Childcare support system

Abstract

Conventional childcare support systems primarily focused on the automatic creation of record books, making it difficult to identify issues that should be continuously focused on, or to grasp differences in assessments among childcare professionals, starting from individual observation records. [Solution] The system stores records for each child being cared for, entered by childcare personnel, and analyzes these records over time to determine whether or not pre-set points of focus are present. Furthermore, it detects differences in points of focus among childcare personnel for multiple records relating to the same or similar scenes, and presents related records or videos.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a childcare support system in a nursery or kindergarten, where childcare workers record the growth status of individual children in their care. More specifically, the present invention relates to a childcare support system that uses the daily observation records input by childcare workers to present key points that should be continuously grasped regarding children in their care, differences in perspectives or understandings among childcare workers, and related information for confirming such differences.

Background Art

[0002] In various childcare and education facilities for infants and young children such as nurseries and kindergartens (hereinafter simply referred to as "nurseries, etc."), childcare workers create records of the daily behaviors of children in their care and report them to administrative authorities and parents. There is a known childcare support system for assisting in creating such reports (for example, Patent Document 1). In the system of Patent Document 1, it is disclosed that a childcare worker records the life and behaviors of a child in their care, automatically performs a predetermined analysis on the life and behaviors of the child in care over a predetermined period, and uses the analysis results to automatically create a record book regarding the growth of the child in care in text form.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the childcare support system described in Patent Document 1 primarily focuses on automatically creating record books by analyzing records over a predetermined period. Therefore, it has the problem that it is not necessarily suitable for continuously identifying matters that should be focused on regarding the child in care, detecting differences in understanding among childcare providers, and considering the next course of action based on daily records from multiple childcare providers. Furthermore, conventional childcare support systems mainly output growth records or supplementary materials after they have been processed into documents. As a result, it is difficult to continuously understand what points childcare providers focused on, what differences exist in the assessments of multiple childcare providers, or which child in care is lacking in observation, starting from individual observation records before they are processed into documents. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] To address this problem, the present invention provides a storage means for storing records for each child being cared for, entered by childcare personnel, and a focus determination means for analyzing the records for each child stored in the storage means over time and determining whether any of the pre-set focus points exist regarding the care of the child. Furthermore, the present invention provides a presentation means for presenting the determination result from the focus determination means to the childcare personnel, in association with the record or information associated with the record that forms the basis of the determination.

[0006] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the record includes text, photographs, or videos relating to the behavior or state of the child being cared for, or at least one of the recording date and time, recorder information, child information, and class information associated with the record.

[0007] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the aforementioned focus points relate to the behavior or state of the child being cared for, and include at least one of the following: changes occurring within a certain period of time, interactions with other children observed, proactive behavior observed, concerns raised by childcare providers, perplexing situations for childcare providers, or things that childcare providers should continuously observe. In addition, the aforementioned focus points may also include things that indicate continuous play or interest, things suitable for sharing with parents, or things that are desirable to share in meetings.

[0008] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the system includes a difference detection means that compares the points of focus determined by each childcare provider for records relating to the same or nearby scenes of the same child, entered by different childcare providers, and detects differences in the points of focus among the childcare providers. Here, records relating to the same or nearby scenes may include records relating to the same child, where the recording date and time fall within a predetermined time frame, and which relate to the same or similar scenes, activities, or child.

[0009] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, a presentation means is provided to present to childcare personnel items to be confirmed, shared, or points to note regarding the child in question, based on the aforementioned points of focus and differences in those points of focus. The presentation means is not limited to those that definitively determine the childcare method, but may also present items to be confirmed, shared, points to note regarding the child in question, or related records for childcare personnel to confirm, share, or consider regarding the child in question. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, based on the daily lives and behaviors of individual children under childcare recorded by childcare personnel, it is possible to continuously grasp daily childcare starting from the child's behavior, thereby deepening the understanding, dialogue, and judgment of childcare personnel. Furthermore, according to the present invention, by starting from individual observation records prior to the automatic creation of record books, it is possible to identify points of focus, differences in perception among childcare personnel, biases in observation, or gaps in observation, thereby supporting the formation of a common understanding among childcare personnel and the continuous review of childcare. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] Block diagram showing an example configuration of the childcare support system of the present invention. [Figure 2] Flowchart showing an example of processing in the childcare support system of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. This description is illustrative of embodiments of the invention, and the present invention is not limited to this disclosure. In this specification, "assessment" refers to the understanding, interpretation, or focus on the behavior or condition of a child under childcare, as grasped by childcare personnel based on observation records. Furthermore, "observation gap" refers to a state in which, for a particular child under childcare, no observation records associated with that child are stored in the memory unit 103 within a predetermined period.

