社説:認定こども園 安心できる制度設計を

貧すれば鈍す。
このような発想にうんざりした。
（スラチャイ）

September 24, 2014(Mainichi Japan)
Editorial: More funds needed to support new child-rearing system
社説:認定こども園　安心できる制度設計を

Government-certified preschools called "kodomoen," which integrate the functions of daycare centers and kindergartens, are among the social welfare services that will be expanded by raising the consumption tax, as well as a symbolic feature of the new child-rearing system that will be instituted in fiscal 2015.
　消費増税で拡充する社会保障の数少ない目玉であり、来年度から始まる子育て新制度の象徴的な存在が幼稚園と保育所を一体化した「認定こども園」だ。

There has been a move, however, by such facilities to give up their government certification out of fears that subsidies will be slashed once the new system goes into effect. To make a society in which no children are placed on waiting lists for nursery schools a reality, the government must dedicate itself to securing a budget and improving the system.
ところが、新制度になると補助金が減るとの理由で認定を返上しようという動きが起きている。これでは「目玉」が泣く。待機児童の解消のためにも予算の確保と制度の改善に全力を尽くすべきだ。
   
Kodomoen, of which about 1,360 currently exist, were launched in 2006 as preschool facilities for children through the age of five.
　認定こども園は０〜５歳児が利用できる施設として２００６年に導入され、現在は約１３６０カ所ある。

Among them are facilities that are collaboratively run by certified daycare centers and certified kindergartens, those that are run by certified kindergartens that also take on the function of childcare centers, and those that are based in childcare centers.
認可保育所と認可幼稚園が連携する「幼保連携型」、認可幼稚園が保育機能を持つ「幼稚園型」、認可保育所が母体となる「保育所型」などがある。

Their services are available to families in which parents do not work, which is not true of traditional daycare centers. In addition, hopes have been pinned on the facilities to help reduce the number of children waitlisted for daycare facilities by allowing kindergartens where enrollment has been on the decline to take in younger children who would traditionally not be eligible to enroll.
親が就労していなくても利用できるほか、定員割れが増えている幼稚園が低年齢児の保育を担うことで待機児童解消にも一役買うことが期待されている。

However, according to a government survey carried out in July, 11 percent of the 535 kodomoen that are collaboratively run by certified daycare centers and certified kindergartens intend to give up their certification.
ところが、政府が７月に実施した調査では「幼保連携型」の５３５園のうち１１％が認定を返上する意向を示した。

Currently, the daycare divisions of certified kodomoen operate on "daycare operation funds" provided by the central and municipal governments, while the kindergarten divisions operate on "private school subsidies" from the central and prefectural governments.
　現在、認定こども園の保育所部分は国と自治体による「保育所運営費」、幼稚園部分は国と都道府県の「私学助成金」で運営されている。

Kindergartens are given the freedom to set how much to charge families for attending, and private school subsidy amounts vary by region.
幼稚園は利用者の自己負担を自由に設定できるほか、私学助成金も地域によって水準が異なる。

However, because such subsidies will be made uniform nationwide starting next April, kindergartens that have until now received high levels of private school subsidies and attendance fees will see a significant drop in revenue.
ところが、来年４月からは全国一律の補助金制度に一本化されるため、これまで高水準の私学助成金や利用料を得ていた幼稚園の中には大幅な減収となるところが出てくるというのだ。

According to the Cabinet Office, preschool facilities will be able to continue receiving a portion of their private school subsidies under the category of "special subsidies" even after next April, but because many of the facilities calculated their projected revenue based on the misunderstanding that all such subsidies will be eliminated, they have come under the false impression that they will experience a major drop in revenue.
　内閣府によると、実際には私学助成金の一部は「特別補助」として来春以降も得られるが、すべてなくなるとの設定で計算したため大幅減収になると勘違いしている施設も多いという。

However, as the new system now holds, the greater the enrollment of a facility, the smaller the subsidy per child will be. Moreover, subsidies that now pay for the salaries of two kodomoen directors -- one for the kindergarten division, the other for the daycare division -- will be reduced to enough for just one. In other words, predictions of reduced revenue are not just a result of misunderstandings.
ただ、定員が多い施設ほど園児１人あたりの単価を低く設定し、現在は幼稚園部分と保育所部分の計２人の園長の給与として出されている補助金を１人分しか出さなくなることも事実で、これが減収を招いているのは間違いない。

The backdrop to this problem has been a difficulty in securing funds.
　背景には財源をめぐる問題もある。

Initially, 700 billion yen was to be allotted to child-rearing support once the consumption rate was raised to 10 percent, but during Diet deliberations, it was decided that the goal would be to secure over 1 trillion yen in funds. 当初は１０％への消費増税時に子育て支援は７０００億円を充てるとされていたが、国会審議の中で「１兆円を超える財源確保を目指す」ことが確認された。

However, the possible procurement of only 700 billion yen has been confirmed thus far.
しかし、確実に確保できるのは当初の７０００億円にとどまっている。

Furthermore, because the current administration has not officially decided that a consumption tax hike from 8 percent to 10 percent will take place in October 2015, the amount of subsidies in current estimates are lower than they would be if there were certain plans for a tax hike.
しかも、現政権は来春の１０％への引き上げをまだ正式決定していないこともあり、現時点では抑えめの補助金設定を余儀なくされているというのである。

The active participation of women and remedying the declining birthrate are two of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's pet policies.
　女性の活用や少子化の改善は安倍晋三首相が看板に掲げる政策である。

The government must recognize that dramatic leaps must be made in child-rearing support if women are to work and bear children with peace of mind.
女性が安心して働き、子どもを産むには、子育て支援を飛躍的に拡充する必要があることを政府はもっと自覚すべきだ。

毎日新聞　2014年09月24日　02時32分