待機児童解消 「横浜方式」をどう生かすか

The Yomiuri Shimbun April 25, 2013
Abe to face test in using 'Yokohama method' to reduce child care waiting list
待機児童解消　「横浜方式」をどう生かすか（4月24日付・読売社説）

Having set better utilization of women in the workforce as a central pillar of his growth strategy, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appears to find it necessary to come up with a measure that can be promptly implemented.
　「女性の活躍」を成長戦略の中核に位置づける安倍首相は、スピード感のある施策が必要と判断したのだろう。

Abe has unveiled a plan to reduce the number of children on waiting lists for certified day care centers to zero by fiscal 2017, when demand for such services is expected to peak. He said his government has pushed forward the previously set deadline by two years to secure day care centers capable of accepting 400,000 more children.
　首相が、保育のニーズがピークを迎える２０１７年度までに「待機児童ゼロ」を目指す方針を明らかにした。従来の計画を２年前倒しして、４０万人分の保育の受け皿を確保するという。

In striving for a society where women can continue to work after having children, it is essential to reduce the number of children who are unable to enter day care centers because their parents cannot find places for them. We urge the government to pursue this issue further, in line with Abe's plan.
　「女性が働き続けられる社会」を実現するには、保育所に入りたくても入れない待機児童を減らすことが欠かせない。首相の方針に沿って、政府は対策に一層、力を注いでもらいたい。

Currently, about 25,000 children are on waiting lists for day care centers nationwide. In recent years, more day care facilities have been built, but the number of parents seeking such services for their children has also increased at a rate that new facilities cannot keep up with. The rapid rise in the number of children on waiting lists is a serious problem, especially in major urban areas.
　全国の待機児童数は約２万５０００人に上る。保育所の増設が進められているが、それ以上に入所希望者が増え続けている。特に、大都市では、待機児童の急増が深刻な問題になっている。

Yokohama Mayor Fumiko Hayashi's avid efforts on this issue have drawn national attention. In fiscal 2010, 1,552 children could not be enrolled in day care centers in the city, the nation's highest. However, Hayashi managed to significantly lower the figure to 179 two years later.
　注目されるのは、林文子横浜市長の積極的な取り組みだ。１０年度の待機児童は、全国最多の１５５２人に上ったが、２年後には１７９人に激減させた実績がある。

Given such notable results, the prime minister said he intends to implement the so-called Yokohama method across the nation.
首相も「横浜方式を全国に展開したい」との意向を表明した。

Innovation, flexibility key

In each of the past two years, the Yokohama city government raised the budget for tackling the problem of children unable to enter day care centers by 10 percent. With the higher budget, the city increased the number of certified day care centers by 71 accommodate about 5,000 additional children. Yokohama also has been active in mediating between entities, including companies, that want to open day care facilities and landowners or others who can provide sites.
　横浜市はこの２年間に待機児童対策の予算を年１０％ずつ増額した。認可保育所を７１増設し、定員を約５０００人増やした。保育所開設に意欲的な団体、企業と土地提供者の仲介も行っている。

In addition, the city government has created the post of "day care concierge" to provide information, such as on small private facilities and child care nursery services at kindergartens, to parents seeking day care services for their children.
　専門の相談員「保育コンシェルジュ」を置き、子供の預け先を探す父母を対象に、民間の小規模施設、幼稚園の預かり保育など、多様な保育サービスについてのアドバイスを行っている。

Yokohama's measures are expected to serve as a useful guide for other municipalities.
　他の自治体にとっても大いに参考になるだろう。

Setting up about 150 "Yokohama nursery rooms" certified by the city is also a key feature of the city's steps to tackle the problem. Fees for the service are nearly the same as those for certified day care centers. They have become a good way of accommodating children on waiting lists.
　独自の「横浜保育室」を約１５０か所に設置していることも特徴の一つだ。利用料は認可保育所とほぼ同額で、児童の貴重な受け皿となっている。

Future of uncertified facilities

Yokohama nursery rooms do not meet the standards for certified day care centers set under a Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry ordinance. The rooms have fewer certified day care workers than certified day care centers.
　横浜保育室は、厚生労働省令で定める認可保育所の基準を満たしていない。配置される保育士も認可保育所より少ない。

However, the current demand for day care services cannot be met by certified day care centers alone. How should uncertified facilities like the Yokohama nursery rooms be regarded by the central government? This is expected to be a key future issue to be addressed by the government in tackling the day care shortage problem.
　認可保育所だけでは、保育の需要に応えきれない現状の中、横浜保育室のような無認可施設を、政府は待機児童対策の中でどう位置づけていくのか。今後の大きな課題と言えるだろう。

In line with three laws enacted last year to provide child-care support for children and their guardians, a new aid program will be launched when the consumption tax rate is raised to 10 percent in 2015. The government plans to finance the program with 700 billion yen from consumption tax revenue.
　昨年成立した子ども・子育て支援３法に従い、１５年に消費税が１０％に引き上げられる際、「子ども・子育て支援新制度」が発足する。これに消費税から７０００億円を充てる予定だ。

We hope the central and local governments will work together to effectively use the fund to resolve the problem of children unable to enter day care centers.
　政府と自治体が連携し、この財源を待機児童対策に有効活用してもらいたい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 24, 2013)
（2013年4月24日01時38分  読売新聞）