Early Childhood Activity Study Group

What Early Childhood Activity Study Group does

Early Childhood Activity Study Group, operating as Cosmo Sports Club (コスモスポーツクラブ), is a Tokyo-based, publicly traded provider of early childhood physical education and developmental services in Japan. Founded in 1972 and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange JASDAQ Standard (ticker 2152.T), the company delivers a curriculum-integrated physical education program, extracurricular sports clubs in disciplines including rhythmic gymnastics, soccer, dance, swimming, and skating, and developmental therapy services to approximately 1,200 contracted kindergartens and nurseries nationwide, reaching over 65,000 children. The company also operates its own certified nursery, a tutoring/academy center, and disability welfare facilities under the "Cosmo Ryōiku Club Familiar" (コスモ療育クラブ Familiar) brand.

The company's core product is the "YY Project" (YY Project) proprietary education program, built on founder Koichi Yamashita's "Yamashita Pedagogy" (山下教育学), which holds that "all children can do it" and treats "not being able to do something" as an opportunity for professional intervention. Service delivery is supported by Cosmo Net, an online portal used for member registration, event applications, and account management. The company has accumulated 53 years of curriculum, instructor training systems, and codified teaching methodologies, with 575 full-time employees (as of March 2025) and 59 regional offices covering all major regions of Japan.

Revenue is generated primarily through monthly subscription fees from contracted kindergartens and nurseries for physical education instruction and sports club services, priced at approximately 7,700 yen per child per month for sports clubs. The company reported FY2025 (March 2025) revenue of 7.073 billion yen (~$45M USD). Additional revenue streams include management consulting for kindergarten operators through subsidiary Japan Management Education Research Institute, children's travel programs operated under Ginga Tetsudo Tourist, therapy services under the Ryōiku Club brand, and direct nursery operations. Customer relationships are anchored in long-term contracts with the 1,200+ kindergartens, with no single customer representing material concentration.

Name

Early Childhood Activity Study Group

Legal name

幼児活動研究会株式会社

Website

https://youji.co.jp

Company type

Public

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Early Childhood Activity Study Group (Cosmo Sports Club) is a Tokyo-listed (TSE JASDAQ: 2152.T) provider of early childhood physical education, sports clubs, and developmental therapy services to 1,200+ contracted kindergartens across Japan, serving 65,000+ children through 59 offices and proprietary "YY Project" curriculum.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Gross Motor Development & Motor Learning Interventions (EDAKAGAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Developmental Therapy / Early Childhood Special Instruction (EDACAFAG), Physical Therapy (Early Intervention) (EDACAFAD)

Keywords

• Early childhood physical education
• Kindergarten consulting services
• Children's sports instruction
• Nursery childcare operations
• Developmental therapy services

Headquarters

HQ city

Higashi-shinagawa

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices25 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Physical Education Instruction Services: Contract-based physical education instruction services provided to kindergartens and nurseries. Includes regular curriculum instruction, sports club activities, soccer clubs, and rhythmic gymnastics clubs. Revenue generated through monthly service fees.
2. Nursery/Childcare Operations: Operation of certified childcare facilities including Gotanda Seseragi Hoikuen and Cocochor. Provides childcare services for children from infancy to age 5.
3. Travel and Event Services: Ginga Tetsudo Tourist designs and operates children's travel programs including summer Okinawa trips, California Yosemite camps, ski training camps, and adventure activities. Revenue from tour fees.
4. Management Consulting: Japan Management Education Research Institute provides consulting services to kindergartens and nurseries. Services include annual comprehensive guidance (12 visits per year), seminars, and staff training programs.
5. Welfare and Therapy Services: Cosmo Therapy Club Familiar provides developmental support and day services for children with developmental disabilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Provides physical education instruction, sports club programs (gymnastics, soccer, rhythmic gymnastics), nursery/childcare operations, kindergarten management consulting, and developmental therapy for young children. Services are delivered through contracted kindergartens across Japan and through company-operated facilities where parents enroll children directly.

Product overview

Early Childhood Activity Study Group (Cosmo Sports Club) provides a comprehensive portfolio of early childhood physical education and developmental services. The core offering consists of regular physical education instruction integrated into kindergarten curricula and extracurricular sports clubs (gymnastics, soccer, rhythmic gymnastics, dance, swimming, skating) available at partner schools nationwide. The company operates Cosmo Academy Shinagawa for academic and physical development tutoring, and Cosmo Developmental Support Club Familiar for children with developmental needs. Additional services include travel programming (Galaxy Railway Tourists), free public instruction demonstrations, recruitment/labor management consulting (Business Strategy Division), and kindergarten/nursery management consulting (Japan Management Education Research Institute). The company manages Cosmo Net, a member portal for class registration and event participation. With over 1,200 contracted kindergartens, 65,000+ members, and operations spanning 59 offices nationwide, the company serves as a comprehensive early childhood education service provider.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• コスモ療育クラブ ファミリア: Child development support and after-school day service facility for children with developmental disabilities
• 五反田せせらぎ保育園
• コスモアカデミー品川
• 日本経営教育研究所
• 銀河鉄道ツーリスト
• コスモネット