[0013] Figure 1 shows a system diagram of a childcare support system in one embodiment of the present invention. This system comprises multiple childcare worker terminals 107a, 107b, and 107c, a server 101, and a generation AI 102. Based on records entered by multiple childcare personnel, it determines the points of focus for the child being cared for, detects differences as necessary, and makes suggestions. This system is not limited to automatically creating documents such as record books, but uses the observation records entered daily to present points that should be continuously checked regarding the child being cared for, and visualizes differences in assessment or understanding among childcare personnel.

[0014] (Detailed system configuration) The system of the present invention consists of the following components.

[0015] (Multiple childcare provider terminals) The childcare worker terminals 107a, 107b, and 107c are communication devices such as mobile devices, tablet devices, and smartphones operated by childcare personnel. By deploying multiple childcare worker terminals, it becomes possible to conduct multifaceted observations by multiple childcare personnel.

[0016] (Terminal Communications Department) The childcare worker terminal communication unit 108 has the function of receiving input data from multiple childcare worker terminals 107a, 107b, and 107c and transmitting it to the server 101, as well as transmitting information from the server 101 to the childcare worker terminals 107a, 107b, and 107c.

[0017] (Server and control unit) Server 101 includes a storage unit 103, a storage management unit 104, an analysis and proposal unit 105, and a prompt generation unit 106, and performs data processing, analysis, and proposals. The control unit 109 provides overall control over the processing of the entire server 101.

[0018] (Memory unit and memory management unit) The memory unit 103 is a database that stores records for each child being cared for, entered by childcare personnel (text data, image data, video data and other video data, as well as metadata such as date and time information, recorder information, and child information). The memory management unit 104 has the function of reading, writing, searching, classifying, and aggregating the data stored in the memory unit 103. The data is organized according to predetermined classification criteria such as by child being cared for, by time series, by recorder, by content, etc., and managed in a data structure that is easily accessible to the analysis proposal unit 105. The memory unit 103 may also store a focus judgment table that associates multiple pre-set focus points with groups of words, expression patterns, or classification conditions corresponding to each focus point. Furthermore, the memory unit 103 may store the classification results assigned to each observation record, extracted words, determined focus points, reasons for determination, related observation records, and confirmation results or acceptance / rejection results by childcare personnel.

[0019] (Structure of the Analysis and Proposal Department) The analysis and proposal department 105 has a function of analyzing over time the records from a plurality of childcare-related persons stored in the storage unit 103 and determining whether there are any points of attention that should be continuously grasped for the children in care. The analysis and proposal department 105 is composed of the following three-layer structure. The analysis and proposal department 105 refers to the point-of-attention determination table, extracts the words or expression patterns included in the record, and determines the point of attention corresponding to the record based on the extraction result, classification result, recording date and time, recorder information, target child information, and comparison result with past records.

[0020] (Layer 1: Rule-based determination) The analysis and proposal department 105 collates the word groups or expression patterns registered in the point-of-attention determination table stored in the storage unit 103 with the words or expressions in the observation record based on the determination conditions corresponding to each preset point of attention, so as to determine whether there are events corresponding to any of the multiple points of attention in the record. For example, when expressions such as "different", "changed", "different from before" are included, it is determined that there is a point of attention corresponding to "change", and when expressions such as "troubled", "worried", "concerned" are included, it is determined that there is a point of attention corresponding to "concern". More specifically, in the point-of-attention determination table stored in the storage unit 103, for example, as expressions corresponding to "something that has changed within a certain period", word groups or expression patterns indicating temporal comparison such as "until yesterday", "today", "before", "recently", "for the first time", "has become able to" are registered. Also, as expressions corresponding to "subjective actions were observed", word groups or expression patterns such as "from oneself", "choose", "try", "call out" are registered. Also, as expressions corresponding to "interaction with other children was observed", word groups or expression patterns such as "together", "hand over", "receive", "lend", "borrow", "invite" are registered. The analysis and proposal department 105 collates the words or expression patterns included in the input single-line memo with the word groups or expression patterns registered in the point-of-attention determination table.

