Regular Program 18 months – 6 years old

Program Information

Mission:

Our mission is to create an environment that develops and encourages confidence, creative thinking, independence, intellectual risk-taking, resourcefulness, and social and emotional adaptability.

School Hours:

Monday – Friday
8:45 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Extended Child Care & Babysitting Services available until 5:00 p.m.

School Year:

Term 1: August – December
Term 2: January – March
Term 3: April – July

Class Schedule:

Pegasus: 18 months – 3 years (3 – 5 days per week)
Unicorn: 3 – 4 years (5 days per week)
Phoenix: 4 – 5 years (5 days per week)
Olympia: 5 – 6 years (5 days per week)

Age Group:

18 months – 6 years old

Characteristics:

Ideal balance of indoor and outdoor activities
Students are placed and promoted to classes appropriate to their age and readiness
Olympia (our kindergarten class) prepares students to enter first grade at elite international schools worldwide

Educational Philosophy:

Education is not simply a matter of encouraging literacy and numeric skills; it must also address the social and emotional qualities that underlie the basic human needs of harmony, positive self-awareness and self-expression, and security. We are focused on providing our students with a high-quality education program that offers a well-balanced curriculum in a nurturing environment.

Philosophy

We strongly believe in our philosophy, as these qualities form the foundation for dealing with life's various challenges. We believe lifelong achievement and happiness depend on one's ability to deal effectively with various people and to overcome adversity. These qualities need to be nurtured at an early age since children’s experiences in their early years play a significant role in enhancing their innate potential.

Free Learning through Free Play:

“Free learning through free play” is an integral part of our educational philosophy, and it supports our mission: to develop and encourage confidence, creative thinking, independence, intellectual risk-taking, resourcefulness, and social and emotional adaptability. Free play helps support these qualities that we want our students to develop, and through free play, children grow and learn naturally as they explore the world around them. For these reasons, free play is incorporated into both our indoor and outdoor activities.

Pre-Academic Skills:

KPIS is extremely proud to offer the highest quality early childhood education program in Tokyo. Our program is based on an activity-centered curriculum that integrates pre-academic skills and creative arts. Well-planned hands-on activities stimulate students’ innate talents and potential, and our students naturally learn important concepts in language, mathematics, and science while having fun in a stress-free environment.

We balance pre-academic skills without pressure and unrealistic expectations. Anxiety, disapproval and fear of failure all severely reduce children’s enthusiasm for learning and their ability to grow. At KPIS, we always try to provide our students with an atmosphere that nurtures their natural curiosity about the world in combination with proper motivation in order to achieve academic excellence. Thematic units are chosen with our students’ interest in mind, and activities are consistent with curriculum standards.

Outdoor Free Play:

Our students enjoy approximately two hours of outdoor free play each day in well-monitored areas within Komazawa Olympic Park. While it’s difficult to secure such an environment in central Tokyo, our school has the advantage of being located only a few seconds away from Komazawa Olympic Park.

Komazawa Olympic Park provides our students with a safe and rich environment outside of their classrooms for them to interact with their friends and learn about nature throughout the four seasons while they develop their gross-motor skills, independence, resourcefulness, and social skills. Moreover, free play in the small forest areas of Komazawa Olympic Park using natural resources develops inventiveness and social skills.

Every fall and spring, our students gain first-hand experience working in the school garden manipulating soil, planting vegetable seeds, and observing plant growth. This meaningful experience promotes love and conservation of nature and also teaches basic science concepts, which children are more likely to remember through concrete examples.

Special Subjects:

We employ specialists to work with our students on their aesthetic abilities and physical development. The specialists design a curriculum that allows students to express their creativity, emotion, and imagination through music and movement, drawing, crafts, and pottery making. KPIS offers the following special subjects:

Music: Students develop a love for music by listening to a professional music instructor plays the piano, as opposed to listening to a CD or watching a video. Music class is scheduled on a weekly basis.
Physical Education: Physical activities are organized and facilitated by an experienced physical education trainer who is an expert in the physical and psychological development of children. Team games and other sports activities are designed to promote physical fitness, sportsmanship, and teamwork. Physical education classes are twice per month.
Pottery: An experienced pottery instructor visits our school once per month to teach students hands-on pottery techniques. This offers a medium for students to exercise their creativity and experience a sense of achievement.

