Side-dish meal costs (side dishes and snacks) at daycare and kindergartens subsidized up to ¥4,500/month, making them free (from September 2026)
Free Side-Dish Meal Costs for Children at Daycare, etc. and Side-Dish Meal Cost Subsidy for Private Kindergartens, etc. / Kunitachi City
Free Side-Dish Meal Costs for Children at Daycare, etc. and Side-Dish Meal Cost Subsidy for Private Kindergartens, etc.Kunitachi CityDaycare and kindergartensNo income limit
Side-dish meal costs at daycare and kindergartens made free
Subsidy for side-dish meal costs (side dishes and snacks)Up to ¥4,500/monthFrom September 1, 2026
- The lower of this and days of school lunch × side-dish cost per meal
- Residents attending facilities outside the city are also covered
From September 1, 2026, the city subsidizes side-dish meal costs (side dishes, milk and snacks) for children at licensed daycare, certified centers, private kindergartens and national university-affiliated kindergartens, making them free with no income limit. The subsidy is the lower of "days of school lunch × side-dish cost per meal" and ¥4,500/month. Kunitachi City residents using facilities outside the city are also covered. For kindergartens and similar, it is paid afterward in a lump sum twice a year (once, for the second half, in FY2026).
SIMULATOR
How much of the side-dish meal costs per month?
Nationality and residence status
The official page (checked in October 2026) sets no condition on nationality or residence status that we found. Eligibility follows the official conditions, not the language of this page; many programs require resident registration in the municipality.
Who is eligible
Children living in Kunitachi City who attend licensed daycare, certified centers, private kindergartens or national university-affiliated kindergartens (kindergartens: age 3–5 classes; excluding households covered by the national supplementary benefit)
Notes
Individual contracts between parents and lunch box companies are not covered.