Licensed daycare fees free from age 0, and meal fees also free (from September 2025)

From September 2025, the basic daycare fee became ¥0 for all children aged 0–5 attending licensed daycare (ninka hoikuen), certified centers for early childhood education and care, small-scale childcare, home-based childcare and similar in Setagaya City. It is free for everyone from the first child, regardless of income bracket. Also from September 2025, meal fees have been made free. Meal fees include both the staple food cost (rice) and the side-dish cost (dishes, snacks, milk, tea, etc.), so as a rule there is no meal fee. However, teaching materials, event costs, extended-hours fees and similar are not covered, and the actual costs set by each facility continue to be paid by parents. According to the city, it extends coverage to all children living in the city in line with Tokyo's free daycare for the first child. Even though there is no daycare fee, the daycare fee bracket itself is still decided twice a year, in April and September, because it is used to set enrollment selection priority and extended-hours fees. If you live outside the city and attend licensed daycare or similar in the city, both the daycare fee and meal fee depend on the rules of the municipality where you live.