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Education

Day Care Centers, Centers for Early Childhood Education and Care and Communitybased Childcare Services

These facilities care for children ages 0-5 of the parents who are unable to look after them at home because of daytime work and illness, among other reasons. Other types of childcare service, such as emergency/temporary childcare and holiday childcare are also available. The former is available for those parents who, among other things, have fallen ill, are working intermittently, or are caring for a sick family member. The latter is provided on Sundays, on national holidays and during the year-end and New Year holidays.

Eligibility Parents who meet any of the criteria below and who do not have anyone in the same home during the day to care for their child are eligible to apply for childcare service.
  1. The parent is working (or is to work) during the day on a regular basis.
  2. The mother is expecting a baby or just had a baby.
  3. The parent is ill, injured, or has a mental or physical disability.
  4. The parent is providing ongoing nursing/long-term care for a family member in the same home who is ill, injured, or has a mental or physical disability.
  5. The parent is engaged in recovery efforts in the aftermath of a disaster.
  6. The parent is unable to care for his/her child at home for any other valid reasons for needing childcare service.
Note: When the parent no longer meets any of the above criteria, his/her child will be required to leave the childcare facility.
Where to
Apply
Childcare Division, Kawachi Citizens’ Center, Tomiya Citizens’ Center, Hiraishi Citizens’ Center, Sugatagawa Citizens’ Center and any childcare facilities
Childcare Fee
  1. For children ages 3 to 5
    Free of charge
  2. For children ages 0 to 2
    Free of charge for households exempt from inhabitant tax
    For further information, please visit the Cabinet Office’s website at https://www.youhomushouka.go.jp/about/ (Japanese, English, Chinese. Korean, Portuguese and Spanish).
Inquiries Childcare Division
Phone 028-632-2393

Link
Kanagawa International Foundation, Parenting portal for foreign residents
http://www.kifjp.org/child/supporters#hoiku


Kindergartens

Kindergartens serve as early childhood education facilities for children ages 3 to 5 (before starting elementary school). If you would like to enroll your child in a kindergarten, please contact the Association of Kindergartens in Utsunomiya or each kindergarten.
Note:
Centers for early childhood education and care, which operate services as kindergartens and day care centers in an integrated manner, also provide early childhood education to children ages 3 to 5.

Inquiries Association of Kindergartens in Utsunomiya
Phone 028-625-1084

Elementary and Junior High School

School education in Japan basically consists of six years of elementary school, three years of junior high school, three years of senior high school and four years of college (so called 6-3-3-4 education system). The first nine years of elementary and junior high school education is compulsory. The academic year begins in April and ends in March of the following year.

Each child is assigned to a particular elementary school or junior high school based on his/her home address. A notice of school attendance is sent out to parents of eligible children. If you would like to enroll your child in a municipal school, please complete the required procedures with the School Administration Division. If your child needs Japanese language instruction, please consult with this division.

There are no enrollment and tuition fees for municipal elementary and junior high schools and textbooks are distributed free of charge. However, parents have to pay for school supplies, supplementary teaching materials, lunches, school trips and field trips, among others. If you find it difficult to pay necessary expenses, please consult with your child’s school or the School Administration Division.

Inquiries School Administration Division
Phone 028-632-2724

Educational Counseling

The counseling office of the city’s Education Center provides counseling on truancy, school performance and school life, among other education-related issues, for elementary and junior high school students and their parents. School attendance counseling is available for parents of 3rd-grade kindergartners, among other parents. Reservations are required.

Inquiries Utsunomiya City Education Center
Phone Educational counseling: 028-639-4380
School attendance counseling: 028-639-4381
Reception Hours Monday through Friday, 9:00 – 17:00 and Sunday, 13:00 – 17:00
(school attendance counselling is not available on Sundays.)

For further information, please refer to A Guide to Elementary and Junior High School, which is available in English, Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Thai.


School Expense Subsidies

Financial assistance is available for parents of children in elementary or junior high schools who are recognized as having difficulty attending school for economic reasons. The assistance covers part of basic school expenses (such as school supplies and lunches).

