male childcare worker; male carer
Dated term for a male caregiver in a nursery school or children's home. The modern, gender-neutral term is 保育士.
See also: 保育士
The word 保父 was used in the past, but now 保育士 is common.
He worked for many years as a male carer at a children's home.
Compound of 保 (care, protect) and 父 (father), literally 'caring father'. The term was coined to designate a male childcare worker, paralleling the older 保母 (female childcare worker).