FAQ
What is your School Philosophy?
We value:
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Holistic Education
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Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum
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Positive Behavioral Guidance
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Multicultural Education
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Learn through Play
We are not only offering Japanese Only Environment, but also High Quality Childcare with our philosophies above. We believe that children learn the best through play and it is also effective to support their Self-Initiative for learning.
Why do you value "Multicultural Education" if you focus on Japanese language & culture?
We believe that “Multicultural Education” is essential for children. Even though we offer Japanese immersion programs, we teach different cultures and diversity. Our hope is for children to learn the importance of diversity and build healthy identity for themselves while they are growing up in Canadian society.
What is the requirement to join the program? Is this only for Japanese or Japanese speaking families?
Neither Nationality nor Home Language is on our requirements.
Please see STUDENT ADMISSION for the details of each requirement for our programs.
What is your program fee?
Please see the details of the PROGRAM FEES for each program. There is a non-refundable registration fee of $80.00. (From the second year onward, the registration fee will be $40.00.)
How strict is your “Japanese Only” policy?
We take our “Japanese Only” policy seriously. If we hear another language being spoken, a teacher will always speak to the student. However, we take the child’s age into consideration.
For preschoolers, we do not expect them to fully understand this concept at the start of the school year and allow time to help them adjust during the first few months. For school-age children, however, we expect them to follow the policy from the beginning.
If a child is unable to follow the policy or adapt to the environment after a certain period of time, we may advise that the child leave the program.
Is there any priority policy for registration? Just wondering if Japanese or Japanese speaking families have a priority...
There is no priority based on Nationality or Home Language. Our registration priority policy is as below.
Infant/Toddler
In Order of Arrival.
Preschool
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1st: Current Students (As of the end of January, when our pre-registration for current students begins)
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2nd: Siblings of Current Students
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3rd: New Students
After school
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1st: Current Students (As of the end of March; when our pre-registration for current students begins.)
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2nd: Preschool Graduates
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3rd: New Students
We may hold a lottery if there are many applicants with equal eligibility.
When can I register?
Applications are being accepted anytime when there are seats available.
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Infant/Toddler: Register anytime for Saturday classes via our website. The two-month term registration is available for Wednesday classes at Esquimalt Recreation Centre. Their registration is usually open a month before the class starts in Sep, Nov, Jan, Mar, and May.
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Preschool: We accept applications at any time after your child is born. The registration deadline is at the end of February. This is annual registration program (September to June).
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After school: We accept applications at any time. The registration deadline is at the end of April. This is annual registration program (September to June).
Please visit REGISTRATION for the details.
If you are applying during the school year, please contact us to inquire about availability for each program.
How many children and teachers per class?
We have maximum of 15 students per class for both in preschool and after school programs with 2 to 3 teachers.
Our infant toddler program has 1 or 2 teachers up to 20 families in a class, which may vary depending on the venue and the number of participants.
Do children learn Japanese reading/writing?
Our primary goal is to keep children communicating only in Japanese during the program while having fun.
We don't teach Japanese as an academic goal, but use Japanese characters all the time. Children will learn Japanese reading/writing through Japanese books and our writing activities; however, it is not a Japanese lesson.