About KindiePlus
Dr. Angeliki Symeonidi
Early Childhood Education Specialist & Practitioner
I'm an Early Childhood Education specialist with an interest in multilingual family literacies and play in social learning spaces. I have a PhD in Education from UCL Institute of Education.
I've worked as an Education practitioner for more than a decade in different learning settings such as preschools and museums (British Museum & Museum of London) in the UK and Greece.
I've lived in Japan with my husband and our 2-year old daughter for almost four years. Our journey to find childcare has inspired me to create the KindiePlus platform.
As an expat parent living in Japan, I understand the stress that comes with nursery applications and the worry of ensuring your child is receiving quality care. My aim is to help other expat parents/carers in Japan overcome the barriers and find the childcare that fits their needs.
Why KindiePlus
Currently, the number of children with diverse backgrounds is increasing in Japan. According to the Ministry of Justice there are more than 100,000 children between the ages of 0-5 with diverse backgrounds in Japan. In Tokyo, over 20,000 children fall into this group. A research report from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare reveals that over 25,000 children with diverse backgrounds go to Japanese nurseries.
Based on a recent KindiePlus user survey (2023), many international families struggle to navigate the complexities of the Japanese schooling system. Most of them report that they find the application process 'incredibly stressful', 'time consuming' and 'confusing'. 'Language issues', 'few public nurseries available', 'limited resources in English', 'confusing deadlines and limited time' are the main problems that international parents face while applying for childcare in Japan. According to a Japanese user survey conducted by Interspace Co., Ltd., approximately 80% of the Japanese participants feel that the daycare application process is difficult. Taken together these data suggest that there is a significant need of easy-to-use tools and services to improve the way parents find and apply to childcare in Japan.
What is KindiePlus?
Kindieplus is committed to providing families with the information and resources they need to make informed decisions about their children's childcare and education. We provide guidance on everything from choosing the right nursery to navigating the admission process. Our team consists of experts in the fields of Early Years Education and Policy-Making. We are here to support and advise you every step of the way.
In the KindiePlus website, you will find simple tips, step by step guides, checklists and expert advice on all things childcare, nursery and early years education in Japan. In addition to this, we have created a rich catalogue of learning activities to help you boost your child’s language, literacy and communication skills while playing, experimenting and reading together indoors and outdoors.
The KindiePlus map app (Coming soon) offers an in depth and personalised advice and a comprehensive map of local nurseries that allows you to collect valuable information about your local childcare facilities such as capacity, availability, opening hours, etc.