Eligibility Parents of elementary or junior high school children residing in Utsunomiya who meet any of the criteria below
  1. The child’s household is a recipient of public assistance.
  2. The child’s household’s total income of the previous year is less than 1.3 times the subsistence level set by the state as the financial eligibility criterion for public assistance.
  3. The child’s single-parent has become a recipient of the Child Support Allowance.
  4. Public assistance to the child’s household was suspended or terminated in the current fiscal year.
  5. The child’s household’s total income has plunged because of the primary wage earner’s illness or a disaster, among other hardships.
Description Households receiving public assistance:
Expenses for school trips and treatment of designated diseases
Other low-income households not qualifying for public assistance:
Expenses for items necessary to go to school (shoes, etc.), school supplies (for new 1st graders recognized as being eligible for the assistance as of April 1 only), field trips, school trips, commuting, lunches and treatment of designated diseases
Application procedure Submit a completed application form to the school. Application forms are distributed by the school. An application must be made every academic year.
Inquiries School Attendance Group, School Administration Division
Phone 028-632-2724

After-school Programming

1. After-school Children’s Classes

All elementary school children in 1st through 6th grades are eligible to take part in these classes after school is over. They offer homework assistance and sports and other recreational activities.

2. After-school Care Centers

After-school care centers known as Kodomo no Ie or Rusu Katei Jidokai provide children in grades 1 through 6 of working parents with a secure and enjoyable place to stay after school.
Children can learn basic social norms through play and interactions with one another under the supervision of dedicated staff. There are 66 after-school care centers in the city. For opening hours, activities at the center and other details, please inquire with your child’s school or the board of education.

Inquiries Lifelong Learning Division, Board of Education
Phone 028-632-2676

Senior High Schools and Post-secondary Institutions

The great majority of students who have completed nine years of compulsory education move on to senior high school, and many senior high school graduates advance to tertiary education.
In Utsunomiya, there are 10 prefectural senior high schools, five private senior high schools, one national university, four private universities and three junior colleges. In addition, there are a variety of vocational schools. For detailed information, please contact each school.

Senior High Schools and Post-secondary Institutions in Utsunomiya
Educational Institutions Type Course/
Faculty
Length Features
Senior high schools Prefectural and private Full-time General,
Vocational,
Integrated
(general+
vocational),
etc.
3 yrs. Classes are held during the day.
5-8 hours per day.
Part-time 4 yrs. Classes are generally held during evening hours as most students work during the day. About 4 hours per day.
Correspondence General 4 yrs.
or more
Students study at home and submit assignments. They go to school a number of times a month to receive guidance from their teachers and also participate in special activities
Vocational schools/ miscellaneous schools Prefectural and private Cooking,
nursing,
hairdressing, etc.
1 yr.
or more
As a rule, senior high school graduates are eligible to apply. Students acquire specific occupational skills
Junior colleges Private Preschool education, music, etc. 2 yrs. Senior high school students are eligible to apply. Students study their major subjects.
Universities National and private Economics,
engineering,
education,
agriculture,
etc.
4 yrs. Senior high school students are eligible to apply. Students study their major subjects in depth.
Graduate schools 2-5 yrs. University graduates pursue their specialized research. Comprise the master’s and the doctoral courses.

Link
Utsunomiya University, Guidance for Entering High School in Multiple Languages
http://www.djb.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/f95a9b8aa7a6dcea09e6c8a17d1c6021.pdf

Scholarship Loans and Enrollment Fee Loans

Utsunomiya City provides scholarship loans and enrollment fee loans for those students who have difficulty going on to high school or tertiary education for economic reasons.

  Scholarship Loans Enrollment Fee Loans
Eligible Students/ Parents Students who have been admitted to or currently attend a senior high school, technological school, upper secondary department of a secondary school, junior college, university, graduate school, or vocational school (two years or more) Parents of those who have been admitted to a senior high school, technological school, upper secondary department of a secondary school, junior college, university, graduate school, or vocational school (two years or more) 
Main eligibilility criteria Being a dependent of an Utsunomiya citizen; Having difficulty continuing his/ her education for economic reasons Having a registered address in the city; Having no overdue municipal taxes
No. of joint surety 2 1
Repayment The loans must be repaid by account transfer within a set time period after graduation. There is no interest.
Application period Early February to late January next year Early September to mid-March next year
Inquiries Education Planning Division, Board of Education
Phone 028-632-2705