Childbirth and Child-Raising

　If you are pregnant, please go to the Municipal Office and fill out a Pregnancy Registration form (Ninshin Todoke). At this time you will receive a Mother and Child Health Handbook (Boshi Kenko Techo) which can be used to record the health of the mother and child until the child enters elementary school. You also need to present this handbook when your child receives health checkups and immunizations.

　If you take your Health Checkup Card for Pregnant Women (Ninpu Kenko Shinsa Jushin-hyo) to a medical facility that has a contract with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, you can receive five health checkups free of charge.

　Three- and Four-Month-Old Infant Health Checkups

• Date and Time： Basically on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month
• Location： The Comprehensive Health Center

　Six- and Seven-Month-Old Infant Health Checkups Nine- and Ten-Month-Old Infant Health Checkups

• Date and Time： Please consult each medical institution
• Location： Conducted at cooperating medical institutions in the metropolitan area.

　18-Month-Old Infant Health Checkup,Dental Health Checkup

• Date and Time： Basically on the first and third Thursday of the month
• Location： The Comprehensive Health Center

　18-Month-Old Infant Health Checkup,General Health Checkup (Internal Medicine)

• Date and Time： Please consult each medical institution
• Location： Conducted at cooperating medicalinstitutions in the metropolitan area.

　Three-Year-Old Health Checkup (Internal Medicine andDental Health)

• Date and Time： Second and fourth Thursday of the month (1:00 to 1:40 p.m.)
• Location： The Comprehensive Health Center

　Toddler Consultation Services,The day of consultation

• Date and Time： First Friday of the month (1:15 to 2:15 p.m.)
• Location： The Comprehensive Health Center

• Date and Time： Third Tuesday of the month (9:00 to 10:00 a.m.)
• Location： The Comprehensive Health Center

　Toddler Consultation Services,The day measurements are taken

• Date and Time： Basically on the fourth Monday of the month (9:00 to 10:30 a.m.)
• Location： The Comprehensive Health Center

*The city will individually notify those who are expected to undergo an infant/toddler health checkup.

　Immunizations protect children against specific diseases. When it is time for a particular immunizations, a notice will be mailed to you containing information and a pre-examination form. Regular immunizations:

*The 1st and 2nd immunization terms for Japanese encephalitis has been put off since June 2005.
* Those who are either freshmen in junior high school or seniors in high school are to be immunized against measles and rubella for five years from April 2008.

Inquiries:The Comprehensive Health Center (Tel: 46-3254)

　Subsidies are available to help cover medical expenses for pre-school children who live in the city. They cover the personally-borne expenses for medical treatment received under the National Health Insurance Plan (Kokumin Kenko Hoken) or Social Health Insurance Plan (Shakai Hoken).

Income restrictions apply. However, there are no income limitation for infants under 1 year old. Inquiries: Child Upbringing Subsection, Child Care Support Section, Health and Welfare Department (ext. 2678)

　These facilities have rooms where parents and children can play together and where mothers can meet other mothers who have young children. Consultation services regarding children and family issues are also available.

　Childcare is available when a parent is temporarily unable to look after his/her child, regardless of the reason. Preschool children from 3 months of age who live in the city, are healthy and can adapt to group childcare, are eligible for childcare from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. in one-hour units. You must pay an hourly childcare fee and necessary expenses, such as those for meals.

Inquiries: Nobinobi Hiroba of the Children and Family Support Center, Tel: 40-5925

　Childcare is available with temporary lodging at a child welfare facility when a parent is temporarily unable to look after his/her child because of illness, hospitalization such as for childbirth, or caring for family members. Children from 2 years of age up to the 6th grade of elementary school, who live in the city, are healthy and can adapt to group childcare are eligible for childcare for seven days or less.

Inquiries: Nobinobi Hiroba of the Children and Family Support Center, Tel: 40-5925

　Temporary childcare is available at designated municipal nursery schools when a parent is unable to look after his/her child because of illness, hospitalization such as for childbirth, or caring for family members. Preschool children from three months of age who live in the childcare for 15 days or less.

Inquiries: Nobinobi Hiroba of the Children and FamilySupport Center, Tel: 40-5925

　Childcare is available when a parent is unable to look after his/ her child at night or on holidays because of work or for a funeral/ wedding, regardless of the reason. Children of elementary school age, who live in the city, are healthy and can adapt to group childcare, are eligible for childcare from 1:00 to 10:00 p.m. in one-hour units (from 8:00 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, national holidays and school holidays). The fee includes the hourly childcare fee and necessary expenses, such as for meals.

