For all you parents looking for a preschool that suits your kids, we’re hoping to add a little something to aid in your search. Parents of children who attend various preschools on island have filled out a series of questions about the schools for the benefit of the rest of us. We welcome more than one voice on each school since everyone has a different experience, so please feel free to add in your two cents in the comments.
If your child attends a school that has not been reviewed on this site, please contact our Submissions Manager for the template.
CONTRIBUTED BY BETH
Name of the school: Casa de Ninos Montessori International Preschool
Ages of Your Kid(s) in this School: 3
Where is this school located? Off of 85 between route 24 and the intersection of 23 & 85
Contact Information: Mr. Ted 098-930-0607
Admissions/Enrollment:
What is the maximum number of students that your school has? Not sure what the maximum number they can accommodate is
What is the current number of students? 11
Is enrollment open/year-round enrollment or per semester? year round
Does my child have to be potty-trained to attend? no
Can I bring my child in for a pre-enrollment visit? Yes. They encourage it.
Days and hours:
What are the school’s hours? The school is open from 6am-6pm
Is the school on a Japanese or American schedule? American
How flexible is the school with pickup and drop-off times? very flexible
Costs:
What are the registration fees? Annual fee of 5,000 Yen
What are the tuition fees? They have monthly tuition rates and are as follows: 5 full days, 39,000 Yen; 5 half days: 30,000 Yen; 3 full days: 29,000 Yen; 3 half days: 20,000 Yen (though the latter 3 are limited to 2 & 3 year olds).
If any, what are the assessment and school supplies fees? A yearly supply fee of 15,000 Yen, but depending on when the child starts they will prorate the fee.
Are any discounts offered for referrals, siblings, volunteering, working there, etc.? There are discounts for having more than one child enrolled full-time. Not sure about the half day/partial schedule. The registration fee is also discounted for additional children.
Is there a late-pickup fee? They say there is a fee of 100 Yen per minute late, but I have never been charged for picking up my child late.
How and when does the school require payment (in yen, dollars, etc.)? Payment is in yen and due between the 1st & 5th of each month.
Parent Involvement and Interaction:
Does the school encourage spontaneous visits from parents? They don’t discourage it and never seem to mind when I’ve shown up early for pick up.
How do you communicate with parents? Generally in the mornings when dropping off or during pick up.
Is there a daily report or other process for informing parents of what children did during the day (naps, BMs, snacks, etc.)? Parents receive a note at the end of each day stating things like the child’s mood, how much they ate, napped, etc. The note also gives basic health info for the day (BM, fever, etc) and tells the parents what their child did that day.
Are there parent/teacher conferences? Yes. Once a year.
Classroom Structure and Size:
How are the kids grouped? Mixed ages / grouped by age?Right now they are mixed ages. When we first enrolled they were grouped by age. I think it depends on how many children are enrolled.
What’s the teacher-child ratio in each group? There is one teacher and one TA for my child’s class.
How many full-time teachers do you have? How many assistants? See above.
What is the school’s educational philosophy? Is the school program developmentally-based or does it have an academic focus? It is a mixture. They focus on both academics and development. They learn basics like numbers, alphabet and such and work on manners, hygiene, etc.
Is there a playground for the children to play on? There is a small play area outside.
What do the children do on any given day? The lessons depend on the day but they basically follow the schedule of circle time, montessori lesson, potty time, activity of the day (letters, numbers, arts & craft, show & tell), lunch, potty time, nap time, story or montessori lesson then pick up.
Are there extracurricular activities or field trips? Not many that I know of but they have taken trips to nearby parks.
How does the school discipline children? time outs.
How does the school comfort children? They’re very comforting and give hugs and reassurance.
Final Comments or Observations about the School:
We love this school. It’s a very small, quiet, structured atmosphere. We looked at quite a few schools and were very impressed by this school’s curriculum, structure, interaction with the children. It is definitely not a daycare by any means and they really do learn a lot.
Katherine,
My son went to the school several years ago (5 ish) and i still sometimes think about the rude and ignorant way my son and i were treated at that school. Mr. Ted was out of line several times and i pulled my son out after a few months. Mr. Ted did not know how to manage a classroom or handle a bright, high-energy child and tried to admonish my parenting and my son’s personality. Thank god i didnt fall for his lack of intelligence for very long. My son is still high energy, but is several grade levels above his peers in reading, writing and math. He is highly intelligent and will contribute great things to this world. Mr. Ted could only tell me what was wrong with him and that my 2 year old may need medication along with better parenting!!!!!Thank god i didnt listen to Mr. Ted. Please be aware, if your child is “out of the box” Mr. Ted will decide your child is not worth the money and may cause emotional harm to your child. I truly believe he saw us as a simple pay check and has no real joy for teaching.
I’ve had at least one child in Casa de Ninos for the past six years. My children learned a lot while following the Montessori method, being nurtured and being well taken care of.
The problem was not the dicipline, Mr Ted used foul language with my son. I don’t think that’s aceptable not even for japanese people. I don’t recomend this place to anyone.
The teachers at the facility are incredible and Mr. Ted is lucky to have them. Mr. Ted is harsh on the students but you must realize that this is Japanese Culture. Their children are very driven from the get-go to work and behave, thus the reason why their school have better ratings and higher standards than than of the US. If you don’t like the discipline, I would suggest that you try East-West Montessori. They are wonderful the whole way around and they are not harsh. The kids are much happier there.
My son has been in this school for about five month now. At the beginning everything seemed okay. The director was very welcoming and knowing that he was an American vet made me feel better. Last month the kids had to be transported from the school for a Christmas pageant rehearsal. When I dropped off my son that morning, I asked the director what the kids would be riding in and if he needed the booster seat. He replied by saying, in a very rude and angry tone, “The seat belt will be enough because we’re going on post.” In that moment one of the other teachers intervened and told me that I could drive my son and follow them. While I was following them I could clearly see the kids standing in the car while it moving down the road. The next day was the actual day of the Christmas pageant and I was excited to see my son perform in it. He had been practicing for months, but he was never in any of the acts with the other kids. My son was excluded from participating because I had been safety conscience and decided to say something when his actions obviously were not safe. Since the occurrence of this incident the director has continued to be rude, and has even at times spoken to my son in an almost abusive, demining and disrespectful manner. If anyone has experienced something like this at this school please let me know. Or if you have previous experience with something like this I would really appreciate the input. I am taking my son out of this environment but I also want the director to be accountable for his actions.
They no longer do 3 half days for the little kids, just 5 half days or 3 full days. My son just finished his first week, and seems to really enjoy it. When I picked him up the other day, the other littles were already in the nap room, and the older kids were washing their lunch dishes! Also, the day/lessons are about evenly split between English and Japanese. Occasionally on nice days the school will walk down the block to the neighborhood playground, and for Easter they did an egg hunt with a Japanese school.
The school is not far from Foster at all; maybe 10-15 minutes from the PX gate, depending on traffic. If you’re going up 330 towards Nago, make a left at onto 85 at Plaza Housing. I want to say that you turn right at the 6th light (you’ll see a Coco convenience store on the right at the intersection of 24 & 85, go straight through that light and the next one, then right at the next light). Then follow the road and you’ll see the school on the right.
Thank you for the post. I have been looking for a school that does half days so I can get my daughter used to going. Can you be a little more detailed about where this is located? Is it close to Camp Foster? If so, how would I get there from Camp Foster?
Thanks again
Kristina