[0021] (Layer 2: Weighting process) The analysis proposal unit 105 assigns weights to the points of focus determined by the first layer based on the following factors and determines their priority. • Whether or not records are kept by multiple childcare providers and the number of records. • Presence or absence of a value flag assigned to the record • Types and frequency of keywords included in the record • Number of consecutive days and frequency of occurrence of records related to the same point of focus For example, if records of the same or similar content are entered by multiple childcare providers, a higher priority will be assigned to those records than to records entered by only one childcare provider. Furthermore, the analysis proposal unit 105 may compare the classification results assigned to observation records recorded in the most recent predetermined period for the same child being cared for with the classification results assigned to observation records recorded in a comparison period prior to that predetermined period. If the number or percentage of a particular classification result increases or decreases by more than a predetermined threshold, the priority of the focus point corresponding to that classification result may be increased. As a concrete example of weighting processing in the second layer, priority adjustment may be performed using meeting picks or value flags, as described later.

[0022] (Layer 3: AI-assisted processing) When the analysis proposal unit 105 performs auxiliary processing using the generation AI 102 on the processing results up to the second layer, it outputs the processing results of the first and second layers, target child information, recorder information, past records, and groups of words or expression patterns included in the focus point determination table to the prompt generation unit 106. The prompt generation unit 106 uses this information to generate prompts to be input to the generation AI 102. Based on these prompts, the generation AI 102 outputs words or expressions in the recording that may correspond to each focus point, or candidates for classification results. The analysis proposal unit 105 receives the output results of the generation AI 102 as auxiliary information and determines the final focus point based on the rule-based judgment results, comparison results with past records, and confidence information. The auxiliary information may include words or expressions in the recording that may correspond to each focus point, expressions that are semantically similar to words or expression patterns registered in the focus point determination table, candidates for classification results, or the confidence level of such candidates. Furthermore, if childcare personnel input the validity of the determined focus points or whether a proposal was accepted or rejected through a meeting or confirmation process, the input results may be used as reference information for subsequent analysis.

[0023] (Detection of differences in perspectives among multiple childcare providers) The analysis and proposal unit 105 has a function to detect differences in the points of focus among childcare providers by comparing the points of focus determined by each provider for records concerning the same or nearby situations of the same child, entered by different childcare providers. The analysis and proposal unit 105 may also extract records concerning the same or nearby situations from among multiple records concerning the same child, provided that the recording date and time are within a predetermined time frame and the recorders are different. Furthermore, the analysis and proposal unit 105 may compare the behavior type, emotion type, interpersonal relationship type, or developmental domain type assigned to each of the extracted records, and determine that differences in points of focus exist if a predetermined percentage or more of the comparable classification items differ.

[0024] For example, if caregiver A assigns a tag corresponding to "independence" to the same behavior of the same child, and caregiver B assigns a tag corresponding to "anxiety," the system detects the difference in perspective or assessment between the caregivers based on the mismatch in tags and displays the existence of this difference to the caregivers. This makes differences in assessment within the care team visible and can serve as an opportunity for sharing and discussion. Also, if caregiver A records that "the child was carefully selecting blocks in front of the shelf," and caregiver B records that "the child seemed to want to join the group of friends, but appeared anxious" for the same child at the same time, the analysis suggestion unit 105 may assign a classification result corresponding to "immersion" or "stability" to the former record, and a classification result corresponding to "anxiety" or "hesitation to participate in the group" to the latter record. In this case, the analysis suggestion unit 105 may determine that different perspectives exist for the same or similar situations and display the difference.

[0025] (Detection of observer bias or observation gaps) The analysis suggestion unit 105 detects when only specific childcare personnel are recording information, or when no records are made by specific childcare personnel for a predetermined period, and displays or warns that there is a bias in observation. This makes it possible to understand when multifaceted observation is not being carried out sufficiently. For example, the analysis suggestion unit 105 may calculate the number of records for the same child in childcare within a predetermined period, the number of recorders who entered the records, and the percentage of records per recorder. If the number of records within the predetermined period is less than a predetermined number, it may be determined that there is a gap in observation or a shortage of records. Alternatively, if the percentage of records made by a specific recorder within the predetermined period is greater than or equal to a predetermined percentage, it may be determined that there is a bias in observation.

