Introducing Initiatives to Enhance Employee Loyalty by Improving Uptake and Satisfaction of Paid and Childcare Leave
Introducing Hoikuen Ryugaku (Preschool Study Stay), an initiative designed to strengthen employee loyalty by enhancing not only the uptake of paid and childcare leave but also the quality of those leave experiences.
Offered by KitchHike Inc., Hoikuen Ryugaku is a child-centered learning experience where families stay in a local community for one to two weeks, allowing children to attend a local preschool. For children, the program offers early exposure to nature and diverse cultures—essential experiences in the age of AI—cultivating a foundation of non-cognitive skills as a “Lifelong Gift” with lifelong potential. For families, it provides diverse choices that allow them to balance both work and parenting without compromise. For local communities, the program has fostered long-term, family-based relationships and contributed to sustainable local economic development.
Sekisui House, together with Sekisui House Innovation & Communication, Ltd., has invested in KitchHike and offers this program to employees at a special rate as part of its employee benefits.
Launched in 2021 in Assabu, Hokkaido—a town known for its vision of becoming “The most wonderful depopulated town in the world”—the service has since expanded to approximately 70 regions nationwide. As of December 2025, the program has been used by approximately 10,000 individuals from more than 3,000 families.
The program is also available for employees of other companies.
In recent years, an increasing number of participants have used the service in conjunction with paid leave. By adopting this program, companies can expect the following benefits.
- Encouragement of employees to take paternity leave and paid leave
- Improved employee satisfaction
- Strengthened corporate image as a company that actively supports parenting
We offer flexible implementation options tailored to each company’s needs. The program can be structured with no direct cost to the company and without being positioned as a formal employee benefits scheme. Please see below for further details.
Hoikuen Ryugaku (Preschool Study Stay) Official Website
https://hoikuen-ryugaku.com/ (in Japanese)
