Achieving Nationwide Expansion and Tripling Event Frequency Through Online Certification Exams

Supporting All Adults Who Interact with Children

Please tell us about the background behind the establishment of the Kidscoach Association.

Ms. Aota:It was established in 2012 out of a strong desire to enhance the quality and professional status of individuals involved in healthy child development and parenting support. Utilizing the extensive experience of "Tokyu Kids Base Camp," a pioneer in private after-school care, in training numerous after-school instructors, we provide a qualification system that allows individuals to learn specialized skills tailored specifically to the field of after-school care.

Driven by our philosophy of "contributing to a society where people find parenting enjoyable and feel motivated to raise children," we deliver learning opportunities to a wide range of individuals beyond the after-school sector. This includes corporations, organizations, and educational institutions that interact with children, as well as students aiming for child-related careers and parents actively raising families.

Could you share what makes working in after-school care and interacting with children so rewarding?

Mr. Shimazu:The moment a child shows interest in something and takes on a new challenge, we stand by their side to support them while sharing in their sense of excitement and anticipation.

In particular, when I witness children growing or engaging earnestly because of an event I planned, I feel incredibly fulfilled, and a profound sense of joy wells up inside me. This moving experience is exactly what makes my work so rewarding.

Mr. Terasaka:Rather than scolding a child who is avoiding their homework, we place great value on supportive communication that reinforces positive actions, such as telling a child who has started on their own, "You began your homework all by yourself." When other children see this validation, it motivates them to move, thinking, "I should get started too!"

By genuinely believing that "children are capable" as we interact with them, we are able to witness the daily breakthroughs where they master what they previously could not do, which I find to be the most fascinating aspect of this job.

A Strategic Turning Point Driven by Nationwide Demand and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Please tell us about the background that led to the implementation of the e-learning system.

Ms. Aota:Since our establishment in 2012, we have operated primarily through face-to-face courses led by experienced instructors. The comprehensive content—incorporating role-playing and group work—received high praise, allowing us to steadily build a solid track record. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to completely suspend our courses, requests to transition our curriculum online rapidly intensified.

Furthermore, even prior to the pandemic, we had received frequent requests from regional hubs like Fukuoka and Nagoya expressing a desire for local events, proving that face-to-face formats alone could no longer adequately meet nationwide demand.

What kind of feedback did you receive from prospective students at the time?

Ms. Aota:We received numerous comments stating that participating in face-to-face courses was difficult because parents had no one to watch their children. Since the Kidscoach Certification is a course explicitly targeted at individuals raising children or working in child-related fields, we felt that establishing an accessible learning environment for them was an urgent priority.

Were there any other challenges unique to face-to-face courses?

Ms. Aota:The extensive time required to grade paper exams was also a major operational bottleneck. Grading took approximately five minutes per person for Level 3, and 10 to 15 minutes per person for Level 1, which includes descriptive, open-ended questions. Consequently, the time instructors were tied down for grading could amount to half a day or a full day for a single course offering.

Ms. Oishi:While we prioritized quality and held face-to-face courses for each level about once every three months, we also received feedback that our schedule rarely aligned with when prospective learners actually wanted to enroll. The accumulation of these overlapping challenges led us to seriously evaluate the implementation of an e-learning platform.

Evaluating Seven Providers: Usability and Cost Formed the Deciding Factors

How did you learn about learningBOX, and what was your selection process?

Ms. Aota:We compared and evaluated systems from seven different companies while consulting closely with an advisor who possessed deep expertise in the field. Our criteria for comparison included the ease of content creation, student management, and grade tracking; compatibility with large-scale utilization; richness of features; a simple, user-friendly interface design for students; and a scalable pricing structure aligned with user volume. As a result of a comprehensive evaluation across these multiple perspectives, we determined that learningBOX aligned perfectly with our organizational needs.

Could you tell us which specific points served as the deciding factors?

Ms. Aota:The pay-as-you-go pricing plans based on user count and storage capacity were transparent and highly attractive. Additionally, seamless usability was crucial for us. The fact that everything from uploading materials to managing students and tracking progress can be done intuitively was something we felt particularly grateful for, especially as an organization that cannot allocate a full-time system administrator.

Translating Experiential Role-Playing into High-Quality Video Content

Please describe the process from implementation to the launch of operations.

Ms. Aota:We began conceptualization and content production in 2020, officially launching our online certification exams in 2021. Prior to the general release, we conducted a large-scale beta trial involving approximately 350 participants with the cooperation of our corporate partners. We proceeded to full-scale operations only after identifying potential friction points for students and mapping out the necessary optimizations.

What creative approaches did you take when developing content specific to an e-learning format?

Mr. Shimazu:In face-to-face courses, role-playing sessions where instructors interact directly with students are highly popular, but that exact dynamic cannot be replicated in a standard e-learning format. Therefore, we decided to record and reproduce real-world scenarios through video, clearly demonstrating appropriate ways to speak to children alongside specific behaviors that should be avoided. We focused intensely on ensuring that viewers could clearly visualize the scenarios even without being physically present in a classroom.

We handle all production internally, including video shooting and editing, as well as text layout and illustrations.

Intuitive Usability and Generous Support Sustain a Lean Administration Team

Having actually operated the system, what aspects do you find particularly user-friendly?

Ms. Aota:Above all, the ability to navigate the system intuitively has been incredibly helpful. From creating educational materials to registering and managing students, the platform can be operated seamlessly without even referencing manuals or support websites (How to Use).

Mr. Shimazu:In terms of functionality, having a solid lineup of essential features such as the ability to "Disable skip playback" in videos and design "True/false" quizzes is exceptionally reassuring for a certification course. We operate with a lean team consisting of two primary administrators and four secondary administrators, yet our daily operations run smoothly without any issues.