Health & Hygiene:

Health and hygiene are important to every school. At KPIS, our facility is ecologically-friendly and built with materials similar to those found in hospitals. In addition, our teachers and staff always encourage students to practice healthy hygiene habits.

Floors, doors and walls throughout our facility, including those found in our restrooms, are all constructed of allergy-free materials and create a safe environment, especially for students with atopic dermatitis and asthma.
Centralized heated flooring is used to reduce the spread of airborne bacteria and viruses that cause illnesses such as the common cold and influenza.
Students wash their hands with anti-bacterial soap and water before eating anything and after returning from outdoor activities.
Students brush their teeth every day after lunch.
Students’ toothbrushes are sterilized every day in a toothbrush sterilizer.
Classrooms are cleaned 2 to 3 times per day.
Classroom tables, chairs and other materials are sterilized once per day.
Toilets and sinks are cleaned 4 times per day.
Classroom toys, which are mostly wooden, are sterilized at least once per week.
School entrance, shoe boxes, floors and other surfaces are sterilized regularly.

General Safety:

Safety is one of our main priorities, and the following measures are in place to ensure every student’s security at all times:

Doors are locked promptly at 9:05 a.m. after drop-off time.
Doors remain locked throughout the day.
SECOM safeguards our entire facility, including doors and windows.
19 security cameras survey our school’s interior and exterior.
Each student carries a personal COCOSECOM tracking device.
Classrooms are equipped with a child-safety door, fire extinguisher, security camera, security alarm, and smoke detector.
Child-safety doors in restrooms prevent finger injuries.
Cushioned flooring in classrooms helps prevent injuries if students fall or trip.
Facility's earthquake-resistance architecture meets Japanese government standards.
Students practice at least one earthquake and one fire drill on a monthly basis.
A complete list of emergency exit routes and an emergency exit map of the school are clearly posted in each classroom.
Each student has an emergency kit that contains the following items: one or two 500 ml bottles of water, one or two non-perishable snacks, on rain poncho, and cloth or plastic carry bag.
Majority of our facility's windows are shatter-proof.

Park Security:

Teachers keep a watchful eye on the students at all times .
Teachers are equipped with first aid kits and emergency phones to contact SECOM.
Each student carries a personal COCOSECOM tracking device.
Fluorescent colored vests and caps are worn by the students for easy identification.
Students who are 2 years old or younger are taken to and from the park in a baby cart.
KPIS is one minute away by car from the emergency center at Tokyo Medical Center.
Students practice earthquake and emergency drills in their play areas in Komazawa Olympic Park.

Bus Service:

KPIS offers bus service both in the mornings and afternoons exclusively to its Regular Program students. Our school bus is custom-made, with two emergency exits and specially designed seatbelts made specifically for children. There is one seatbelt per student. Also, a bus attendant is always present on the bus to help the students during pick-up and drop-off times as well as in cases of emergency.

Students who enroll at KPIS in the middle of a term may sign up for our bus service. However, there may be times when the bus cannot pick up and/or drop off students at locations that are separate from the bus route. Our school bus travels through most of Tokyo’s Setagaya and Meguro wards. Please contact the school for details on bus stop locations as well as pick-up and drop-off times.

Facts and Figures – KPIS at a Glance

Student Body	KPIS students come from 14 nations that include Bulgaria, Denmark, England, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Sweden and the United States of America.
Student Enrollment	Academic Year:	Enrollment:
	2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011	59 77 69 78 95 99 91 71 76
School Facility & School Yard	1,317 square meter ecologically-friendly facility 600 square meter grass yard 200 liter water pump 24 cherry trees 21 blueberry bushes 20 square meter garden 9 square meter non-allergenic sandbox 9 square meter wooden deck 7 square meter natural log house 5 ton clay mountain 1 kitchen center and science center
School Library	The library at KPIS contains more than 2,000 books for both students and teachers.
School Facility Cleanliness	Classrooms are cleaned 2 to 3 times per day. Toilets and sinks are cleaned 4 times per day. Facility is professionally cleaned ONCE per month. Toys are sterilized at least ONCE per week.
Charitable Events	Since 2002, KPIS has donated more than ￥7,800,000 to various world-wide organizations through its Annual Charity Concert. [2013.01]

Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why are there so many international preschools in Tokyo?

