Hi

Potentially moving to Tokyo and I would like to know what are the best preschools for a 2 year old american.

Also are the large waiting lists like some american preschools?

Thanks

I would like to suggest that there are no pat answers to this question. It's very subjective. It's important for you to go and see as many alternatives as you can and combine your own personal impressions of people & facilities with "what you hear".

Some would say that a long waiting list indicates quality. But, it may not preclude a very good experience where there is not a wait.

For what it's worth...

Scott

GREGG INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
OPEN HOUSE

SATURDAY, MAY 22, 2004
10:30 to 12 noon
Everyone welcome !!!

Please call 03-3725-8000
Write to matuzawa@gregg.ac.jp
Visit www.gis-j.com
for more information

Gregg accepts students from
age 2 to elementary age.
Close to Jiyugaoka station on Toyoko Line, easilly accessible from Meguro, Shibuya, Hiroo, Ebisu, Kawasaki, Denenchofu and Yokohama.

Come to see our sunny classrooms and spacious school yard, and meet our caring teachers and staff.

English speaking children who are attending Japanese schools during the week also welcome to Gregg on Saturday.
Our brand new Saturday School is especially for YOU.

Gregg SUMMER SCHOOL 2004
now accepting applications.
SUMMER SCHOOL is
from June 14 to August 13.
You can pick up one to 9 weeks during the time.
Please call 03-3725-8000
for more information.

See you at GREGG INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL in Jiyugaoka !!!

Matsuzawa-san,
Perhaps you don't realize it, but your posting messages advertising your school in many discussions is inappropriate. Someone else asked you to stop spamming this list, which you are doing by this posting everywhere.

What do you think the discussions would look like if all the schools posted advertising everywhere?

Scott Hancock

I agree with you Scott,

It is really annoying me too.

It doesn't give me a good impression about this school, they don't seem to respect the most elementary form of disciplin! One might wonder what do they teach to the kids?

Hopefuly the 99 remaining other preschools in Tokyo do understang the basics!

Anne

Matsuzawa-san probably didn't know about the New Posts Seach Option, otherwise she would likely have refrained from making multiple postings.

I checked the school's website but couldn't find any details about the summer program. If possible, please provide more info.

Sorry to join this discussion
late. I have been very happy
with Doremi Garden
preschool http://
www.doremigarden.com. The
staff are excellent, all speak
English and my daughter
LOVES it there. She has been
going there since it opened
about 9 months ago. She has
learned so much from being
there and has made a lot of
friends.

Hi - just read this message. I have just heard about a new preschool in Ebisu near Garden Place so if you are waiting for a place at an existing school this could be worth finding out more about - I know they are based on foreign curricula and are for kids aged 18 months to 5. If anyone wants to find out more the name of the school is Happy Days International Preschool and kindergarten and the phone number is 03 3446 1540. Good luck.

Cherry

I just happened to stumble accross an old copy of this magazine which has quite a few websites of international preschools not listed on this site which you may want to include. Most of the websites seem to be current.

http://metropolis.japantoday.com/specials/schools2005/school_1.html

Sorry if I'm posting in the wrong place, I tried to email you through the "comments" section to no avail.
Regards, Linda

note from admin: Thanks for the heads up. With a staff of one, I have begun to rely on the schools themselves to inform me when they have put up a website or moved, etc. If I am sent specific changes/additions, I can cope with those quickly. Comparing a list requires more time, and thus gets shoved onto the backburner.

Also, please use the "contact admin" choice in the left hand blue column under "Help" to contact me.

Re the Metropolis article on international schools - thanks for the useful links, but I just wanted to remind anyone else reading it to bear in mind that this was an advertising supplement, and all the schools would have paid for inclusion, so the selection and reviews will not be exactly unbiased.

Good point Beth. Yes,anybody reading the metropolis preschool article please don't be mislead into thinking it's unbiased journalism, it's an informercial, and of course will be terribly biased.

Linda

There is also quite a thoughtful article about international schools in the latest edition of Japan Inc magazine. You can find the online version here:

http://japaninc.com/article.php?articleID=1419&page=1

but for some reason the online version doesn't seem to have the list (not exhaustive, but covering the longer-established ones) of international schools around Japan, complete with website addresses, which is in the magazine.

