Niseko Town Yoji Center "Kiratto" (Child Care Facility)

★A Sports Day Full of Smiles and Shining Kids!
This year's Sports Day was held on Saturday, September 6th, under clear autumn skies. The opening act was "Yocchore 2025" by the older children in the Kuma group. The excitement was fueled by lively voices and dancing, and the venue was filled with smiles as the children's cuteness and hard work were met with loud cheers and applause, including a "running race" for all the children, individual and group events for each class, a parent-child event, a "rice cracker eating contest" for elementary school students, and a "Ready, set, go!" for preschoolers. The traditional "obstacle relay" for the older children drew cheers of amazement and excitement as they climbed over difficult vaulting boxes and wooden boards.
It was a day where each and every child shone brightly.

★Enjoy the hot summer!
As record-breaking heatwaves continue across the country, children are having fun splashing around in water, thinking up ways to beat the heat, and enjoying a variety of summer activities and events. At the recent fireworks display, 17 children from the Bear group were able to shout out the opening words. They were delighted to have their picture taken with BB. They are enjoying the hot summer in good health, taking care to avoid heatstroke and spending time playing outside.

★2024 Yoji Centre Graduation Ceremony
On Monday, March 24th, we held the graduation ceremony for the 2024 school year. 39 students from the Kuma group left Yoji Centre and took their first steps into elementary school.
We hope they will gain many new experiences in elementary school and take on new challenges! We will continue to support and cheer you on as you grow!

★Let's all have a "mochi pounding party"!
On December 13th, we held our annual mochi-pounding party. The Kuma group took turns pounding the mochi in groups of three or four, while the children from all the other classes cheered loudly, "Yoisho! Yoisho!" and sang the mochi-pounding song together. The teachers finished by pounding the mochi, resulting in sticky, delicious-looking mochi.

★A fun presentation!!
This year's recital was held on Saturday, December 7th. It was the Fox Group's first recital. They were a little nervous, but they enjoyed dancing the games and sang the songs with great energy. The Sheep Group showed how much they have grown since last year, and gave a fun presentation of songs, instrumental music, games, and a play. The Bear Group showed what you would expect from an older class. After the songs and instrumental music, they performed the play "Swimmy," dressing up as various sea creatures and putting on a dignified performance, giving an impressive presentation. It was a fun day as they were able to show the results of their practice.

★We tried climbing Iwaonupuri!
On Friday, July 12th, 34 children from the Kuma group, a senior class, attempted to climb Iwaonupuri (1,116m). It took them about an hour and a half to reach the summit. They overcame difficult sections that could easily break their spirits, such as the long stone steps right after they set off and the steep rocky slopes near the peak, but they managed to reach the summit in high spirits.
This time, six local people provided support and climbed with the children, calling out to them as they went.
The view from the top of the mountain was amazing. You did a great job, Kuma-kun!

Niseko Town Yoji Centre, also refer to as Kiratto, is a childcare facility in the area that functions as a nursery school, a kindergarten, and a facility for supporting child rearing.
 We provide early childhood education and childcare tailored to the child's age and their unique developmental stages.  
We strive to create an environment nurturing children along with families, schools, and related organizations in the area.

[April] Kindergarten entrance ceremony, PTA general meeting, Helping Hands Day (Otasukeman no kai)  
[May] Parent-child Playdate (3-year-old) , class gathering
[June] Spring Nature Walk・Family Field Trip (4-5 year-old)・Class Party (older group)・ Helping Hands Day (Otasukeman no kai)
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[July] Tanabata/Iwao Mountain Climbing (5 years old)
[September] Sports Day (3-5 year-old)・ Autumn Nature Walk・Field Trip (older group), class visit day
[October]　Sweet Potato Party・Helping Hands Day (Otasukeman no kai）
[November] Class gathering
[December] Recital (3-5 year old), Mochi-making Party・Christmas Party
[February] Setsubun, class visit day, class social gathering
[March] Hinamatsuri・Rhythm Recital（5-year-old）・Farewell Party・Graduation Ceremony ( 5-year-old)

* In addition to the above, monthly activities include birthday celebrations and evacuation drills.
Nutrition guidance for 4 to 5 years-old is conducted every other month, and individual meetings, class discussions, childcare observation days, and theater visits are held several times a year.