Products and services

• Contracted Kindergarten Physical Education Instruction Physical education classes delivered at client kindergartens by company-employed instructors under multi-year contracts; serves 1,200+ kindergartens across Japan.
• Sports Club Programs (Gymnastics, Soccer, Rhythmic Gymnastics) After-school and weekend sports instruction for young children operated from company-owned facilities; enrolled directly by parents on a monthly subscription basis.
• Nursery/Childcare Operations Company-operated licensed nursery/childcare facilities providing daily care and early education to enrolled children on a recurring monthly fee.
• Kindergarten Management Consulting Advisory services to kindergarten operators covering curriculum design, operational support, enrollment marketing, and teacher training; positioned to deliver enrollment growth outcomes for client schools.
• YY Project Developmental Curriculum & Sensory Training Proprietary early-childhood developmental and sensory training program (YY Project) rooted in the Yamashita Pedagogy; delivered through contracted kindergartens and company facilities.
• Children's Travel & Event Programs Organized travel, camps, and event programs for young children marketed to and enrolled by parents through the company's direct channels.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 95% of consulting client kindergartens achieved increased enrollment
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Pro-Ship Co., Ltd. (株式会社Pro-Ship)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 October 2025Second exchange meeting held between company representatives and Pro-Ship. Meeting included advisor Suzuki Katsuki and company representative Yamashita.
• Mikihouse Group (ミキハウスグループ)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2025Exchange of opinions between Mikihouse Group President Koichi Kimura and company representative Yamashita. President Yamashita was inspired by an article about President Kimura and requested the meeting.
• Ryochi Keiei (良知経営)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 May 2025President and Representative Director Hamada of management consulting firm Ryochi Keiei visited Tokyo headquarters.
• Moriguchi City Board of Education (守口市教育委員会)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2025Moriguchi City Education Director Minoru Tanaka visited Tokyo headquarters for an exchange meeting.
• Kanto Rugby Football Association (関東ラグビーフットボール協会)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 February 2025Exchange meeting held at Tokyo headquarters with association chairman Ebihara, director Ohara, and committee members to discuss future collaboration.
• Tokyo YG Phoenix (東京山九フェニックス)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 July 2022Women's rugby team sponsored by the company. The team won the overall championship at the Taiyo Life Women's Sevens Series 2022. The company supports the team and receives visits from coaches and players for exchanges.
• Chitchat Sports Juku (チットチャット・スポーツ塾)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner organization listed in the company's links directory, suggesting a cooperative relationship in the sports education field.
• YY Project Partner KindergartenscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 100 kindergartens nationwide implementing the proprietary YY Project education program. Partner kindergartens include Kobato, Hiiragi, Nadeshiko, and others across all prefectures.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Central Sports Co., Ltd. Established Japanese sports club chain providing instructor-led physical training to a broad membership base, including children. Comparable as a large incumbent in the same physical-instruction category.
• Gakken Holdings Co., Ltd. Japanese education and learning-services group with early-childhood and instructor-led programs. Broad incumbent with portfolio overlap in early-childhood physical and educational services.
• Konami Sports: Major Japanese sports club operator offering structured physical training programs including for youth. Comparable as a broad incumbent in sports instruction with overlap in pediatric motor-skill programming.
• Benesse Corporation: Largest Japanese education and childcare conglomerate. Broad incumbent providing early-childhood education services and materials, overlapping with Cosmo's educational programs and consulting positioning.

Regional players

• KinderCare Learning Companies: Largest US private early-childhood education provider. Comparable in scale of contracted facility network and subscription child-care revenue model, though operating in a different geography.
• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: US-based global provider of employer-sponsored childcare and early-education. Comparable in operating childcare and early-education facilities under multi-year contracts at scale.

Direct peers

• Renaissance Inc. Japanese company operating sports schools and academies, including programs for children. Directly comparable to Cosmo's sports club and physical education instruction offerings targeting Japanese youth.
• JP-Holdings, Inc. Japanese operator of licensed nursery schools and children's services. Comparable to Cosmo's childcare-facility and developmental-support segments serving infants through early elementary.
• Riso Kyoiku Co., Ltd. Japanese early-childhood education company focused on preschool operations and related services. Closely comparable to Cosmo's early-childhood education, nursery, and developmental services portfolio.
• Poppins Corporation: Japanese nursery and childcare service operator listed on TSE. Closely comparable to Cosmo's Gotanda Seseragi Hoikuen and Cocochor childcare operations and Familiar developmental support lines.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/cosmo_recruit

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Early Childhood Activity Study Group