A: The exact definition and purpose of a “preschool” or “kindergarten” can vary considerably between countries and cultures. This flexibility allows many schools to use these titles without adhering to any academic or professional standards. As a result, many so-called “international preschools” are actually closer to nurseries or simple babysitting services. The recent craze in ECE (Early Childhood Education) has allowed many of these schools to flourish. Parents should consider a school’s academic standards and the qualifications of its teachers (areas in which KPIS excels) carefully when choosing the right school for their child.

Q: What are the differences between a preschool that offers ECE (Early Childhood Education) and one that just teaches English?

A: The difference between such institutions is quite clear. A school that labels itself a “preschool,” yet whose primary goal is to offer English instruction, has the following characteristics:

The school does not embrace a strong and unique educational philosophy.
The school does not have a year-round curriculum for separate age groups.
Teachers are hired because they are native English speakers, not because they are experienced or qualified teachers with four-year university degrees in education or related fields.
The school’s programs focus primarily on teaching English.

Alternatively, a preschool that focuses on ECE rather than only English language development has the following characteristics:

The school embraces a strong and unique educational philosophy.
The principal and all teachers are hired based on experience and the relevance of their university degrees.
Every class has an educational program, designed by its qualified teacher, which is a year-round curriculum tailored to the students’ age group.
The school offers programs and a philosophy geared towards the acquisition of social skills and emotional maturity, the most important lessons in ECE.
The school has a curriculum that enables children to transition smoothly into elementary schools after graduation.
Graduates are routinely admitted to international and Japanese elementary schools without difficulty.

Q: Does Komazawa Park International School offer an inclusive ECE (Early Childhood Education) program, or is it simply an English language school?

A: KPIS is not an English language school. It is an educational institution that embraces a unique educational philosophy, which can only be understood and practiced by specialists in ECE. As a result, all of the teachers are qualified ECE specialists who believe strongly in what they are teaching. KPIS also seeks teachers with warm personalities. These factors help create a loving environment that gives children the confidence they need to develop important skills and a sense of maturity. At KPIS, we work as a team to create this nurturing, educational environment for the children.

Q: What kind of educational philosophy do you embrace?

A: KPIS is committed to offering ECE of superior quality to children of all nationalities, religions, and ethnic backgrounds. The school’s programs are in line with current research in child psychology and are centered on each child’s overall development. KPIS understands the crucial importance of stimulating a child’s mind during its early stages and strives to provide a well-balanced curriculum that does so. We offer a safe, child-oriented environment that nurtures pre-academic skills and challenges creativity through varied hands-on activities. In short, we strive to enrich the lives of our children.

Q: How does your school focus on a child’s academic career after graduation?

A: KPIS has an extremely high rate of acceptance to prominent international elementary schools, who often report back that our graduates are doing quite well. These schools often recommend KPIS to prospective students.

Q: Which schools, specifically, do children attend after graduation?

A: The majority of foreign nationals (in addition to some Japanese nationals) are admitted to institutions such as St. Mary’s International School, Seisen International School, and American School in Japan. Even Japanese nationals who choose to attend Japanese elementary schools after graduation take advantage of the school’s continuing education program, which further develops English ability.

Q: What are the qualifications for admission? Is there a test?

A: Priority for admission is given to foreign nationals and returnees. Japanese nationals are also admitted if their parents strongly advocate the school’s educational philosophy. However, we normally admit such children only under the age of 3 and require that their parents have the ability to communicate comfortably in English. While there is no admission test, we ask all prospective students and parents to come in for an interview with the principal.

Q: Why is the tuition so high?

A: Our tuition prices reflect several important factors. Our outstanding facility offers standards of cleanliness and safety unparalleled among Tokyo international schools and is specifically designed to be child-friendly. We also strive to hire only the most highly qualified, professional teachers with extensive experience. These elements create a high-caliber program that is on par with the highest standards for international education and more than justifies the cost of tuition.