First in the Nation*1! New Challenges in Combining Early Childhood Education and Business Administration Kindergarten Principal Version Business Program K-Innovation Project" has been launched!

Hirano Gakuen Educational Corporation (located in Ogaki City, Gifu Prefecture) has launched the "Kindergarten Management Innovation Promotion Project (commonly known as the K-Innovation Project)," a new initiative aimed at improving the sustainability and management quality of kindergarten management, as part of the 2025 Challenging Project Promotion Project. The project is a new initiative aimed at improving the sustainability and management quality of kindergarten management. Following the introduction of Kaizen in the Toyota Production System last year, this is a challenging initiative that combines preschool education and management science, and is unprecedented in Japan.

This project is being promoted by Hirano Gakuen Keetos Garden Kindergarten, which was selected as a project by the Gifu Prefecture Federation of Private Kindergartens, using a Gifu Prefecture subsidy for promoting private school education (a special subsidy for promoting educational reform (Challenging Project Promotion Project)).

1 According to our research

Background: Lack of "management skills" to support the educational field

In recent years, in addition to the enhancement of educational content, kindergartens have been faced with the urgent task of strengthening their management capabilities to support the sustainability of their preschools. Specifically, the following problems have been pointed out.

In the changing environment, including the declining birthrate in Japan, it is difficult to find effective measures for recruiting kindergartners.

Lack of opportunities to systematically learn management knowledge and skills

Dependence on personal judgment of the preschool director and board chairperson

Insufficient know-how to utilize management resources

Improvement efforts are limited to individual preschools and have limited impact on the local community.

In response to these issues, this project was launched based on the concept that "sound management supports the quality of education.

There have been consulting services for early childhood education and care institutions in the past, but this project is overwhelmingly different from them because of the following three points.

We do not only provide direct know-how on how to recruit children, but also reevaluate what the preschools are there for (corporate philosophy and purpose).

The ability to comprehensively learn about strategy, human resources, organization, finance, etc., and to develop skills in these areas.

The K-Innovation Project is not only a consulting service, but also an opportunity for those involved in the park to develop their own skills and abilities.

Features of the K-Innovation Project

In this project, students learn systematically over a three-year period by applying the business administration courses required for an MBA to kindergarten management.

Kindergarten Management Improvement Project

Kindergarten Management Enhancement Stacked Image

Year 1: Foundation building and introduction

Systematize basic management knowledge such as finance, human capital, and business improvement

Conduct online and face-to-face courses by external instructors

Development of teaching materials and online learning environment

Year 2: Application and case studies

Development of applied lecture content

Planning and implementation of improvement plans at each school

Promote collaborative learning and exchange with other preschools and develop a system to support management reform through collaboration

Year 3: Evaluation and establishment

Organize project findings into teaching materials, videos, and case studies, and make them available to other preschools.

Model excellent preschools and design a certification system (tentative name: "Sono MBA Certification")

Study the possibility of expanding the project to other prefectures in and out of the prefecture

Expected Benefits

The project is expected to have the following effects

The project is expected to produce the following effects: ∙ Management's decision-making ability will evolve logically and practically.

Transition from a management style that is dependent on the individual to a more organized and sustainable structure.

Realization of a stable and secure educational environment for children and parents

Increased number of visitors and applicants from within and outside of the prefecture.

Kindergarten Management Improvement Cycle

Cooperation System

The kindergarten is mainly operated by Keatos Garden Kindergarten, which is headed by Koji Hirano, President of Hirano Gakuen Educational Corporation (located in Ogaki-shi, Gifu Prefecture). In addition, the school will collaborate with lecturers from the Graduate School of Environmental Management (pending approval for establishment), which Hirano Gakuen is aiming to open as a new school, to build practical education specialized in kindergarten management.

Comment from Vice President of the Gifu Prefectural Association of Private Kindergartens

The future of preschool education is paved with the power of management. We are launching the "K-Innovation Project" from Gifu to the rest of the country, where preschool directors will learn management and create the value of preschools and the future of the community.

We will continue to search for solutions for Japanese society, which is facing a 100-year life expectancy despite a declining birthrate. (Koji Hirano, Director of Keats Garden Kindergarten)

Comments from a participant kindergarten principal

"It is very stimulating to be able to easily listen to talks in an online format about genres that I had never encountered while running a kindergarten. The seminar on space business excited me personally, and I felt that if I introduced it as a topic to my kindergartners, it would lead to play and learning. It is our important mission to provide opportunities, and I think we can find many such opportunities at this seminar. (Mr. W, Director of N Kindergarten)

I myself entered the world of early childhood education after graduating from university, and although I think I have a good understanding of childcare, I am aware that I lack the perspective of "business and management" that people from other industries or those who worked in other industries before becoming preschool directors have. For this reason, I consider my participation in this seminar as a time to make up for my shortcomings, and I find it very meaningful. (Mr. X, Director of Kindergarten A)

In the first year of the program, participants mainly attended seminars on themes related to business administration, but in accordance with the project plan for the second and third years, we will further expand opportunities for participants to learn from each other to improve the quality of preschool management and the educational capacity of the entire community.

■Outline of the University

Hirano Gakuen Educational Corporation Keats Garden Kindergarten

Location: 2-92 Sotobuchi, Ogaki City, Gifu Prefecture

URL ： kiitosgarden.com