Hoiku no Design Lab Appoints Seijiro Yato as New Director

Sakurasaku Plus Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Takashi Nakayama; hereinafter "our company"), which operates licensed childcare facilities and develops businesses to support dual-income and child-rearing families, announced that on April 1, 2026, Seijiro Yato, former professor at Wayo Women's University, was appointed as a director of its group company, Hoiku no Design Lab Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture; Representative Director: Ryusuke Akane; hereinafter "Hoiku no Design Lab").

Mr. Yato possesses extensive knowledge and achievements in the childcare field and has previously been involved with Hoiku no Design Lab as a training advisor. By participating in management as a director, he will directly reflect academic knowledge into management and childcare training, aiming for further improvement in corporate value.

■ Background of Appointment and Expected Ripple Effects

Hoiku no Design Lab develops businesses that support the improvement of childcare quality through online training, group training, training instructor development, and symposiums for childcare workers and businesses. It also provides consulting and career advancement training support for local governments and childcare operators, enhancing practical skills in the field. The goal is to promote skill development for those involved in childcare and provide a safer, higher-quality childcare environment.

Hoiku no Design Lab aims to improve the quality of childcare by understanding the circumstances of corporations and local governments involved in childcare, assembling the optimal instructors and training styles, and providing training plans. Mr. Yato, while working as a university professor, has conducted numerous training sessions and lectures at childcare facilities and local governments nationwide. To further enhance the training conducted by the company, Mr. Yato's cultivated network of excellent instructors nationwide will enable the provision of high-quality training without regional disparities. Furthermore, it will create strong synergy effects as a group company, such as implementing training for childcare workers at childcare facilities operated by Sakurasaku Mirai Co., Ltd., a group company of ours. The latest knowledge and experience-backed high-quality childcare practices will be rapidly disseminated to the field.

Our group will continue to promote initiatives to improve the quality of childcare. By providing opportunities for training and learning for personnel working in childcare facilities, we will support childcare settings throughout Japan, contribute to the realization of a society where children can be safely entrusted, and create an environment that supports the balance between child-rearing and work.

■ Biography of Seijiro Yato

Former Affiliation/Position: Professor, Wayo Women's University

Specialties: Childcare Studies, Education

April 1993: Lecturer/Associate Professor, Department of Early Childhood Education, Okayama Junior College

April 2001: Associate Professor, Department of Early Childhood Education, Niimi University College

August 2003: Visiting Researcher, State University of New York (MEXT Overseas Researcher until June 2004)

April 2007: Professor, Faculty of Human Sciences, Aichi Toho University

April 2013: Professor, Faculty of Children's Education, Okazaki Women's University

September 2019: Professor, Faculty of Humanities, Wayo Women's University

≪Current Roles in Major Childcare Organizations≫

Executive Director, National Association of Certified Childcare Worker Training Institutions

Councilor, The Japan Society of Childcare Science

Director, Japan Early Childhood Care and Education Society

Director, Japan Branch of the Pacific Rim Early Childhood Education Research Association, NPO

Director, National Federation of Private Childcare Centers

Councilor, Japan Childcare Association, Social Welfare Corporation