#Japan #Nagano #Nagano City #Career Field #Nursery Teachers

New Collaboration for Nursery Teacher Recruitment

On July 6, 2026, a significant partnership agreement was signed between Nagano City, led by Mayor Kenji Ogihara, local educational associations, and Career Field Co., a recruitment support firm specializing in the childcare industry. This collaboration aims to adopt a comprehensive approach to securing and nurturing nursery teachers in Nagano, fostering what is known as the "Team Nagano" initiative.

The Team Nagano Initiative

This new agreement departs from traditional recruitment strategies that operate in isolation. Instead, it emphasizes a collaborative framework involving the government and key local educational organizations. The initiative introduces an innovative "zero-budget model" for securing nursery teachers, leveraging existing community resources without any new municipal funding. The vision is to expand this model across other regions in Nagano Prefecture in the future.

Key Actions of the Initiative

The Team Nagano initiative focuses on creating a systematic approach to recruitment and retention, reaching out to potential candidates from high school students to working adults aiming to acquire qualifications. The collaboration between kindergartens and nurseries is noteworthy, as it represents a unique effort that breaks free from conventional administrative silos and fragmented hiring practices.

The program is built around two main axes:

1. High School Student Engagement: Development of a Structured Career Experience Program
- To nurture potential childcare professionals early on, a comprehensive career education infrastructure will be established. It will allow high school students in the city to systematically gain experiences in childcare environments. The program will not only focus on enjoyable experiences but will also integrate pathways for future employment and opportunities for local job retention.

2. Support for Professionals: Implementation of Municipality-Coordinated Qualification Support Programs
- To alleviate the financial burden of high recruitment fees on nursery management, a support system for qualification acquisition will be established for local residents. This initiative will utilize the Kokokari Academy with municipal backing, allowing individuals to work while pursuing their nursery teacher qualifications. This system aims to cultivate new nursery teachers within the local community without necessitating additional municipal budgets.

Future Prospects: Expanding the Nagano Model

The collaboration aims to establish a practical model in Nagano City, known as the hub of the prefecture, thereby serving as a reference point for neighboring municipalities and private operators struggling with recruitment challenges and high hiring costs. The hope is that this community-led nursery teacher recruitment model can be adapted and implemented across other regions of Nagano Prefecture.

About Career Field Co.

Career Field Co. (https://www.career-f.com/) specializes in recruitment support for the childcare sector. With over 20 years of experience, the company manages media targeting childcare students, such as Kokokari, alongside planning and producing recruitment campaigns. They also run the Kokokari Academy, which assists in the qualification process for nursery teachers, offering practical solutions to the pressing labor shortage in the childcare industry.