Support for Temporary Childcare Services For University Students
Hitotsubashi University provides financial support for a part of expenses incurred for temporary childcare services and babysitting during the academic and research terms or for attending conferences in order to support a balance between childbirth, childcare, and studies. Please read through the information below for more details. We encourage all students to use this opportunity for financial assistance for childcare services.
◆Service Period
-From April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025
(Students must register before using the service. Please read the section, “How to Apply,” on the next page.)
◆Eligibility
Students who require support to balance childbirth and childcare with their studies and research. Eligible student types are:
(1) Degree-seeking undergraduate or graduate (master’s, doctoral, and professional school) program students and credited auditors at Hitotsubashi University whose spouse works, studies, or is hospitalized for illness or other reasons.
(2) Students who have taken leave of absence from a Hitotsubashi University undergraduate or graduate school (master’s, doctoral, or professional degree program) but plan to return to the University within six months, and whose spouse is working, studying, or hospitalized for illness or other reasons.
(3) Where applicants do not fall within any of the categories listed here, such as having a spouse who is not working, studying, or hospitalized for illness or other reasons, the Diversity Promotion Office will consider and decide their eligibility based on individual circumstances.
◆Children Eligible to Receive this Service
- Temporary childcare
- In-home babysitting for extended daycare (night/holiday childcare and daycare for sick or convalescing children)
* The service is available only within the academic or research terms (including work as Teaching Assistants and Research Assistants and conference attendance).
* This service does not include the ordinary fees for daycare services, additional fees for housekeeping, enrollment fees, annual fees, or cancellation fees.
◆Service Contents Acceptable for this Service
- Temporary childcare
- In-home babysitting for extended daycare (night/holiday childcare and daycare for sick or convalescent children)
* The service is available only within the academic or research terms (including TA, RA, and conference attendance).
* This service does not include the ordinary fees for daycare services, additional fees for housekeeping, enrollment fees, annual fees, or cancellation fees.
◆Subsidy Amount and Limitation
- A subsidy of up to 10,000 yen may be paid per day. If the fee for daycare is less than 10,000 yen, the exact amount will be subsidized.
- In principle, the maximum annual subsidy per child is 55,000 yen.
- The amount of subsidy per grant and the maximum amount of subsidy may be subject to review every six months.
◆How to Apply
(1) Complete the registration form ([Extract 1] Registration) and submit it with a copy of the maternity record book (include the cover page and page of the birth certificate with the names of the parents and child) and the following required documents to the Diversity Promotion Office. (If you do not have a maternity record book, submit a certificate of residence (showing all the family members) instead.) Continuing users from the previous year must also submit a registration form for FY2024 (Extract 1) and their spouse’s certificate of employment. After confirming eligibility based on the registration, the Diversity Promotion Office will contact the applicants directly.
- Where the applicant’s spouse is working or attending school:
- Spouse’s certificate of employment or certificate of enrollment
- Where the applicant has taken leave of absence from Hitotsubashi University:
- Documents indicating when the applicant plans or expects to return to the University (e.g., a letter of explanation from the applicant’s supervising professor or equivalent).
- Where the applicant’s spouse is not working or attending school:
- Spouse’s tax exemption certificate (if currently unemployed but had income in the previous year, also submit a retirement certificate) and a specific explanation of why the applicant requires this support.
(2) Complete the application form ([Extract 2] Application) no later than three days prior to the date the childcare services are needed and submit it to the Diversity Promotion Office with a copy of the application form for temporary childcare service or copy of a contract with the babysitting company (see Note).
[Note] This must be submitted when students use this service for the first time or change the place where the childcare service is provided or the babysitting company.
◆Where to Apply
Kunitachi Campus : Diversity Promotion Office
Chiyoda Campus (only for ICS students) : Administration Office, International Corporate Strategy
* After confirming eligibility based on the registration, the Gender Equality Promotion Office will directly contact applicants.
◆Procedures after Service Use
(1) Send or submit the receipts (Sample receipts Excel version([Extract 3], PDF version [Extract 3]) of the relevant person where the childcare service has been provided or of the babysitting company to the Diversity Promotion Office within five days after use of the childcare services. If the services provided were outside of the academic or research terms, students must also submit documents to prove that they were attending study groups or conferences (e.g., certificate of attendance).
(2) Where a student uses the childcare services due to the illness or admission to hospital of their spouse, they must submit the necessary documents (documents for hospitalization, medical certificate, or copies of receipts from hospitals).
(3) After receiving and checking all the aforementioned documents, the University will transfer the subsidy to the designated bank account within approximately 2-4 weeks.
＊Notes＊
- This financial support system is based upon Childcare Support Funds as the special project organized by Hitotsubashi University Koenkai (supporting groups).
- Subsidy amounts and maximum annual services will change according to the amount of contributions and the number of people who use the service. In case of change, the Diversity Promotion Office will directly contact the service users in due course.
- Please contact us immediately when service users become ineligible to receive the service (e.g. leave the university).
- If the users do not follow the regulations concerning wrongful acts in using this service, the university may invalidate their registration.
- All applicants are asked to participate in questionnaires.
