Before Yumenomori's Kodomoen was created…
The CEO (Superintendent of Education) of Okuma Towns Board of Education, who was the director at the time, once asked me: "What skills do you want children to have 30 years from now?"
 
This left an impression on me…

Because all I had in mind until now was to reach the start of the school, which was right in front of me…
 
Having trouble learning when starting elementary school isn't due to inexperience!
All designers have one thing in mind, and each have a different perspective. I was at a loss of words…
 
What does the CEO see?
What does the CEO imagine?
Since then, I've been thinking about it over and over in my head.
Asking myself the same questions.

The kindergarten and Kodomoen students are human beings, and are a part of society. This is a place to cultivate their "will to live".
 
In the car, in the bathroom, and even in the hot tub, I've been thinking about these questions for several months.
 
When I lift my chin up and change my gaze a little, the words "will to live" becomes the foundation. It gradually changes to become the soil that nurtures the "ability to survive".
 
Around the time that feeling changed, I thought about the children I would meet in the future. My "enthusiasm" for this work increased even more. When you face children with these feelings, our view on their "resolution" has changed.

I felt that they were giving "boldness" to my life. I felt that I could change the "texture" of their daily play. "Essence" was the word I gave to the children.

What we aim for is a school where the students who are 0-15 years old can spend time together, but the goal is not that the 15 year olds are leaving home, but it is strengthening their "willpower" that they have gained at Yumenomori in each stage of their life, each in their own time, to bloom like a large flower.

In response to the CEO's question at that time, I'm answering it with "design ability" and "resilience" which allows you to shape things in your own way. This question has no wrong answer, and no right answer. The time I spent facing this question, it felt like I could feel the sweetness of turnips in soup (Today, I was touched by the dietitians aspirations for our school lunches).
 
Yumenomori's Kodomoen fosters this ability to survive. Making "soil" in an atmosphere where you can feel safe, and make mistakes. Nurture the basic physical strength of the body and mind with the designers who are ready to help.
 
 After all, being a designer (childcare teacher) is interesting!
My heart is always going to be a designer, even though I'm still inexperienced. Yay!
 
Today, I will be leaving the park on the way…
I'm just saying unnecessary things, sorry…