[0026] (proposal generation means) The analysis proposal unit 105 generates a proposal that presents information for childcare personnel to confirm the difference based on the results of difference detection. Specifically, the analysis proposal unit 105 stores a corresponding proposal text template or display information template for each type of difference in the storage unit 103, reads the appropriate template according to the detected type of difference, and generates a proposal by filling in the necessary information. For example, if multiple childcare personnel have different points of focus regarding the same behavior of the same child, the analysis proposal unit 105 identifies the difference as a mismatch and displays information for confirming the relevant record or video by referring to the corresponding display information template. In this case, the display information template may include a statement that a difference exists, the content of each recorder's record, the date and time of recording, information on the child, the determined point of focus, the classification result, extracted words or expressions, and a display format for displaying the corresponding photograph or video. When using text generation by the generation AI 102, the analysis proposal unit 105 may output the necessary information to the prompt generation unit 106, and the prompt generation unit 106 may generate prompts to input to the generation AI 102.

[0027] (Roles of the prompt generation unit and the generation AI) The prompt generation unit 106 generates prompts to be input to the generating AI 102 based on the analysis results, classification results, difference detection results, focus point determination table, target child information, recorder information, related records, and other information output from the analysis proposal unit 105. The prompts generated by the prompt generation unit 106 may include prompts used for auxiliary processing of focus point determination, prompts used for generating difference confirmation information, prompts used for generating activity sharing text drafts, prompts used for generating reflection questions, prompts used for reflection text analysis, and prompts used for extracting similar expressions. The generating AI 102 outputs a candidate or draft based on the prompt, and the analysis proposal unit 105 uses the output as auxiliary information or draft information. Specifically, the prompt generation unit 106 may store prompt templates corresponding to the type of difference, child care information, target behavior, related records, and proposal purpose in the storage unit 103, and generate a prompt by reading the corresponding template according to the detected difference information and filling in the necessary information. For example, if a discrepancy in assessment is detected, the prompt generation unit 106 may generate a sentence that indicates that multiple childcare workers have different points of focus regarding the same behavior of the same child care recipient, and provides information for checking related records or videos. Alternatively, the prompt generation unit 106 may include the point of focus names, word groups, expression patterns, and classification conditions included in the point of focus determination table in the prompt, causing the generating AI 102 to extract words or expressions in the record that may correspond to each point of focus.

[0028] Figure 2 is a flowchart showing an example of processing in a childcare support system according to one embodiment of the present invention. First, childcare staff input records (S1), and these records are stored in the memory unit 103 (S2). Next, the memory management unit 104 organizes the records (S3), and the analysis proposal unit 105 determines the points of focus based on the records (S4). Subsequently, it determines whether there are any discrepancies in the determined points of focus (S5). If discrepancies exist, it displays that discrepancies exist and presents information for checking related records or videos (S6). On the other hand, if no discrepancies exist, it displays the determined points of focus (S7). The focus determination process in S4 may include, for example, matching words or expression patterns in the record with a focus determination table, assigning a classification result to the record, comparing it with past records concerning the same child in care, and determining the focus corresponding to the record. Furthermore, the difference determination process in S5 may include comparing the focus or classification results assigned to multiple records concerning the same or similar situations.

[0029] (Example 1: A specific example of determining the point of focus) In this example, we will explain using the case where a childcare worker enters an observation record for child X, including a short note that reads, "Yesterday, he was just watching from the edge of the sandbox, but today he handed a shovel to a friend and started building a sandcastle together."

[0030] The memory unit 103 stores a focus determination table that associates a set of multiple focus points with a group of words, expression patterns, or classification conditions corresponding to each focus point. For example, the focus determination table includes words or expression patterns that indicate temporal contrast, such as "until yesterday," "today," "before," "recently," "for the first time," and "became able to do," as expressions corresponding to "things where a change occurred within a certain period of time." It also includes words or expression patterns that correspond to "things where proactive behavior was observed," such as "on their own," "choosing," "trying it out," and "speaking up." Furthermore, it includes words or expression patterns that correspond to "things where interaction with other children was observed," such as "together," "giving," "receiving," "lending," "borrowing," and "inviting."

