For a licensed nursery school (保育園, hoikuen) place in Ehime from April 2027, Matsuyama City takes applications from Friday, November 20 to Friday, December 11, 2026, and hands out its application guide (入園のてびき) from Monday, October 26. Imabari takes applications from Friday, November 13 to Thursday, December 10, 2026, with forms at each nursery from October 30. Niihama had not posted dates as of October 26, 2026; last year it took applications from November 21 to December 5.
All three cities take April applications in one fixed period, score each household’s need, and then decide which nursery each child gets. Imabari takes the form at your first-choice nursery, Niihama there or online, and Matsuyama also at City Hall and online. This guide covers each city’s dates, where to hand in, when results arrive, how scoring works and the papers to prepare.
In short
- Matsuyama: November 20 to December 11, 2026 (the same deadline for February and March starts).
- Imabari: November 13 to December 10, 2026, forms at nurseries from October 30.
- Niihama: 2027 dates not yet posted (last year November 21 to December 5).
- If the reason is work, about 64 hours a month is the line in all three cities, and each parent hands in proof such as an employment certificate.
- Places go by score, not by who applies first.
- The city pages do not say whether staff can help in English; ask the city office before you go.
Checked with official pages on October 22 and 26, 2026.
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Nursery applications for April 2027 in Matsuyama, Imabari and Niihama: dates and where to apply
Matsuyama’s intake runs from November 20 to December 11, 2026, and Imabari’s from November 13 to December 10, 2026. Niihama had not posted its dates; last year it ran from November 21 to December 5.
| City | April intake | Hand in at | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matsuyama | Nov 20 to Dec 11, 2026 | A nursery, the city’s childcare division, or online | Late Feb 2027, by post |
| Imabari | Nov 13 to Dec 10, 2026 | Your first-choice nursery | Early Mar (last year) |
| Niihama | Not posted (last year Nov 21 to Dec 5) | Your first-choice nursery (interview with your child), or online | Late Feb (last year, by post) |
In every city this covers licensed nursery schools, the nursery part of certified centers (認定こども園, nintei kodomoen) and small-scale and other community nurseries. For kindergartens and the kindergarten part of certified centers (type 1), you apply to each school directly.
What to prepare before you apply: work hours, certificates and papers
In all three cities, if the reason is work, the guide is 64 hours or more a month, and you attach proof such as an employment certificate for each parent. To use a nursery, the city must certify your child as type 2 (ages 3 to 5) or type 3 (ages 0 to 2), and the application form doubles as the request for that certificate.
The employment certificate (就労証明書, shuro shomeisho) is filled in by your employer, and each city sets how recent it must be. Matsuyama accepts only certificates issued within three months counting from the month you apply: for a December application, on or after September 1. Last year, Niihama accepted certificates dated on or after November 1, 2025.
Other reasons need other papers: proof of work such as a copy of the tax return if you are self-employed, a copy of the Maternal and Child Health Handbook (母子健康手帳) for childbirth, a doctor’s note for illness, and a job-seeking statement if you are looking for work. Imabari has a questionnaire form that shows the papers you need when you answer its questions.
Matsuyama asks families to visit nurseries before applying, because care, allergy support and extra costs differ by nursery.
For families new to Japan: you apply to the city where your address is registered, and the conditions on the three city pages do not mention nationality or status of residence. Matsuyama’s form lists a residence card (在留カード) or passport among the photo IDs you can attach. The fee for ages 0 to 2 is based on city tax, so Matsuyama asks people with no Japanese tax record, for example after working abroad, for proof of income for the year that counts, such as a pay certificate or payslips. Documents in a foreign language need a Japanese translation.
How places are decided: the score (shisu) in each city
Places are decided not by who applies first but by each household’s score (指数, shisu) on the city’s table, highest first, and all three cities publish their tables on their sites or in their guides. Look up the line for each parent’s working pattern to get a rough idea of your score.
