Education／Childcare Fees

Childcare fees are based on the parents’ municipal residence taxes. This tax amount is determined by the parents’ income (both mother and father). (If the household is supported mainly by grandparents or another relative, childcare fees may be based on the amount of municipal residence tax imposed on that relative)

• Childcare fees from April 2024 to August 2024 are calculated from the total amount of the municipal residence taxes imposed in fiscal year 2023 (based on the income of 2022) and Childcare fees from September 2024 to March 2025 will be determined by the total amount of municipal residence taxes imposed in fiscal year 2024 (based on the income of 2023).

Individuals who aren’t registered as Tokushima City residents as of January first of this year and have not submitted the municipal residence taxation certificate will pay a tentative estimated childcare fee. This also applies to individuals who have residency in Tokushima City, but who did not file taxes because they have no income or due to other reasons. Tentative estimated childcare fees will be recalculated and charged after the municipal residence taxation certificate is submitted, or after municipal residence taxes are filed to the city (Residence Tax Division).

For households raising two or more children, the fee for the second child is 50% of the fees indicated in the chart below.
No childcare fees are charged for a third child or for any subsequent children.

Among the households that have Type 3 Childcare Need Certification and fall in the income bracket D4 – D9, those that meet any of the following conditions are eligible for fee reduction measure: 9,000 yen for the first child, free for the second or later child. Please consult us for the details.
A Single parent household
B Household with disabled children/persons at home
C Household in need of public assistance as defined by the Public Assistance Act

Childhood education is viewed as an immensely important basis that is the cultivation of the lifetime development of children’s characters. Considering this, the declining birthrate in Japan, and as a way to lessen the financial burden of education for children, facility use fees for children aged 3~5yrs old who are attending kindergartens, nursery schools, certified childcare centers (etc.) are free/no cost. In addition to this, the facility use fees for families with children aged 0~2yrs who are exempt from municipal tax will also be free/no cost.

*1: If you enroll your child into an after-hours childcare service at a kindergarten or certified childcare center (kindergarten portion) and you meet one of the following requirements, additional usage of an unlicensed childcare service (in addition to the after-hours childcare service) will covered by/part of the fee exemption:

1. The hours of regular childcare hours in addition to the weekday after-hours childcare service usage hours that your child receives equal less than 8 hours a day or

2. The number of days that the kindergarten (etc.) you use is open is under 200 days a year,

However, in the above case as well, including usage of any facility for temporary enrollment, there is a limit of 11,300 yen for the exemption amount you can receive. (For households with 3yrs old children that are exempt from municipal resident tax, the monthly exemption limit is 16,300 yen.)

• The monthly exemption amount that you can use towards unlicensed childcare services will be the remaining amount from the 11,300 yen monthly exemption limit (16,300 yen for households with 3yrs old children that are exempt from municipal residence tax) after deducting after-hour childcare service fees (determined by: days you use after-hour childcare service × standard service price per day (450 yen))

(The following facilities allow for children using their after-hour childcare services to also use a separate facility for (additional) unlicensed childcare service use: public kindergartens, public certified childcare centers, and the Naruto University of Education (affiliated) Kindergarten.)

You must receive a “Childcare Need” classification from Tokushima City in order to qualify for facility use fee exemption for the 2 situations under the “Childcare Need classified children (Type 2/3)” section in the above graph.

*2: If you are an employee of the corporation that runs the corporate-based childcare facility that you wish to use, you do not need to complete an facility use application. If you are not one of these employees and are someone who lives in the area and wants to use one of these facilities, you must receive a “Childcare Need” classification.

Up until now, staple food fees (such as rice) for children 3~5yrs have been directly paid to the nursery school, certified childcare center, etc. of enrollment, and non-staple food fees (such as side dishes) have been included as part of the childcare fees of the facility. Due to a change of the national system, childhood education/childcare services have become free, and, as a general rule, lunch fees are now to be paid by the parent/guardian of the enrolled child. With this, the staple and non-staple food fees will be combined into one fee/payment and should be paid directly to the childcare facility you are using. There are cases, such as families with multiple children, where these non-staple food fees can eligible for exemption. These eligible families will receive a letter notice in the mail from Tokushima City concerning the exemption.

For information about this system or for various applications/form, please go to the “About the exemption of education/childcare fees” page of Tokushima City’s webpage.

• Child Raising Support Division (Kosodate Shien-ka) TEL：088-621-5240
• Childcare Facilities Division (Kodomo Shisetsu-ka) TEL：088-621-5193
• School and Education Division (Gakko Kyoiku-ka) TEL：088-621-5435
• Division of Welfare for People with Disabilities (Shogai Fukushi-ka) TEL：088-621-5171

If you are enrolled in one of Tokushima City’s municipal/public nursery schools or certified childcare centers, the cost of non-staple fees will be as shown in the table below.
　If you are enrolled in a private nursery school or certified childcare center, please contact the facility directly for information on supplementary fee costs (as the costs will vary per facility).

In the case that you meet one of the following requirements below, you will be eligible for (full/partial) exemption from non-staple food fees.