[0031] The analysis suggestion unit 105 analyzes the input one-word memo and compares the words or expression patterns contained in the one-word memo with the group of words or expression patterns registered in the focus point determination table. In the case of the one-word memo, the analysis suggestion unit 105 extracts "until yesterday" and "today" as expressions indicating temporal contrast, "on my own initiative" as an expression indicating proactive action, and "handed over the shovel" and "together" as expressions indicating interaction with other children.

[0032] The analysis and suggestion unit 105 assigns at least one of the following categories to the observation record based on the extracted words or expression patterns: behavior type, emotion type, interpersonal relationship type, and developmental domain type. For example, for the one-word memo, the analysis and suggestion unit 105 assigns "cooperation" or "challenge" as the behavior type, "children and small groups" as the interpersonal relationship type, and "social skills" as the developmental domain type.

[0033] Furthermore, the analysis and proposal unit 105 compares the classification results assigned to observation records recorded in the most recent predetermined period with the classification results assigned to observation records recorded in a comparison period prior to the predetermined period for the child receiving childcare corresponding to the observation record. For example, if the number or percentage of observation records classified as "children and small groups" in the most recent 7 days has increased by a predetermined threshold or more compared to the number or percentage in the previous 7 days, the analysis and proposal unit 105 determines that a change has occurred in the child receiving childcare regarding their interactions with other children.

[0034] The analysis proposal unit 105 determines that an observation record corresponds to "something that has changed within a certain period" among the "pre-set points of focus" if the observation record contains expressions that indicate temporal comparison, and the classification result or comparison result with past records assigned to the observation record satisfies predetermined conditions. Furthermore, the analysis proposal unit 105 determines that an observation record corresponds to "something that should be continuously observed" if the observation record is assigned a classification result related to proactive behavior or interaction with other children, and it is determined that it is desirable to confirm the classification result in subsequent observations.

[0035] If the observation record includes photographs or videos, the analysis suggestion unit 105 may store the photographs or videos in the storage unit 103 in association with the determined points of focus, as the basis or related records for those points of focus.

[0036] (Example 2: Detection of differences in identical or nearby scenes by multiple childcare personnel) In this embodiment, we will explain using the example of when caregiver A and caregiver B enter different observation records for the same child X during adjacent time periods.

[0037] The analysis suggestion unit 105 extracts observation records concerning the same child from among multiple observation records, where the recording date and time fall within a specified time frame and the recorder is different, as records relating to the same or closely related scenes. For example, if a record entered by caregiver A at 10:15 and a record entered by caregiver B at 10:22 both relate to the same child X and the same class, the analysis suggestion unit 105 may extract these records as records relating to the same or closely related scenes.

[0038] The analysis suggestion unit 105 assigns at least one of the following to each extracted observation record, similar to Example 1: behavior type, emotion type, interpersonal relationship type, and developmental domain type. For example, if caregiver A's record is "The child was carefully selecting blocks in front of the shelf," the analysis suggestion unit 105 may assign "absorption" as the behavior type, "stability" as the emotion type, and "solitude" as the interpersonal relationship type to that record. On the other hand, if caregiver B's record is "The child seemed to want to join the group of friends, but appeared anxious," the analysis suggestion unit 105 may assign "avoidance" as the behavior type, "anxiety" as the emotion type, and "children and groups" as the interpersonal relationship type to that record.

[0039] The analysis and proposal unit 105 may compare the classification results assigned to each observation record and determine that there are differences in perspective if a predetermined percentage or more of the comparable classification items differ, or if at least the behavior type or emotion type differs. For example, if the behavior type differs between "absorption" and "avoidance," and the emotion type differs between "stability" and "anxiety," the analysis and proposal unit 105 will determine that there are differences in perspective or assessment among childcare workers regarding the same or similar situations.

[0040] (Example 3: Presentation of relevant records or videos when a difference is detected) If the analysis proposal unit 105 determines that there is a difference in the focus based on Example 2, it will display a statement indicating the existence of such a difference, along with relevant information to confirm that difference.

