【Handa City, Aichi Prefecture】Solving the problem of dual-income households who "have to leave their children at home to go to work" by providing a "place for children before school starts" using elementary school facilities for the first time.

In Handa City, recognizing that some families have to leave their children at home to go to work because the children's school start time is later than the parents' departure time, we will implement the "Elementary School Children Early Morning Place Creation Project" to provide a place where children can spend their time safely before school starts within the elementary school facilities. The project will begin in April 2026 at Sakura Elementary School as a model school, and based on the results of the demonstration, we plan to gradually expand it to all schools in the city. Handa City will continue to work on various forms of continuous support for child-rearing.

Background of the project

Due to the increase in dual-income households, there are an increasing number of cases where there is a gap between the time parents go to work and the time children go to school.

As a result, situations such as “I have to leave my child at home and go to work” and “Even if I send them to school early, the school is not open” have arisen.

In Handa City, as one of the initiatives of the "city that supports working parents," we will create a place for elementary school children before school starts using elementary school facilities, which will lead to ensuring the safety of children and the peace of mind of parents.

Project Overview

■Start date: From the opening ceremony on Thursday, April 9, 2026

■Target audience: Children enrolled in Sakura Elementary School whose parents go to work before school starts (pre-registration required)

■Implementation days: Weekdays when the school is open

■Time: 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM

■Fee: Free

■Main activities: Self-study, reading, conversation with friends, etc.

■Operating system: Silver Human Resources Center, 2-person system

■Terms of use: A parent must accompany the child to the reception desk upon arrival, and the parent will be contacted in case of an emergency.

Future development

This time, Sakura Elementary School will be implemented as a model school, and based on the demonstration implementation at Sakura Elementary School, it is planned to be implemented in 5 schools (1 school in each junior high school district) in fiscal 2027, and in all 13 schools in the city from fiscal 2028.