during pregnancy (graphed). ● Growth records of the fetus and child (graphed). ● Checking the degree of obesity or leanness using height and weight curves (graphed). ● Vaccinations: Automatic display of standard vaccination dates, management of scheduled and actual vaccinations, and alerts to prevent missed doses. ● Health Checkup Information: Recording health checkup data for pregnant women and children.

[Information Provision and Advice] ● Basic information on childbirth and childcare. ● Knowledge and advice tailored to the week of pregnancy or the child's age in months. ● Videos on topics such as bathing a baby and how to prepare baby food. ● Guidance on nearby facilities (hospitals, kindergartens/nurseries, parks, childcare facilities, etc.).

[Childcare Diary: Dekita-yo Anniversary] ● Recording the child's growth along with photos. ● Uploading photos on anniversaries using "First Anniversary Templates" that include the date and words (allows recording of approximately 150 items, such as first... fetal movement / kick / rolling over / sitting up / crawling / standing alone / walking alone, etc.).

[Data Sharing] ● Growth records and health data of the child can be viewed on family members' smartphones and can also be posted to social media.

Our company's vision is to reduce the "coefficient of friction" related to pregnancy and childcare to zero. To achieve this, we are promoting the further expansion and coordination of support areas (such as prenatal checkups, vaccinations, and infant health checkups) through "Kosodate DX®"*2, the development of all-in-one stop applications and procedures related to childcare, and the linkage of maternal and child health information with relevant organizations (medical, childcare/education, specialized institutions, etc.). Through these efforts, we aim to reduce the "anxiety and burden" of parents and co-create a "safe and simple" childcare society with local communities.

Service Name: Tateshina Kosodate App Monthly Fee (including tax): Free Access Method: ・App: Search for "Boshimo" on the App Store or Google Play. (Compatible OS: Android 8.0 or higher, iOS 15.0 or higher) ・Web Browser: Access https://www.mchh.jp

*The app can be used by those who do not live in the target municipality, but please check the official website for information regarding your own municipality. *Available features may vary depending on your municipality.

*1: Children and Families Agency website, "Reference Materials for the 2025 Action Policy Toward the Promotion of Children's Policy DX." *2: Click here for details on the "Kosodate DX®" service: https://www.mchh.jp/boshimo-kosodatedx * "Kosodate DX" is a registered trademark of Boshimo Co., Ltd. * Google Play and Android are trademarks or registered trademarks of Google LLC. * App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. * iOS is the name of an operating system by Apple Inc. iOS is a trademark or registered trademark of Cisco Systems, Inc. or its affiliates in the United States and other countries and is used under license.