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The major facilities for children in Japan are the kindergartens and day nurseries. With the rising demand for education and nursing of children in their early childhood in recent years, enrollment both in kindergartens and day nurseries has been showing a remarkable growth. Enrollment in kindergartens reached 2,290,000 persons in 1975, and enrollment in day nurseries (three to five-year-old children) was estimated at 1,210,000 in 1974. It meant a 3.1-fold increase (over 15 years) in enrollment in kindergartens and a 2.0-fold increase for day nurseries (over 14 years), from 740,000 and an estimated 610,000, respectively, in 1960.

Chart 1-1. Enrollment in Kindergartens and Day Nurseries (3 to 5-year-old children)

The percentage of children enrolled in kindergartens and day nurseries rose from a combined 26.9% in 1960, including l4.7% in kindergartens and I2.2% in day nurseries, to a combined 59.9% in 1974, including 38.9% in kindergartens and 21.0% in day nurseries. The percentage of enrollment in kindergartens further climbed to 39.1% in 1975, and is expected to show continuous growth in the future, since systematic expansion of kindergartens has been under way under the " Kindergarten Education Promotion Plan (for fiscal 1972-81)", designed to have all 4 and 5-year-old applicants enrolled in kindergartens by the outset of fiscal 1982.

The percentage of enrollment both in kindergartens and day nurseries has been on a continuous rise for all 3, 4 and 5-year-old children. With regard to 5-year-old children, their percentage of enrollment in kindergartens and day nurseries totaled 86.3% combined in 1974, including 63.6% in kindergartens and 22.7% in day nurseries, and that for kindergartens climbed further to 64.2% in 1975.

Table 1-1. Enrollment Rate in Kindergartens and Day Nurseries, Classified by Age of Enrolled Children

In 1975, 75.1% of all children enrolled in kindergartens - 97.2% of 3-year-old children, 82.4% of 4-year-old children and 67.1% of 5-year-old children - attended private kindergartens.

The proportion of children enrolled in national and local kindergartens has been continuously growing, though at a slow pace, since 1970 for all 3, 4 and 5-year-old children.

Table 1-2. Proportion of Children Enrolled in Kindergartens, Classified by Establishing Body