Inclusive Childcare 1
(Together For Children With and Without Disabilities)
From “Kazenoko Letter” No.442 - November 2014
| Our center provided inclusive childcare 43 years ago, in 1971. We were
recognized as a pioneer, because we started it before any of the other
centers. In the Showa 40’s (1965-1974), children with intellectual disabilities got turned away at the door of all other daycare centers or kindergarten. There were also systems of attendance respite and exemptions, so schools in our district were closing their gates. After WWII, developmental psychology in young children’s education progressed at a rapid rate and the path for child development became clearer. It became clearer that even if a child has disabilities, their disabilities are not fixed and will change and develop with care. When we first started to accept children with intellectual disabilities, we receive various criticism from people in the city office and those working in welfare. The reason behind these complaints was the belief that an amateur who wasn't a specialist in disabilities, shouldn’t provide such childcare. But those in higher postions in the city office and welfare scholars supported us proactively. As we entered the Showa 50’s (1975-1984), Osaka City started a childcare subsidy program for children with disabilities. This was a first in our country. Following this, daycare centers started to provide childcare for children with disabilities one after another. In the late Showa 50’s, these types of childcare activities spread throughout the country. It proves that we should never give up, as in all things, we always start off as a minority. |
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Social Welfare Corporation SUISEN FUKUSHIKAI
| Kazenoko Hoikuen | 1-11-8 Komatsu, Higashiyodogawa-ku, Osaka 533-0004 TEL.06-6328-4019  050-3385-0072 FAX.06-6328-4030 |