[0041] The displayed related information may include, for example, information about the child, the time of the scene, information about the recorder, a short note entered by each recorder, the points of focus identified, the classification result, extracted words or expressions, a thumbnail of the photo or video, the time of shooting, and information about the photographer.

[0042] For example, the display could include a message stating, "There are records from different perspectives regarding the same time period," along with caregiver A's record showing "The child was carefully selecting blocks in front of the shelf," and the assessment result showing "Immersed / Stable / Alone," and caregiver B's record showing "The child seemed to want to join the group of friends, but appeared anxious," and the assessment result showing "Avoidance / Anxiety / Children and Group." Furthermore, a confirmation note such as "This scene can be observed from both the perspective of the child concentrating alone and the perspective of hesitation to participate in the group" could be displayed.

[0043] (Example 4: Selection of observation records based on suitability for each application) The analysis proposal unit 105 may determine the suitability of the observation record for different purposes based on the text, photographs or videos, subject child information, recording date and time, recorder information, meeting picks and other value flags included in the observation record, and the results of the focus point determination. The suitability for different purposes may include at least one of the following: suitability for sharing with parents, suitability for childcare journals, suitability for meeting discussions, and suitability for continuous observation.

[0044] For example, the analysis and proposal unit 105 may rate the suitability for sharing with parents or for use in childcare diaries highly for observation records with attached photographs, observation records with notes, observation records with a shared candidate flag, observation records where the behavior type is "cooperative," "challenging," or "immersed," or observation records where the interpersonal relationship type is "children in small groups" or "children in large groups." On the other hand, for observation records where the emotion type is "anxiety," "anger," or "tension," or observation records where the behavior type is "conflict" or "avoidance," the suitability for sharing with parents may be rated low, and the suitability for meeting discussion or continued observation may be rated high. For example, the analysis suggestion unit 105 may calculate a parent-sharing suitability score for each observation record. The parent-sharing suitability score may be calculated by adding 2 points if a photograph is attached, 3 points if a sharing candidate flag is assigned, 2 points if the behavior type is "cooperative," "challenging," or "immersed," and 1 point if the interpersonal relationship type is "child with a small group" or "child with a group," and subtracting 2 points if the emotion type is "anxiety," "anger," or "tension," and 2 points if the behavior type is "conflict" or "avoidance." The analysis suggestion unit 105 may select observation records with a score equal to or greater than a predetermined value as candidates suitable for parent-sharing.

[0045] The analysis and proposal unit 105 may, based on the suitability for each use, present candidates for activity sharing documents for parents, childcare diaries, meeting materials, or observation records to be used for confirming items in subsequent observations. However, the adoption, modification, or exclusion of such candidates may be carried out by confirmation operations by childcare personnel. When generating a draft activity-sharing document, the analysis and proposal unit 105 selects candidate observation records to be used in the draft activity-sharing document based on the suitability for each application. The prompt generation unit 106 embeds the candidate observation records, target date, target class, writing style conditions, and exclusion conditions selected by the analysis and proposal unit 105 into a prompt template and generates prompts to be input to the generation AI 102. The generation AI 102 outputs a draft activity-sharing document based on these prompts. Childcare personnel review, revise, or finalize the draft. For example, the prompt template could be: "Based on the following observation records, please create a draft of an activity sharing document for parents of the 2-year-old class. Avoid individual negative evaluations or diagnostic language, and write a document that conveys the overall activity of the class. The output should be a draft for review and revision by childcare staff. Observation Record: {Selected Observation Record}."

[0046] (Example 5: Presentation of reflection questions when creating a childcare log) The analysis proposal unit 105 may aggregate multiple observation records corresponding to a predetermined date and a predetermined class, and present reflective questions to childcare personnel based on the classification results, points of focus, meeting picks, and other value flags assigned to the observation records. When generating reflective questions using the generation AI 102, the analysis proposal unit 105 selects the information to be used to generate the reflective questions based on the classification results, points of focus, meeting picks, and other value flags assigned to the observation records for the day, and the comparison results with the previous day or previous week. The prompt generation unit 106 generates a prompt for generating reflective questions to be input to the generation AI 102 by embedding the selection results into a prompt template. The generation AI 102 outputs candidate reflective questions based on the prompt, and the analysis proposal unit 105 or the display means displays the candidate reflective questions.

