SIX-MONTH ACCOMPANIED PROGRAM
Training alone does not change practice.
Implementation does.
HOIKU connects learning, observation, environmental redesign, staff agreement and verification. Each center turns Mimamoru into concrete actions suited to its children, staff, building and community.
WHY HOIKU
Five connected steps turn intention into routine.
Prepare
Select leaders, interview staff, observe the site and establish a baseline.
Build foundations
Core modules and e-learning create shared language.
Put it into practice
Redesign zones, routines and adult responses through staff consensus.
Review and respond
Q&A, parent communication and coaching resolve obstacles.
Verify and certify
Compare before and after and conduct an on-site final review.
MEASURE THE CHANGE
A before-and-after scorecard, not a vague impression.
The center establishes a baseline and uses the same lenses in the final review. Results define the next improvement cycle.
- Children’s choices and engagement
- Peer and mixed-age relationships
- Zoning, circulation and daily-life environment
- Team observation and shared decisions
- Parent communication and continuity
60–90 min each
e-learning
review score
CENTER INTERVIEW · TONBO NURSERY
“Staff began talking about childcare in a common language.”
Seventeen staff members at Tonbo Nursery in Isahaya, Nagasaki responded to a post-program survey.
What changed
- Directions became questions and choices.
- Staff stepped back and valued child-to-child problem solving.
- Play, meals and sleep were reorganized around children’s rhythms.
- Staff conversations about childcare increased.
Voice from leadership
“It may look free, but every part of the environment has an aim and purpose. Before-and-after review turned reflection into action.”— Y., center leader
What comes next
Staff requested more guidance on shelves, toys and room arrangement, visits to experienced centers, and continued feedback for parent support, events and additional needs.
Internal survey, n=17. Percentages rounded.
IMPLEMENTATION PRACTICE · SOUAIKAN
Turn observation into a shared environmental plan.
At Souaikan in Maebashi, Gunma, staff used post-training consensus sessions to organize strengths and next actions across space, routines, relationships and safety.
Existing seeds of Mimamoru
- Atelier, crafts, blocks, books and pretend play
- Quiet space and a peace table
- Garden produce, science and outdoor activity
- Open staffing and dialogue
Make choices and relationships easier
- Clarify active/quiet zones; separate play, meals and sleep
- Increase mixed-age learning, including ages 0–1
- Add outdoor equipment and gates for challenge and safety
- Share observations and align responses to conflict
Summary of the center’s post-training consensus document.
ADOPTION INQUIRY
Start with a 30-minute conversation.
Tell us what feels difficult now and what you want children and staff to experience six months from now.