So my wife is working and I’m not as I’m unable to at the moment due to mental and physical illness. My wife and I would like to get our little guy into hoikuen but my wife says it’s impossible due to me not working. I am only able to take care of our child for short periods of time due to my issues which is a huge problem. Is there anyway I can childcare for my child?
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You’re lower priority but it’s not impossible. My wife doesn’t work and we managed to get a place for our daughter (2nd selection though)
It depends in part on where you are. Daycare only have room for so many kids, and priority is given to households where both parents work. It’s not so much impossible as improbable to get in.
There are private ones which have a higher chance of getting in due to fewer people willing to pay their (exorbitant) fees.
It’s possible but you’ll be quite a way down the priority list. Do you have in-laws in the area? That will unfortunately push you further down the list. Be prepared to prove why you’re unable to watch your kid full-time.
I’m going through this right now. There are exceptions for people with illness. You’ll have to go in to your city hall and talk to them about it.
My husband had a disability for one year, and I was working. We got some documentation from the city hall stating that he couldn’t work/look after our kid, which allowed us to enroll our child in hoikuen.
It probably depends on where you live and the overall number of spots available in a given year, but it’s not impossible.
You have proof to show them of your illnesses? If they feel your illnesses are bad enough that you cannot work they may consider you. But you’ll still be lower tier than families with both working parents. But this being Japan and mental illnesses aren’t really illnesses unless you’re completely schizo, I’d focus more on the physical ailment. A child with a mentally-ill parent can be seen as a liability and/or a threat since many people erroneously believe mental illnesses are passed down / contagious. Japan is pretty shitty in this regard.
For a country apparently trying to encourage baby making, the state of childcare is rather parlous.
Only straight forward thing u can do is get a doctors note about your illness and go ask the city office for any support they can offer. Full time Hoikuen can be difficult to get into depending where u live but there could be ichiji hoikuen. This site helps explain.
But yes it’s a stress full experience so take it one day at a time.
https://bestlivingjapan.com/navigating-japanese-hoikuen-system/
How strict the criteria are depends on where you live, so go to city hall and they will explain the whole point system and will be able to tell you how many spots are available.
1 year old might be difficult, as that is when maternity leave ends and people are in dire need of daycare.
Try to research what else is available besides city run hoikuen, there might be some options, but be prepared to open your wallet.
Is your wife embarrassed about what the implications of pancreatitis are?
Because she use either pissed off you aren’t working or thinks you’re gonna look like an alcoholic
To enroll your child into hoikuen you need a CoE (Certificate of Employment) that you have to give to the city ward office, i think there are some places that are both hoikuen/youchien. Why don’t you enroll your child into youchien? I think normal hours is 9a.m until 3p.m. Hoikuen allows kids to be taken care of from 7a.m-7p.m and even on Saturdays. In your case i think youchien is fine though?