[0047] For example, if the classification results regarding interactions with other children have increased in observation records for the same date, the analysis proposal unit 105 may ask, "Among the interactions between children that increased today, are there any that you would like to see continue tomorrow?" Also, if there are a predetermined number of records that are assigned the emotion type "anxiety" or "tension," the analysis proposal unit 105 may ask, "In situations where anxiety or tension was observed, were there any interactions that led to a sense of security?" For example, a prompt template for generating reflection questions might be: "Based on the classification results of the following observation records, create one short question to continue checking in tomorrow's childcare. The question should be phrased to encourage reflection by the caregiver and should not make definitive diagnoses or assessments. Classification result: {Classification result}, Representative observation record: {Observation record}."

[0048] The reflective statements entered by childcare workers in response to the aforementioned reflection questions are stored in the memory unit 103 and may be used as reference information when analyzing subsequent observation records.

[0049] (Example 6: Detection of observer bias or observation gaps) The analysis proposal unit 105 may compile the number of observation records, the number of recorders, the percentage of records per recorder, and the date and time of the final record for each child or class within a predetermined period, and detect bias in observers or gaps in observations.

[0050] For example, if no observation records exist for the same child in childcare within a specified period, the analysis suggestion unit 105 may determine that there is an observation gap for that child. Also, if there are a specified number or more observation records for the same child in childcare within a specified period, and the proportion of those records made by a specific recorder is specified or higher, the analysis suggestion unit 105 may determine that there is an observer bias.

[0051] If the analysis suggestion unit 105 determines that there are gaps in observation, it may display the information, "There are no observation records associated with this child for the most recent specified period." Furthermore, if it determines that there is bias among observers, it may display the information, "The most recent records for this child are mainly from specific childcare providers. It may be beneficial to review them from the perspectives of other childcare providers."

[0052] (Example 7: Prioritization using value-based flags) Childcare personnel may assign meeting picks, sharing candidates, or other value-adding flags when entering observation records or after entering them. The analysis and proposal unit 105 may use these value-adding flags for determining points of focus, detecting differences, determining suitability by application, or determining display order.

[0053] For example, for observation records that have been assigned a "meeting pick," the analysis suggestion unit 105 may prioritize their display ranking for meetings, lower the display threshold for difference detection, and use them preferentially as candidates for generating reflection questions or weekly summaries. Furthermore, for observation records that have been assigned a "sharing candidate," the suitability for sharing with parents or suitability for childcare journals may be increased. For example, the analysis suggestion unit 105 may calculate a display priority score for each observation record. The display priority score may be calculated by adding 3 points if a meeting pick is assigned, 2 points if there are multiple records relating to the same or similar points of focus, 2 points if it includes a classification result that appeared for the first time in the most recent period, and 2 points if it includes a classification result that has increased by a predetermined percentage or more compared to the previous period. The analysis suggestion unit 105 may preferentially display observation records with a high display priority score as candidates for meetings or sharing.

[0054] (Example 8: Process for connecting reflection results to subsequent observation perspectives) The analysis suggestion unit 105 may analyze the reflections entered by childcare staff when creating childcare logs or during meetings, and extract behavioral types, interpersonal relationship types, keywords, or subjects for continued observation included in the reflections. When the generation AI 102 is used to analyze the reflections, the analysis suggestion unit 105 outputs the reflections, related target child information, target class information, and past records to the prompt generation unit 106. The prompt generation unit 106 uses this information to generate a prompt for analyzing the reflections or a prompt for extracting similar expressions. Based on the prompt, the generation AI 102 outputs words, classification candidates, or similar expressions included in the reflections. The analysis suggestion unit 105 uses the output of the generation AI 102 as auxiliary information to determine whether there is a match or similarity with the observation records from the following day onward.

[0055] For example, if a childcare worker inputs "I want to continue observing the scene of a child handing a toy to a friend in the sandbox," the analysis suggestion unit 105 may extract words such as "sandbox," "friends," and "handing a toy," and assign them the behavior type "cooperation," the interpersonal relationship type "children and small groups," and the focus point "something to be continuously observed."