How has your experience been with the customer support system?

Ms. Aota:Instead of just giving us rigid, boilerplate instructions, they provide empathetic support tailored to our specific operational situations, which makes us feel incredibly secure. Their regular webinars also offer excellent opportunities to learn how other organizations leverage the platform.

Thank you very much. On the flip side, do you currently have any challenges or feature requests?

Ms. Aota:When bidding on e-learning projects commissioned by local governments, features that enhance identity verification and prevent cheating, such as "AI-powered facial authentication" serve as a major competitive differentiator.

We previously tested the Proctoring functionalities of learningBOX and confirmed that they could sufficiently handle actual deployment scenarios. Once our project begins to move forward concretely, we would love to reach out to your team.

Ms. Oishi:In future webinars, I would love to see case studies regarding visually engaging ways to present content to students, as well as specific operational workflows optimized for the certification business.

Thank you for your valuable feedback. We will share this with our product team and use it as a core reference for future planning.

Deploying a Tiered Certification Framework Nationwide via e-Learning

Please tell us about your specific use cases for learningBOX.

Ms. Aota:Our primary use case is the delivery and student management of the Kidscoach Certification. The curriculum allows students to advance progressively from Level 3 (Basic) to Level 2 (Applied) and finally Level 1 (Practical), with each tier incorporating lecture videos, short comprehension quizzes, a final exam, and a feedback survey.

Beyond certification exams, the Kidscoach Association undertakes training initiatives commissioned by local governments, delivers school lectures and career courses, and manages corporate training programs. When conducting training via e-learning within these diverse initiatives, we handle all content delivery and student tracking directly through learningBOX.

What kind of reactions do you receive from learners taking the online certification?

Ms. Aota:We have received highly enthusiastic feedback, with comments such as "I wish I had taken this sooner," "The concrete examples make it incredibly easy to understand," and "The instructor's video was so entertaining that I found myself laughing while learning." Since short quizzes are embedded throughout the material, students highly appreciate being able to progress while instantly verifying their understanding.

Shifting to Monthly Offerings: Simultaneously Achieving Nationwide Expansion and Operational Efficiency

Please tell us about the concrete results achieved by implementing learningBOX.

Ms. Oishi:The most transformative change has been the improvement in course frequency. While face-to-face courses alone allowed for offerings only about once every three months, the transition to online certification exams has made monthly hosting effortless. Since face-to-face courses required three to seven hours of lecture time depending on the level, this digital shift has led to significant reductions in venue overhead and transportation costs, in addition to instructor labor.

Ms. Aota:Grading operations have also seen massive improvements. As mentioned earlier, during face-to-face courses, exams had to be administered and graded manually on paper. The implementation of learningBOX enabled automated grading, shortening the time required for evaluation by half a day to a full day for each course offering.

Have there been any notable changes in student demographics or administrative management?

Ms. Oishi:Previously, our student base was heavily concentrated in the Kanto region, but now we have individuals participating from every corner of the country. We are now able to deliver learning opportunities to individuals who were previously excluded due to geographical barriers, regardless of where they live. Given the core mission of our association, we feel this is highly meaningful.

We have become capable of accommodating a much larger volume of students without increasing operational man-hours; apart from initial setups like ID issuance, the courses feel as though they run automatically each month. However, because requests to maintain the unique benefits of speaking directly with instructors remain strong, we still continue to offer face-to-face courses alongside the digital track. Learners are able to select their preferred learning format in accordance with their personal needs.

Are there any other strategic impacts you have observed?

Ms. Oishi:By establishing robust frameworks for online certification and digital training, we have become fully capable of handling large-scale group enrollments from corporations as well as training projects commissioned by municipal governments. The overall scope of our business has expanded significantly.

Expanding the e-Learning Portfolio to Include "Parenting Seminars" and "Harassment Training"

Please share your outlook for the future.

Ms. Aota:Moving forward, we are looking beyond the "Kids Coach Certification" to provide a diverse range of e-learning courses, such as specialized "Parenting Seminars" and corporate "Harassment Training." In particular, for harassment training, an increasing number of organizations require comprehensive alignment not just from management but from all front-line staff, which results in a massive volume of users. Especially when strict, audit-ready management of completion records is required, we believe leveraging learningBOX will be exceptionally effective.

Amid the shortage of after-school instructors becoming a prominent social issue, how do you view the ongoing role of the Kidscoach Association?

Ms. Oishi:The childcare environment is a demanding sector that requires high standards of both physical stamina and emotional skill. Even if individuals enter the field out of admiration, some leave the profession prematurely. Even so, I firmly believe it remains a career filled with immense personal reward.

Although I do not come from a child-related industry background myself, the team members working together here are truly phenomenal individuals. Work that involves children plays a critical role in nurturing humanity itself. At the same time, there is so much to learn from children, making it a career path where one can achieve profound personal growth.

We want to support parents raising families and every single adult who interacts with children. Our ultimate mission is to increase the number of adults who can face children and interact with them appropriately, even by one more person.

Parenting can sometimes be too overwhelming for parents to handle alone, and there are developmental gaps that traditional schools cannot fully bridge. This is precisely why the presence of a "third adult," who is neither a parent nor a schoolteacher, provides such crucial support.

Moving beyond just after-school instructors, establishing a societal environment where a "third adult" can watch over and support the growth of children from an independent standpoint is essential. We believe that supporting the growth of children through society as a whole connects directly to the future of Japan.

We are deeply grateful that our activities have expanded nationwide, triggered by the implementation of learningBOX.

Thank you very much for your valuable insights!