Matsuyama turns the need for childcare into a score with its selection table for types 2 and 3 (松山市保育所等入所選考基準表) and gives places to the children with the highest priority. Missing papers mean points are taken off, because the city cannot score you correctly, and unpaid nursery fees (including past ones and those for siblings) also affect selection. (Matsuyama City: selection criteria)
Imabari judges the need for childcare from the papers you hand in, using the selection table on its website, and then places children according to your choices and free places.
Niihama adds up a base score for each parent and then adds or takes away adjustment points for the household’s situation. When scores are equal, it looks at whether the child is graduating from a small-scale nursery, whether the family is a single-parent household with no grandparent living with them, the order of your choices and the base score.
Nursery fees in Ehime: free in the 3-to-5-year-old classes
For children in the 3-, 4- and 5-year-old classes (type 2), the nursery fee itself is free; at nurseries this starts on the April 1 after the child turns 3 (Children and Families Agency, Japanese). Meals, events and extended care are paid separately (Matsuyama). Niihama lists side dishes and snacks (副食費), transport, events and extended hours as costs outside the free program. For ages 0 to 2, the fee is free only for households exempt from city tax; for others, each city sets a monthly fee from the household’s city tax.
| Matsuyama, ages 0 to 2 (FY2026) | Standard hours | Short hours |
|---|---|---|
| Public assistance or no city tax | ¥0 | ¥0 |
| Lowest tax band (C1) | ¥15,000 | ¥14,700 |
| Highest tax band (C11) | ¥57,000 | ¥56,000 |
These are Matsuyama’s monthly fees for April 2026 to March 2027; the next table may differ. Working 120 hours a month or more on average usually gives standard hours (保育標準時間). Single-parent households and households with several children can pay less. (Matsuyama City: nursery fees)
How to apply in each city
Imabari takes the form at your first-choice nursery, Niihama at your first-choice nursery or online, and Matsuyama also at the City Hall childcare division counter and online. How results are sent and how late applications are handled also differ.
Matsuyama City: April 2027 intake November 20 to December 11, guide from October 26
Matsuyama City takes April 2027 applications from Friday, November 20 to Friday, December 11, 2026, and posted the details on its website on October 26. The deadline for February and March 2027 starts is also December 11.
You get the guide and hand in the form at a nursery, certified center or community nursery (weekdays 8:30 to 17:00, Saturdays 8:30 to 12:00 at those that open on Saturdays), or at the Childcare and Kindergarten Division (保育・幼稚園課) counter on the 2nd floor of the City Hall Annex (weekdays 8:30 to 17:00, and until 19:00 on November 26, December 3 and December 10). For public and private nursery schools you can also apply online through the Mynaportal “Pittari Service” (ぴったりサービス). For certified centers and community nurseries, the city asks you to hand the form in at that nursery.
Results come by post as an acceptance letter (入園承諾書) or a waiting-list letter (保留通知書), planned for late February 2027. The city does not give the sending date or the result by phone or at the counter.
To book a nursery visit, you can also use the national Hokatsu One Portal (保活ワンポータル). Matsuyama says registration opened on July 27, 2026; you can see nursery information and request visits there (some nurseries are not listed or do not take visits).
| Intake | November 20 to December 11, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Hand in at | A nursery, the division counter, or online (Pittari Service) |
| Results | By post, late February 2027 (planned) |
| Office | Childcare and Kindergarten Division, City Hall Annex 2F, 4-7-2 Nibancho, Matsuyama (Google Maps) |
| Phone | 089-948-6882 |
| Official pages | April 2027 applications; April 2026 applications; online application; Hokatsu One Portal; papers to submit |
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Imabari City: November 13 to December 10, hand in at your first-choice nursery
Imabari City’s Childcare and Kindergarten Division (保育幼稚園課) announced on October 8, 2026 that forms for April 2027 are handed out at each facility from Friday, October 30, and applications are taken from Friday, November 13 to Thursday, December 10, 2026, strictly. Details and the forms are to be posted on the childcare site Imakoso Imabari in late October (Imabari City: Childcare and Kindergarten Division, Japanese). February and March 2027 starts are taken with the April 2027 intake.
