International Association for Early Childhood Education

What International Association for Early Childhood Education does

The International Association for Early Childhood Education (IAECE, kokusai yōji kyōiku gakkai) is a Japanese general incorporated association (ippan shadan hōjin) dedicated to early childhood education research and practice. Headquartered at the Sakurai Takahiro research room within Aichi University of Education in Kariya, Aichi Prefecture, the organization has convened an annual conference continuously since approximately 1980, reaching its 45th meeting in September 2024. Its membership primarily comprises university researchers and lecturers in early childhood education alongside kindergarten, nursery, and childcare practitioners in Japan. Governance is exercised through a Presidential and Executive Committee structure, with a Secretariat Director (Fumiaki Goka at Chiba Meitoku College for the 45th conference) coordinating operations.

IAECE's offering surface consists of an annual convention (年次大会) with keynotes, oral presentations, workshops, and symposia; a peer-reviewed academic journal, International Journal of Early Childhood Education (国際幼児教育研究); a transactions newsletter (会報); member-only research committees and training programs (研究会／研修); specialized sections such as Music and Picture Books; and regional branch chapters including Tochigi Branch and Kyushu/Okinawa/Yamaguchi Branch (the latter housed at Kindai University Kyushu Junior College in Iizuka). Administrative functions such as member registration, dues payment, and information updates are outsourced to the Gakkai Shien Kiko (Association Support Organization) in Bunkyo, Tokyo, via a third-party association management portal. The technology footprint is therefore utilitarian rather than productized: multilingual WordPress-based content on iaece.jp (Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean), a YouTube channel (@iaece699), and a hosted member portal—no proprietary software, no AI/ML components, no app products.

The association's revenue model is subscription-driven through annual membership dues, supplemented by conference registration fees, journal subscriptions, and modest corporate sponsorship from academic publishers (e.g., Gakujutsu Shuppan and Kyoiku Joho Service at the 2024 conference). It is privately incorporated, member-governed through regular general meetings, has no parent company, no external investors, and discloses no financial figures. Geographic reach is anchored in Japan, with periodic international conferences such as Bangkok in 2023 and Los Angeles in 2025, and the 47th conference scheduled for Hamamatsu, Shizuoka in 2026.

Name

International Association for Early Childhood Education

Legal name

International Association of Early Childhood Education (国際幼児教育学会)

Website

https://iaece.jp

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The International Association for Early Childhood Education (IAECE) is a Japan-based scholarly society uniting early childhood researchers and practitioners via an annual convention, peer-reviewed journal, research committees, and regional branches, funded primarily through annual membership dues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

In-Service Professional Development (Workshops/Institutes/Short Courses) (EDACAIAB)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Academic conference services
• Scholarly journal publishing
• Professional association membership
• Education research committees

Headquarters

HQ city

Kariya, Aichi

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees paid by members for access to journals, conferences, research committees, and member services including a dedicated member page for information viewing and annual fee payment via credit card.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

IAECE is a scholarly association that advances early childhood education through annual academic conventions featuring research presentations, symposia, and workshops; a peer-reviewed journal publishing original research and research notes; specialized research committees and training programs; regional branch chapters; and a member portal for dues payment and information management. Members are individual academics and practitioners who pay annual membership fees for access to these services.

Product overview

The International Association for Early Childhood Education is a professional academic society rather than a technology product company. Its offerings consist of academic and professional services including annual conferences for research presentations and workshops, an academic journal for publishing early childhood education research, a member management system for society membership administration, newsletter publications, research committees with specialized sections, and regional branch chapters organizing local activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annual Convention (年次大会) Annual multi-day academic conference where researchers and educators present findings on early childhood education topics through oral presentations, workshops, symposia, and keynotes. The 45th conference was held at Chiba Meitoku College on September 20-22, 2024.
• International Journal of Early Childhood Education (国際幼児教育研究)
• Membership Management System (会員マイページ)
• Transactions Newsletter (会報)
• Research Committees and Training Programs (研究会／研修)
• Regional Branch Chapters (部会／支部)

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Chiba Meitoku College (千葉明徳短期大学)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 September 2024Host institution for the 45th IAECE Annual Conference (2024). Provided venue and organizational support for the conference held September 20-22, 2024. The college's Early Childhood Education Department collaborated on conference execution.
• Gakujutsu Shuppan (学術書出版)minorOthersSponsor of the 45th IAECE Annual Conference.
• Kyoiku Joho Service (教育情報サービス)minorOthersSponsor of the 45th IAECE Annual Conference.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA): Pan-European academic association that hosts an annual research conference and publishes the European Early Childhood Education Research Journal. Mirrors IAECE's research-conference-journal model at regional scale.
• World Organization for Early Childhood Education (OMEP): UNESCO-affiliated international organization promoting early childhood education across more than 70 countries. Closely comparable to IAECE as an international scholarly society with national chapters, conferences, and journals.
• Pacific Early Childhood Education Research Association (PECERA): Asia-Pacific regional scholarly association focused on early childhood education research, with annual conferences and a journal. Strongly comparable to IAECE given overlapping regional membership and similar conference-based model.
• Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI): International non-profit dedicated to promoting children's education and well-being, with conferences, publications, and global chapters. Comparable in international scope and mission to IAECE.

Broad incumbents

• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC): The largest U.S.-based professional association for early childhood educators, offering membership, conferences, and a peer-reviewed journal (YC Young Children). Highly comparable to IAECE in mission but vastly larger in scale and resources.

Regional players

• Japan Society of Early Childhood Education (日本幼児教育学会): Another Japanese academic association focused on early childhood education, publishing a peer-reviewed journal and holding annual research meetings. Domestic competitor for IAECE within Japan.
• Australian Early Childhood Association (Early Childhood Australia): Australia's peak early childhood advocacy and professional body, with membership, publications, and an annual conference. Comparable in structure and offerings to IAECE, but serving the Australian market.
• Japanese Society of Research on Early Childhood Care and Education (日本保育学会): Japan-based academic society for early childhood care and education research with annual conferences and a Japanese-language journal. Direct domestic peer competing for the same Japanese ECE research community.
• Chinese Society of Early Childhood Education (中国学前教育研究会): China-based academic society for early childhood education research with conferences and publications. Comparable scholarly mission, primarily serving the Greater China market — relevant given IAECE's Chinese-language website outreach.

Emerging players

• National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators (NAECTE): U.S.-based organization for early childhood teacher educators focused on higher-education faculty. Conceptually adjacent to IAECE's academic membership segment though narrower in scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@iaece699

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Association for Early Childhood Education