To assist faculty and staff in balancing childcare and work, the University provides coupons for the babysitter dispatch services as issued by the Children and Families Agency (CFA) of the Japanese government. The services are performed on behalf of the CFA by the All Japan Childcare Services Association (ACSA), a public interest incorporated association (PIIA).
For details, please refer to the following:
https://www.waseda.jp/inst/diversity/en/support/caring/babysitter/
User’s Voice
I first used the Poppins Sitter last year, when I found that I could not make it to the childcare facility on Saturdays before it closed.
Every time the sitter left, my child happily told me all the things she had done that day with the sitter. Although my daughter had spent only two hours in the evening with the sitter, it seemed that the time had been filled with joy.
I realized that my previous mindset was extremely narrow. I thought that it would be safer and more secure to perform all the child-raising tasks independently, and that the more time I spent with my child, the better.
Imagine a child raised by parents who return from work, always complaining that they are “too tired” or “too busy now” to play, that the child has to “just wait!” It is difficult for such a child to feel loved by his/her parents. Instead, the child feels lonely, and becomes less able to actively express his/her needs and desires, which induces anxieties about the future.
I believe that making babysitters more widely available will lead to even better ways of working, and improvements in the gender gap. I plan to avail myself of this service.
Makiko Shikuma, Full-time Staff,
Office of Information and Public Relations
