ABSTRACT
Early childhood education (ECE) in Japan has been influenced by two major factors: the changing family structure of the nation and the implementation of legislation related to the welfare and rights of children and women. This chapter discusses the three different childcare facilities regulated by the government: kindergartens, childcare centers, and certified child gardens. A major factor affecting the process of ECE development is the educational guidelines of the Japanese government. Based on these guidelines, educators integrate play to support children’s development and learning in group-oriented environments. The Japanese early childhood educational guidelines for kindergarten state that the basic ideal of kindergarten education is to understand the nature of children and to educate them accordingly. The cultural influence on Japanese educational epistemology springs from the belief that “because Japan was an agrarian society, many mixed-aged children played together while adults worked in a fields”.