Inquiries: Nobinobi Hiroba of the Children and Family Support Center, Tel: 40-5925

　The Municipal Office serves as the administration office and operates a mutual assistance program for those who need help with child-raising (“users”) and those who want to help with child-raising (“helpers”). Depending on the situation, baby-sitting is available and there are programs that take children to or pick them up from nursery school. As a rule, the program is available for families with children six months old to the third-grade of elementary school.

Address: 30-12, Shimorenjaku 3-chome
Tel: 76-6817

　Parents/guardians can apply for nursery school if the parents are unable to provide child-care during the day for any of the following reasons:

(1) If the parents work, regardless of whether they work at home or outside;

(2) If the mother is resting or hospitalized due to childbirth or illness;

(3) If one parent is busy nursing or providing nursing care to other family members.

(4) If one parent is a student.
Children are eligible to attend nursery school after the mother’s maternity leave is over and up to entering elementary school. Although applications for nursery school are accepted at the Child Care Support Section throughout the year, recruiting is done every January for enrollment in April, the beginning of the new school year. The fee is based on a sliding scale, depending on the amount of taxes the family paid the previous year.

Inquiries: In charge of nursery schools, Child Care Support Subsection, Child Care Support Section, Health and Welfare Department (ext. 2662)

　These are private childcare facilities certified according to the independent standards of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and operated by individuals/corporations according to designated requirements. The operational expenses of the facilities are partially subsidized by the Metropolitan and municipal governments, based on guidelines.

Inquiries: Each certified nursery

Family Welfare Staff

Family welfare staff, who have qualifications as a nursery teacher or a school teacher, offer childcare for children from birth up to less than 3 years of age on behalf of parents who are unable to look after their child during the day, at home. They are considered as private childcare facilities, operated by individuals authorized as meeting designated requirements, the operational expenses of which are partially subsidized by the Metropolitan and municipal governments based on guidelines.

Inquiries: Your local family welfare staff

　Children’s centers help promote creativity and friendship among children. They also serve as places where parents and children can play together and where fellow residents can meet to exchange information, etc.

　These facilities are for children who are in the first to third grade of elementary school, and whose parents are unable to provide adequate care for them after school because of work or for other reasons. Application is accepted in January every year.

Inquiries: Lifelong Learning Promotion Section (ext.3313)

　Application is necessary in order to receive an allowance.

Child Support Allowance (National)

　This program is open to those who are raising elementary school pupils and younger children. However, income restrictions apply. Allowance: ￥10,000 for children up to three years of age. For children older than three years of age, ￥5,000 per month for the first and second child; ￥10,000 per month for the third and subsequent children.

Child Support Allowance (City)

　This allowance is for households raising four or more children under 18 years of age for those resident in Mitaka on January 1. ￥1,000 monthly will be provided for the fourth and subsequent children. No income restrictions apply.

Child-rearing Allowance

　This allowance is available for single mothers or guardians until the end of the fiscal year in which the child turns 18 for children who meet any of the following conditions. However, income restrictions apply. (1) Parents are divorced. (2) Father is dead or missing. (3) Father has been absent for one year or longer. (4) Father is imprisoned for one year or longer. (5) Child was borne out of wedlock. (6) Father has a serious disability.

Children’s Allowance

　This program is similar to the Child-Rearing Allowance program, however, it is also available for single-father households and families that receive public pensions.

Medical Subsidy for Children with Chronic Childhood Diseases

　Children up to 18 years of age (up to 20 years of age in case of continuous illness) who suffer from a designated chronic childhood illness and meet conditions for certification will be subsidized for part of their medical expenses (for treatment covered by insurance).

Medical Treatment That Promotes Independence (Nurturing Medical Treatment)

　Children up to 18 years of age with a physical disability will be subsidized for part of their medical treatment, such as an operation that is guaranteed to succeed, at a designated medical institute. (Income restrictions apply.)

Medical Subsidy for Single-Parent Families

　The conditions that must be met to receive this subsidy is basically the same as those to receive the child-rearing allowance. However, it is also available for single-father households and families that receive public pensions.The subsidy will meet all or part of the personally-borne medical expenses covered by the National Health Insurance or a social insurance.

Medical Subsidy for Elementary and Junior High　School Students

　Children who attend either an elementary school or a junior high school and who live in the city will have a part of their medial expenses subsidized. One-third of the personally-borne expenses covered by the National Health Insurance or a social insurance will be subsidized. The same income restrictions as those for the child support allowance apply.

Special Children’s Support Allowance/Handicapped Allowance

　This allowance is available for parents or guardians who are raising a physically/mentally handicapped child who is less than 20 years old. Income restrictions apply.

Inquiries: Child Upbringing Subsection, Child Care Support Section, Health and Welfare Department (ext. 2675)