A study on Childcare quality: ZAP terakoya (Cambodia) and one of Okayama’s private daycare center (Japan)

In Japan today, the number of children using day-care centers and after-school children’s clubs are rapidly increasing due to the increasing number of working parents and nuclear families. While the quantity of childcare is expanding in order to reduce the number of children on waiting lists, there are concerns about the decline in the quality of childcare. Nursery schools and after-school children’s clubs need parents’ participation to improve the quality of childcare. In this paper, we first summarize and discuss the current educational and occupational labor conditions in Cambodia. Then, based on interviews with parents who attend licensed nursery schools in Japan, we explored the current situation and challenges of parental participation in childcare. As a result, it was found that it is important to improve the staff and childcare workers’ skills to have a better quality of childcare.