What Poppins Educare does

Poppins Educare (株式会社ポピンズエデュケア) is a Japanese childcare and early childhood education services provider operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary within the Poppins Corporation group, alongside Poppins FamilyCare, Poppins Sitter, and Poppins Professional. Founded in 1987 and headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, the company employs 1,001-5,000 staff and runs nursery schools, after-school programs, early childhood education schools, family care (nanny/babysitting/elderly/pet care), VIP and nurse care services, and professional training programs across Japan, with international services in Hawaii. The group serves approximately 70+ corporate clients — including IHI, IKEA Japan, Itochu, Sumitomo Chemical, Kao, Daiichi Sankyo, Chiba Bank, Tokyo University, Panasonic, and LINE — for workplace nursery establishment, operation, and consulting.

The company's core technology is the proprietary "Poppins Approach" — a Japanese-context early childhood methodology combining education and care, developed through 15+ years of joint research with Harvard Project Zero (since 2010, currently in 4th phase), Stanford University (since 2008), Norland College UK (since 2009), and Reggio Emilia Italy (since 2007), codified in the PIICS (Poppins International Institute for Child Studies) research institute. Operational technology includes the Poppins App (iOS/Android) unifying service booking and parent-nursery communication, the Poppins Memory daily-report feature, and the Poppins Plus hybrid real-world/online experience platform built on Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences framework. The group holds JQA-IM1476 and JQA-QM3358 quality management certifications.

Poppins monetizes through a hybrid B2C/B2B model: monthly subscription tuition from parents and corporations for nursery school enrollment (10,500-106,000 yen/month depending on facility and age), usage-based fees for nanny and VIP care services (5,500-8,800 yen/hour), professional services fees for training and corporate consulting, and one-time fees for promotional video production. Go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer facility operations with enterprise field sales targeting corporate HR and management for workplace nursery contracts. The company is privately held with no disclosed external funding rounds.

Name

Poppins Educare

Legal name

株式会社ポピンズ (Poppins Corporation)

Website

https://poppins.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Poppins Educare is a Japanese private childcare and early childhood education company operating nursery schools, after-school programs, nanny/elderly care, and corporate workplace nursery services for 70+ enterprise clients and individual families across Japan and Hawaii.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Childcare and Early Childhood Education Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Day Nursery Programs (EDACACAD)

Keywords

• Childcare services
• Nursery schools
• Early childhood education
• Nanny services
• Corporate workplace nursery

Headquarters

HQ city

Shibuya

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices16 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Nursery School Services: Operating licensed and unlicensed nursery schools across Japan, serving children from infancy through preschool age. Revenue generated through monthly tuition fees paid by parents and corporations.
2. After School Services: After-school childcare and children's club services (学童・児童館) for school-age children, providing extended care and educational activities.
3. Nanny and Care Services: Family care services including nanny services, babysitting, VIP care for elderly, and pet sitting services through FamilyCare subsidiary.
4. Professional Training Services: Domestic and international training programs for childcare professionals, including e-learning courses, consulting services for municipalities and corporations.
5. Corporate Consulting: Consulting services for companies establishing and operating workplace nursery facilities, including facility design, staffing, and operational support.
6. Video Production Services: Promotion video production services for nursery facilities, helping them attract prospective parents through professional video content.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Poppins Educare delivers licensed nursery schools, after-school children's clubs, in-home nanny and babysitting services, VIP elderly care, and pet sitting through its FamilyCare and Educare divisions in Japan. It also provides professional childcare training and consulting services to corporations and municipalities for the establishment and operation of workplace nursery facilities, supported by the proprietary Poppins Approach (EduCare) methodology developed through partnerships with Harvard Project Zero, Stanford, Norland College UK, and Reggio Emilia.

Product overview

Poppins Educare is a comprehensive childcare and education services provider operating through three main divisions: Family Care (ポピンズファミリーケア) offering nanny, babysitting, VIP care, and pet care services; Educare (ポピンズエデュケア) operating nursery schools, after-school programs, and early childhood education schools across Japan with international services in Hawaii; and Professional (ポピンズプロフェッショナル) providing training services and operating the International Institute for Infant Education Research. The company serves individuals, families, corporations, universities, and municipalities through approximately 70+ corporate clients, managing both company-operated facilities and consulting for externally-established childcare centers. The ecosystem is unified through the Poppins App which provides one-stop access to all services. Key product offerings include the Poppins Plus experiential learning platform (hybrid online/offline programs for children), comprehensive consulting services for childcare facility establishment, overseas training programs partnering with Harvard/Stanford/Norland College, and the International Institute conducting joint research on early childhood education methodologies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Poppins Plus (ポピンズプラス): A platform providing first-class experiences for children combining real and online hybrid events for infants and young children
• PIICS (Poppins International Institute for Child Studies)