Im looking for an English pre-school or an english after school near taito-ku,tokyo-to.If you happen to know one please tell me.thank you so much.

Can anyone give me some information about "kids world" preschool in Shirokanedei?
Do they have any native English speaking teachers?
Is there a website or e-mail-address where I can get further information?
Thanks!
Anja

hi Anja

Check this site for kids preschool in Tokyo area..

http://www.pigeonhearts.co.jp/eng/

There are about 12 preschools in Tokyo.. Check this site to get the details..It is in Japanese.. So please use some translater like
altavista babel fish to get the address...
http://www.pigeonhearts.co.jp/kidsworld/center/index.html#tokyo

ggk

HERE'S AN INFO ABOUT MARIA'S BABIES SOCIETY.

THIS IS JUST ANOTHER"BUSINESS SCHOOL".THE TEACHERS FROM UK/AUSTRALIA ARE THE "SELLING FACTORS"....JUST LAST WEEK ONE OF THE PARENTS MADE LEGAL COMPLAINT ABOUT AN INCIDENT THAT TOOK PLACE IN A CLASSROOM.....SORRY IF I AM ACTUALLY POSTING THIS COMMENT TO THE WRONG PLACE !!

Vasanthi,

Can you please be more specific about why you think this is a business school and what was the nature of the legal complaint?

HI LILY,

I RECEIVED YOUR E-MAIL WITH AN INVALID ADDRESS. ANYWAY,IT IS TRUE THAT THE ONE OF THE TEACHERS FROM MARIA BABIES SOCIETY DOES NOT HAVE THE RIGHT QUALIFICATIONS AND GOSSIPS ABOUT MOTHERS INFRONT OF THE STUDENTS AND STAFF.

Someone recently mentioned the Dalton School in Uehara to me. Anyone know anything about it?

Thanks,

Melissa

Hi Melissa,

The Dalton School in Tokyo is not an international preschool. The tuition and fees are very high for a Japanese school (probably the highest in the nation?) so most childrens are from well-off Japanese families. I believe you need to communicate in Japanese all the time with teachers and other parents. I also heard you cannot automatically transfer your child from the Tokyo Dalton to the one in NYC.

Noriko

Hi Melissa,

The Dalton School in Tokyo is not an international preschool.
The tuition and fees are very high for a Japanese school (probably the highest in the nation?) so most childrens are from well-off Japanese families.
I believe you need to communicate in Japanese all the time with teachers and other parents.
I also heard you cannot automatically transfer your child from the Tokyo Dalton to the one in NYC.
Melissa, I hope this info helps you a bit.

Noriko

Hi! I am living in Meguro area (Tokyo) and looking for a playgroup for my daughter 19 months old. Any suggestions!

Thanks for help

Abby

Hello, Abby!!
I would like to introduce new preschool-KIDZ STATION-in Futagotamagawa.
We will start trial classes from 11am tomorrow. Please contact me for more details.

KIDZ STATION trial class
THURSDAYS, Feb2-Mar23, 2006
11:00 to 12:10
2625yen/class

Everyone welcome !!!
we accept students from 18months to 4years.

Please call 03-3700-1313
Write to info@kidzstation.jp

KIDZ STATION
#206,Manoa Tamagawa1 building,
3-20-5,Tamagawa,Setagayaku,Tokyo
03-3700-1313
info@kidzstation.jp

Hi! I am looking for a preschool for my 2year old daughter to start in Sept 06 close to Hiroo. Any recommendations from parents with personal experience? I have researched a few schools, but I'd really like to know if there were any you'd personally recommend or really didn't like for any reason. Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks.

Hi,

My daughter attends Willowbrook
International Preschool, which is a short
walk from Hiroo, it's across from the
Tennis Park at Arisugawa Park. We are
really happy with the school and my
daughter is doing great there, I would
highly recommend it. You can find them
on-line at www.willowbrookschool.com

I have friends that send their kids to PAL
International School, which is in Nishi
Azabu 3-chome, close to Kougai Park and
friends who send their kids to ABC School,
which is down the street from
Willowbrook. My friends are happy with
those schools as well.