You hand the form in at your first-choice nursery, certified center or community nursery. Last year, the city contacted families who could not get their first choice by February 10; if you heard nothing by then, you had your first choice, and acceptance letters went out in early March. A second round from February 12 to 28 was held only at nurseries with places left after the first round.
If you plan to move to Imabari, you can apply by post after contacting the division. Your move-in must be confirmed by the end of the month before your child starts, or your child cannot start.
| Intake | November 13 to December 10, 2026 (forms from October 30) |
|---|---|
| Hand in at | Your first-choice nursery (by post if moving in) |
| Results | Last year early March |
| Office | Childcare and Kindergarten Division, Main Office 1st Annex 5F, 1-4-1 Betsumiyacho, Imabari (Google Maps) |
| Phone | 0898-36-1524 |
| Official pages | applications; papers to submit; notes on applying |
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Niihama City: pick up the forms at your first-choice nursery and attend an interview with your child
As of October 26, 2026, Niihama had not posted April 2027 information. Last year (April 2026 starts), applications ran from Friday, November 21 to Friday, December 5 on weekdays from 8:30 to 17:00; you picked up the forms at your first-choice nursery during that period and handed them in there.
There is a short interview when you hand in the form, so take your child with you. You can hand the form in at one nursery only; forms handed in at more than one are invalid. Late applications are handled after those made in the period, and last year the final day for April starts was February 27.
Points are taken off if you live with a grandparent under 65 who does not have a reason that counts as needing childcare. Last year, results were posted in late February. You can also apply online through the Mynaportal Pittari Service.
| Intake | Not posted (last year November 21 to December 5) |
|---|---|
| Hand in at | Your first-choice nursery, or online (Pittari Service) |
| Results | Last year by post in late February |
| Office | Child Care Division (こども保育課), 1-5-1 Ichinomiyacho, Niihama (Google Maps) |
| Phone | 0897-65-1582 |
| Official pages | April 2026 intake; FY2026 guide (PDF); Pittari Service |
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Applying in Ehime: what differs between the three cities
The April intake in all three cities is short, about two to four weeks in November and December, so visit nurseries first and ask your employer for a certificate dated after the city’s cut-off. Other differences to know:
- Where to hand in: Imabari and Niihama use your first-choice nursery (Niihama also online), and in Niihama you pick up the forms and have the interview there. Matsuyama also takes forms at City Hall and online.
- Starting later in the year: Matsuyama’s deadline is the 25th of the month two months before the start, Imabari’s is the whole month two months before, and Niihama’s is the 10th of the month before.
- Matsuyama posts the number of places for the month after next on its website on the 15th of each month, but not for February, March and April.
- Matsuyama also runs “reservations” (入園予約) for parents returning from childcare leave during the year; last year places were few, and not every applicant could reserve one.
Common questions
Can I apply for April while on childcare leave? Yes. Matsuyama accepts you on the condition that you return to work by the last day of the month your child starts; if you cannot, the place may be cancelled. Imabari says your child can start from the first day of the month you return.
How many nurseries can I list? Niihama’s form has space for three; if your child does not get the first choice, the city places them among those you listed, so it suggests listing as many as you can reach. With equal scores, families who answer “introduce another nursery” come before those who want only their listed choices. Matsuyama’s form takes up to five, and you do not have to fill them all.
Can I apply before moving in from another city? Imabari takes applications by post, but your move-in must be confirmed by the end of the month before your child starts. Matsuyama says that even if you are moving to Matsuyama, missing the deadline for the month you want moves you to a later month. For the move-in steps, see Moving to Matsuyama City.
Sources (checked October 12, 22 and 26, 2026)
3 pages we checked
- Matsuyama City: April 2027 applications, April 2026 applications, FY2026 application guide (PDF), online application, Hokatsu One Portal, papers to submit, selection criteria, nursery fees
- Imabari City: Childcare and Kindergarten Division (April 2027 dates), nursery and kindergarten applications, papers to submit, notes on applying
- Niihama City: April 2026 nursery intake, FY2026 nursery guide (PDF), Pittari Service, free early childhood education and care
