As Children Facing School Refusal Reach Record Highs, an IT Company Creates a Freelance School: Cybozu Publishes Operational Know-How and Financial Data for Free

Cybozu Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President and Representative Director: Keihu Aono)'s "Social Design Lab (hereinafter, Sodelab)" has newly released the latest white paper, "Starting a 'Children's Place' at Your Company – The First Step Guide," as an initiative to materialize the policy proposal regarding the "Parent Support and Regional Cooperation Model to Support the Early Stages (Phase 1) of School Refusal" published in August 2025.

Cybozu, with its purpose of "Creating a Society Full of Teamwork," has been engaged in education for children by operating the freelance school "Cybozu no Gakko" in Kichijoji since 2023. They have practiced creating a "place for children" from a corporate perspective, including support for parents of children facing school refusal, collaboration with municipalities, and operational DX utilizing kintone. This white paper is created based on that practical knowledge.

This white paper systematically organizes everything from the significance of corporate participation to specific participation menus and the utilization of operational DX, in order to resolve the questions and anxieties felt by corporate representatives considering participation in freelance schools or "children's places," such as "What are the actual operating costs and financial statements?" and "How can we best utilize our company's assets?"

"Starting a 'Children's Place' at Your Company – The First Step Guide"

Features of This White Paper

This document clearly explains practical points useful in your work, such as the following:

• What is the actual financial structure of freelance school operations?

• Merits and specific participation methods for companies involved as CSR activities.

• How to utilize idle assets, internal human resources, and DX know-how for social contribution.

Because there are ways for companies to engage beyond just donations, it is important to organize your company's assets and objectives and design a sustainable support model.

We hope this document, based on Cybozu's own operational achievements, will serve as an opportunity for companies seeking new social contribution and business opportunities while exploring ways to address the social issue of school refusal.

Read also: Companies and Creating Children's Places

Along with the release of this white paper, we are also publicly releasing a three-part story online for free that depicts the process of Cybozu establishing its freelance school, its actual operations, and the reasons why companies create "children's places."

Many might wonder, "An IT company and a freelance school?" but behind this lies a new challenge that combines social issues with a company's strengths. The first installment has been released, with the second and third parts scheduled for sequential release. Please read through the series.

https://cybozu.co.jp/sodelab/news/2026/04/02-132.html

Background

Sodelab has been operating the freelance school "Cybozu no Gakko" since 2023.

As the number of children and students facing school refusal continues to set new records nationwide, we have been continuously conducting surveys and other activities since 2024 to clarify the challenges faced by parents and the support they seek.

Through these surveys and activities, we have demonstrated that comprehensive parent support is essential for supporting children facing school refusal, and have connected this to policy proposals based on survey results and the provision of tools usable in the field.

Future Outlook

Based on the operational practices at "Cybozu no Gakko," Sodelab will promote the development of a system for companies, municipalities, and freelance schools to collaborate and expand "children's places."

While expanding the provision of tools and operational know-how that can be immediately utilized in practice, we aim to broaden the circle of collaboration with companies and municipalities towards realizing a regional environment where parents can face their children without feeling isolated.

About Cybozu Social Design Lab

Our Social Design Lab conducts social experiments (nurturing experiments) aimed at creating a society where people with diverse values can live with peace of mind, through Cybozu-style teamwork, under the purpose of "Creating a Society Full of Teamwork."

We are engaged in creating models to solve diverse social issues as a team, including disaster support, regional revitalization, prevention of abuse, and children's school refusal. By gaining empathy from many people for our nurturing experiments and having them utilized as evidence for policy by the government and administrative bodies, we aim to solve social issues.

https://cybozu.co.jp/sodelab/

Inquiries about Content

Cybozu, Inc. Social Design Lab: Nakamura, Sakunai, Imai

https://c-po.form.kintoneapp.com/public/contact

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http://cybozu.co.jp/company/copyright/other_companies_trademark.html