Lessons on health promotion from Japanese early childhood development

Early childhood development (ECD) has received increasing attention in both developed and developing countries since the 1990s. In Japan, ECD facilities have pursued integrated practices of education and health care to provide appropriate services to promote children's welfare. This ECD approach appears to embody objectives of health promotion in young children. Therefore, information about Japanese practices may help to support ECD in other countries, especially developing countries. In this context, the present study discussed the potential application of health-related ECD practices in Japan for developing countries by reviewing an outline of Japanese ECD, along with a case study describing practices in ECD facilities in Japan. We identified four main points: (i) distinct legal grounds including a legal basis for allocating health specialists; (ii) outlines of activities based on national standards and flexible practices at the facility level; (iii) teachers' attitudes that respect children's initiative, and explicit and independent activities embedded in children's daily lives that reflect the child's developmental status; and (iv) various useful practices to enhance the effect of health-related activities, such as cooperation with parents, lesson study and hoiku- (teachers) conference. As these practices are based on the Japanese context, it is essential to consider both the Japanese context and potential risks of transplanting such concepts, to enable optimum use of these lessons in other countries.