Products and services

• Nanny Services (ナニーサービス) In-home professional childcare delivered by Poppins-trained nannies for individual families and corporate employee benefits; service can be subsidized via government programs.
• Poppins Sitter (ポピンズシッター) - Babysitting Matching Platform On-demand babysitter booking and matching platform for households requiring short-duration childcare.
• VIP Care Services (VIPケアサービス) Premium in-home support covering housekeeping, nursing/medical care, and elderly care delivered to individuals and families requiring professional daily-living assistance.
• Nursery Schools (ナーサリースクール) Licensed infant and toddler nursery services combining daily care with the proprietary EduCare early-education curriculum, delivered in 16+ directly-operated and joint-use facilities across Japan.
• After School Services (学童・児童館 / アフタースクール) After-school childcare and educational programming for school-age children at company-operated and joint-use facilities.
• Early Childhood Education Schools (幼児教育スクール) Structured early childhood education programs for pre-nursery-age children delivered through the Educare division.
• Childcare Facility Consulting (保育施設サービス新規開設・運営・コンサルティング) End-to-end consulting for corporations, universities, and municipalities establishing and operating childcare facilities, including design, staffing, and ongoing management.
• Poppins Plus (ポピンズプラス) Subscription-style hybrid (online + offline) experiential learning platform delivering curated first-class experiences for infants and young children.
• Poppins Hawaii (ポピンズハワイ) Childcare services delivered at Hawaiian resort venues including temporary childcare, babysitting, and event childcare for Japanese and international visitors.
• Domestic Professional Training (国内研修) Structured in-person training programs for childcare professionals, childcare institutions, and corporate HR teams seeking staff development.
• Overseas Professional Training (海外研修) International training programs at Harvard, Stanford, Norland College UK, and Reggio Emilia Italy, including lectures from faculty such as Dr. Deborah Stipek and Dr. Carol Dweck plus practical site training.
• E-learning Training (eラーニング研修) On-demand online training courses for childcare professionals covering topics such as infectious disease management and child allergies.
• Promotional Video Production (プロモーション動画制作) Video and photography production service for childcare facilities seeking professional promotional content to attract prospective parents.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 70 corporate clients utilizing workplace nursery services
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Harvard University Graduate School of Education - Project ZerocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Long-term research partnership with Harvard Project Zero since 2010. Currently in the 4th research phase (2024-present) focusing on 'Global Competence from Early Childhood to School Age'. PIICS (Poppins International Institute for Child Studies) conducts annual international symposiums with Harvard since 2010.
• Norland College (UK)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009UK-based nanny training college partnership for overseas training programs. Includes homestay experiences with British families, lectures on British educational approaches, child psychology and development, and practical training at UK childcare facilities.
• Stanford UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Silicon Valley/Stanford-based early childhood education training programs and research collaboration. Training includes lectures from Stanford School of Education and Psychology faculty including Dr. Deborah Stipek and Dr. Carol Dweck, plus practical training at Bing Nursery School and university-affiliated childcare centers.
• Reggio Emilia Approach (Italy)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007Italian early childhood education approach partnership featuring training at Reggio Emilia including visits to Malaguzzi International Centre and infant-toddler centers, with practical training in Reggio Emilia approach classrooms.
• Sumitomo Life InsurancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint establishment and operation of workplace nursery facilities including Poppins Nursery School Namba Sumisei Kids, Poppins Nursery School Kita-Sendai, and others. Collaborative enterprise-led nursery model serving employees.
• Tokyo UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOn-campus enterprise nursery operation at Tokyo University Hongo Campus. Poppins Nursery School Todai Hongo Sakura opened April 2018 within the university campus for faculty and staff children.
• Keio University HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn-hospital and ward nursery services for healthcare workers' children. Includes nursery facilities and pediatric ward nursery services at Keio University Hospital.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• JP-Holdings, Inc. Listed Japanese operator of multiple nursery brands (e.g., Poko, Aozora) and after-school programs. Directly comparable as a multi-brand, multi-facility Japanese childcare chain with similar customer segments (working parents, municipal partnerships) and revenue model (monthly tuition + government funding).
• Global Kids Company Corp. Tokyo-based operator of licensed and certified nursery schools and after-school programs. Highly comparable in operating model (recurring tuition, Tokyo-centric footprint) and target customer base (working parents and corporates) to Poppins' Educare division.
• Kids Corporation Inc. Japanese nursery chain focused on licensed and corporate-led childcare facilities. Comparable in product offering (nursery operations + corporate consulting) and in serving both working parents and enterprise clients seeking workplace nurseries.
• With You Co., Ltd. Japanese operator of nursery and after-school programs including corporate workplace nurseries. Directly comparable business model (monthly subscriptions, corporate consulting) and customer overlap with Poppins' Educare and corporate services.
• Aprico (Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd. subsidiary): Operates the Aprico nursery brand within Recruit's HR/media ecosystem, offering nursery and babysitter services. Comparable as a multi-service childcare provider combining facility operations, nanny matching, and corporate benefits, similar to Poppins' Educare + FamilyCare combination.
• Hoikushi Co., Ltd. (Kyosho): Cooperative-affiliated Japanese nursery chain providing licensed childcare and staffing services. Comparable in operating licensed nurseries on a subscription basis and in workforce/childcare professional services, mirroring Poppins' Educare and Professional divisions.
• Kids Station Inc. Japanese operator of in-hospital and corporate-led nursery facilities (often co-located with medical institutions). Comparable to Poppins' in-hospital nursery engagements with Keio University Hospital, St. Luke's, and Yokohama City University Hospital.

Broad incumbents

• Benesse Corporation: Largest Japanese education and childcare conglomerate (Berlitz, Shinken Zemi, Kodomo Challenge). Overlaps with Poppins' early-childhood and professional training offerings but operates at much greater scale and breadth, making it a broad incumbent rather than a direct competitor in nursery operations.

Emerging players

• Nurse Station Tokyo (Kangoshi-style providers): Network of home-visit nursing and elderly care providers in Japan. Partial overlap with Poppins' VIP Care and Nurse Care courses, which offer in-home medical-visit nursing and end-of-life care; comparable in service model rather than customer base.
• Sitters International (US/UK sitter/babysitter platforms): International babysitter and nanny matching platforms. Comparable to Poppins Sitter (smartsitter.jp) and the Poppins FamilyCare nanny platform in business model (matching + booking + verification), though operating in Western markets rather than Japan.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nurserypoppins
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@poppinseducare7218
• Facebookfacebook.com/PoppinsCorporation
• Instagraminstagram.com/poppins.jp
• TikToktiktok.com/@poppins_educare
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/poppins-corporation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Poppins Educare