I've also heard good things about T-space,
but I don't know much about it.

Willowbrook has a duel immersion
program that is quite popular, although
their English classes are popular as well.
They use the Reggio Emilia model of
teaching, which suits my daughter well.
My husband and I are big fans of the
school.

Regardless of the school you chose, I think
there are a number of great choices in the
area for International School. Of course,
many of them come with a steep price tag.
If your company pays for kindergarten
instead of pre-school, you may look into
Sacred Heart - Kindergarten starts at a
younger age there, so some companies
will pick-up the cost.

I also know people who have sent their
kids to the Japanese schools and have
been quite happy, but I don't know the
pre-school names in the Hiroo area.

Finally, I would apply soon. Many of the
preschools are finishing their class lists for
next September - of course there are
always people leaving, so spots do
become available, but you probably don't
want to go through the stress of being put
on a wait list.

Suzanne

Hi,

I am also looking for a preschool (Mother & Child class) for my 20 months old daughter in Hiroo or Kami-Meguro area, any recommendations?

Thanks
Claudia

The Mother and Child program at KSpace is wonderful. It's located at Shiroganedai (near Shiroganedai station, about 1km down the road from Hiroo Station).

My child goes to the regular kindergarten there.

If you are on an expat package that includes payment for preschool then there is a lot of choice in the Hiroo area (as mentioned in previous posts). I find the international preschools in Tokyo VERY expensive (Y2mio + a year). This is a lot of money to spend on a 2/3 year old. If you are paying your own preschool fees then it is worth checking out Acorn (www.acorn-school.com). They only opened late last year. They are located in Moto-azabu which is a few minutes walk from Hiroo and they are affordable. They are small but with that comes lots of benefits particularly the individual attention the children get and the strong bond they form with each other. Even though they are small with only 1 classroom, it is a bright, colourful and happy place. My 3 year old goes there and he loves it, he is learning heaps and having lots of fun. They have a regular morning program and then an afternoon club where you can just drop your kids off for a play - no enrolment fee or regular attendance is required for the afternoon club, just pay as you use.

Another option for mommy and me
groups or for some occasional babysitting
is the Small Wonder's Creche. It's
run by a Willowbrook teacher on maternity
leave - Susan Carr - she lives on the
fourth floor of the Willowbrook School
building (across the street from the Tennis
Courts at Arisugawa Park in Minato-ku).
Susan was our daughters teacher last year
and we thought she was great. She's a
certified/degreed/experienced Early
Childhood Education teacher.

We've also used her babysitting service for
our younger daughter. I had something to
do for a couple of hours, so I dropped my
toddler off and when I got back to pick her
up she told me she didn't want to leave!
(Noooo, I want to stay mama!)

The times are from 9am to Noon, she
accepts up to 6 kids and she has someone
who helps her. The cost is 2000 Yen an
hour and there is a discount if you buy a
pack of 10 coupons.

I'm not sure the details of the mommy and
me groups, but you can contact her
directly and ask about it. She's a lovely
person and both my daughters adore her.

Her e-mail is:
smallwonder
s@gol.com

Frankly, we were quite pleased when she
opened the service, it's nice to have
occasional baby sitting available by
someone whom you think highly of and
trust.

Suzanne

International School Seeks New Owners

Due to a recently diagnosed chronic illness for our daughter we have had to relocate to another country to seek adequate health care.

Due to this relocation we must seek new owners for our international school located in Setagaya.

The school is fully resourced and staffed with reliable students.

If you are interested in this regrettable sale please contact us via email kolzy@hotmail.com

After a sweltering summer holiday, Sesame International Preschool will be re-starting our Story Time program with the start of our new school year in September. Our first Story Time will be held on September 4th from 11:30-12:15. Our themes for September will be Farm Animals and Hispanic Heritage. As always, our Story Time is free and open to the public, so please drop by and join us in the fun of reading! For more details see our newly updated web-site at http://sesame.jap.co.jp