[0056] The analysis suggestion unit 105 may extract observation records from the following day onward that match or are similar to the words, classification results, or points of focus extracted from the reflection text, and display them as records related to the reflection text. For example, if the observation record for the following day states, "X handed Y a bucket and they carried the water together," the analysis suggestion unit 105 may extract this record as a record related to the previous day's reflection and present it with the message, "There is a record related to yesterday's reflection." In this case, the analysis suggestion unit 105 may compare the words, classification results, or points of focus extracted from the reflection text with the words, classification results, or points of focus included in the observation records for the following day or later, and if there are a predetermined number or more matching or similar items, it may determine that the observation record is a record related to the reflection text. [Industrial applicability]

[0057] This invention is intended for use in nurseries or kindergartens as a childcare support system for recording the growth status of individual children under childcare. Specifically, it can be used as a system in which multiple childcare workers input daily observation records from mobile devices, tablet devices, or smartphones, and based on these observation records, it determines points of focus and presents differences in assessment or understanding among childcare workers, gaps in observation, biases of observers, and points to confirm for subsequent observations. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0058] 100 Childcare Support Systems 101 Server 102 Generation AI 103 Storage section 104 Memory Management Department 105 Analysis and Proposal Department 106 Prompt generation unit 107a Childcare worker terminal 107b Childcare worker terminal 107c Childcare worker terminal 108 Childcare Worker Terminal Communication Department 109 Control Unit

Claims

1. A childcare support system that allows childcare workers to share information about the children or classes they are caring for, and presents childcare workers with confirmation or sharing items regarding the children or classes they are caring for, A storage means for storing observation records of children under childcare, or observation records of the implementation status and reflection of childcare activities or play conducted at the class level, entered by childcare personnel, associated with at least one of the following: date and time of recording, recorder information, information of the child being recorded, and class information that identifies the class to which the observation record applies. A point of focus determination means that, with respect to the observation records stored in the storage means, uses the child or class being cared for as the target unit, and uses the words or expression patterns contained in the observation records, or the classification results assigned to the observation records based on the words or expression patterns, and refers to at least one of the recording date and time, the recorder information, the target child information, the class information, and the comparison results with past observation records relating to the target unit as information to assist in the determination, to determine whether there are points of focus that should be continuously checked for the target unit. A presentation means that presents the determination results obtained by the aforementioned focus point determination means to childcare personnel as items to be confirmed, items to be shared, or items to be confirmed in subsequent childcare or observation, in correspondence with the individual observation records or information accompanying said observation records that form the basis of said determination, A childcare support system characterized by having the following features.

2. The childcare support system according to claim 1, characterized in that the observation record includes at least one of text, photographs or videos relating to the child being cared for, or text, photographs or videos relating to childcare activities or play at the class level, and the observation record is accompanied by at least one of the date and time of recording, recorder information, child information, and class information identifying the class to which the observation record applies.

3. The storage means stores a table of focus points that associates a plurality of pre-set focus points with a group of words, expression patterns, or classification conditions corresponding to each focus point. The childcare support system according to claim 1, characterized in that the point of focus determination means determines a point of focus corresponding to the observation record by comparing the words or expression patterns included in the observation record with the group of words, expression patterns, or classification conditions stored in the point of focus determination table.

4. The aforementioned point of focus determination means determines a point of focus for each observation record, based on multiple observation records concerning the same or nearby scenes of the same child being cared for, entered by different childcare personnel. The childcare support system further comprises a difference detection means that compares the points of focus determined by each childcare worker for the multiple observation records and detects differences in points of focus or assessments among the childcare workers. The childcare support system according to claim 1, characterized in that the presentation means presents the detection results by the difference detection means in association with the observation record or information associated with the observation record that forms the basis of the difference.

5. The childcare support system further includes an observation gap / bias determination means that, based on the observation records stored in the memory means, aggregates the number of observation records within a predetermined period, the number of recorders who entered the observation records, the percentage of records per recorder, or the date and time of the last record for each child or class being cared for, and determines whether there are any gaps in observation or bias in the observers for the child or class being cared for. The childcare support system according to claim 1, characterized in that the presentation means presents to childcare personnel items to be confirmed, items to be shared, or items to be confirmed in subsequent childcare or observation regarding the child or class in question, based on the determination results by the observation gap / bias determination means.

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