Pre School education is the first step into the world of knowledge and healthy and purposeful existence, pre-primary education is believed to be particularly important for children in Japan. While helping youngsters grow more independent and confident, this education system also promotes the children’s overall development.
After attending pre-primary school, most children learn more quickly due to the structured curriculum and learning tools they have access to as well as the interaction they have with their peers. Pre-primary education’s major goal is to prepare children physically, emotionally, socially, and mentally for formal schooling, as well as to prevent poor performance and early school dropout.
Tokyo international preschools are a necessity for all children
A good education enables older children, particularly girls, to attend school, relieving them of the obligation of caring for younger siblings, according to the report. To ensure the success of primary education, early childhood education, including pre-primary education, is viewed as a necessary intervention area. Because the compulsory education system does not cover the preschool years, the majority of Tokyo International Preschool and kindergartens are privately run.
To improve the academic skills and discipline of children entering elementary schools, the government is reportedly drafting a bill that would make preschool or kindergarten mandatory.
Traditional Tokyo School System
Hoikuen and Yochien are preschools and daycares, respectively, according to the Japanese Ministry of Education. It is a type of Japanese preschool and kindergarten called Yochien. Preschools, which fall under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, teach children aged three to six for about four hours a day. It is child-centered and based on “whole-person education,” which emphasizes friendship and responsibility.
It was the 1989 Preschool Course of study that transformed preschool education from organized classroom instruction to child-centered education with minimal instructor intervention. Social skills are taught to children while they are playing, and teachers provide an appropriate atmosphere for that growth and monitor their activities. This guideline first baffled many preschool teachers.
An emphasis on self and social awareness.
According to comparative ethnographic studies of preschools, the Japanese preschool places a greater emphasis on teaching social skills and developing a collective identity than the American preschools, which place a higher value on autonomy and independence. Teachers are kept to a minimum in Japanese preschools, and children are left to control their behavior. For example, a maternal-type teacher works with children in an American preschool.
Tokyo international preschools System
Kindergarten
In Japan, there are two types of early childhood education: kindergarten and daycare. For more than 39 weeks out of the year, kindergartens are managed under the School Education Law and welcome children aged 3 to 6. Kindergarten education is regulated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s (MEXT) Kindergarten Education Guidelines (National Curriculum Standards for Kindergartens), however, private kindergartens are not required to adhere to them in full.
There is a two-year program for children aged 4 to 6 and a three-year course for children aged 3 to 6; an increasing number of parents prefer the three-year course. The maximum student-teacher ratio is 1:35. After high school, kindergarten instructors must complete more than two years of training to obtain a teaching license. About 60 percent of the 13949 kindergartens nationwide are private (2005, MEXT).
Daycare facilities
The daycare facility is the second system. According to the Child Welfare Law, daycare centers operate under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Welfare and Labor in Japan. When parents are unable to care for their children during the daytime due to work or illness, they might send them to a daycare center.
Regular hours of operation start between 7:30-8:30 in the morning to 6:00-7:00 pm in the evening. Although the kindergarten guidelines are applied to children aged 3 to 6, the daycare education and care guidelines offer the basis for the curriculum.
It has been considered multiple times since 1945 to combine these two systems for children aged 3 to 6, but they remain distinct and are administered by different ministries. “Comprehensive educational facility” is a newer system. One institution provides both daycare and kindergarten, allowing for multiple types of care and teaching.
Special Programs at Tokyo international preschools
Special programs, which are established in daycare facilities and kindergartens, are another key element of Japanese early childhood care and education. Activities that take place on a specified day for a specific educational aim are known as special programs. Each customized program is designed for youngsters following the educational goal.
The curriculum at Tokyo International Schools
Education by utilization of the environment is described as the main idea of the current National Curriculum Standards for Kindergartens (the guidelines for Japanese preschool education, amended in 2000).
It is founded on three axes of practice: the importance of all daily kindergarten activities that are appropriate for early development, comprehensive guidance through play, and individual guidance based on an awareness of each child’s uniqueness. A child-centered education method can be described as a result of this strategy. From the very beginning of kindergarten, the methodology of Japanese child-centered preschool education was conceived and developed.
Daycare institutions and kindergartens teach life skills as well. In early childhood education, life skills are viewed as equally vital as academic goals. They both emphasize greetings, handwashing, mealtime etiquette, and brushing teeth after lunch, among other social skills. To this end, teachers actively encourage and expect that the family will assist in the child’s formation of a daily routine.
For example, to help parents during the long summer break, many kindergartens send out newsletters that urge good behavior. In the summer, for example, there are messages that convey, “avoid drinking too many cold drinks”and “don’t drive too fast”, “avoid watching too much television”, etc…
Then which is the best Tokyo International Preschool?
One of the best schools in Tokyo offers the best international kindergarten program, called Global Montessori Plus Program which is a blend of the renowned Montessori approach and modern pre-school education. Japanese Kindergarten is unique among Tokyo International Schools. The best schools have some of the most renowned preschool curriculum that will provide your preschoolers a firm basis as they begin their school careers.
