Tokyo Children's Garden

Tokyo Children's Garden is an extraordinary preschool that sets the bar high for early childhood education. The staff here is not only exceptional but also deeply committed to nurturing an environment where every child flourishes. Their dedication to the principles of Reggio Emilia education shines through, emphasizing hands-on learning, creativity, and the importance of social interaction. As a psychologist, I recognize the critical role such an approach plays in fostering healthy development, both cognitively and emotionally. I wholeheartedly believe that Tokyo Children's Garden offers an unparalleled educational experience that any child would benefit from immensely.

My son has attended the school since he was 1 year old and 4 months. The years have been great. It was a very enriching experience for my son with children of different ages, in an environment that respected the children's curiosity as much as possible. I think it allowed him to develop his interests in a spontaneous way. We are very grateful that his first social life was in a place like this.

From the moment I met Ann and Hisao, co-founders at TCG, I fell in love with their personality and philosophy. This never changed throughout our time there. I knew this was it for my daughter and I was right.

It is an absolute happy place where children, parents, and teachers can grow together. As a Reggio Emilia inspired school, children can explore different ideas and interests through small group projects and in collaboration with their friends and teachers. The teachers are deeply committed and well trained to help children develop a love of learning, not pursuing short term achievements, but to become a lifelong learner. The other greatness of this school is that it combines the beauty of Japanese education with an international approach, and therefore children can learn customs and language naturally as they grow. I recommend it to both Japanese and Non-Japanese families.

Because it is a small school, one of the great joys of this school is that I was able to connect with families with similar values and it remains so even after our child graduated. We are so grateful and proud of being part of the TCG family.

Words are far not enough from describing the greatness of this school, so I strongly recommend you to meet them first and experience the environment on your own.

We have so many wonderful things to say about Tokyo Children's Garden. Our child has been thriving there for close to a year, and it is a very happy place for our family. The instructors really care about the children and about child-centered education, and it shows through every day, in big and small ways.

What drew us to select TCG above other schools we considered was largely the focus on social-emotional learning as oppossed to academically-oriented activities. We also loved the small class sizes, the low instructor to child ratios, the fact that children of all ages mix together during certain activities, and the diversity of backgrounds and languages the children all have.

I cannot recommend TCG highly enough to any parent looking for a school for their child, and we look forward to watching our child continue grow in this special place.

I want to address the negative ratings and comments in a couple of other reviews. To the obviously disgruntled people who posted them: shame on you. It is cruel to passive-aggressively try to harm the reputation of a small business because its patrons/customers have done unknowingly something that inconveniences you.

Implying that the children that attend are not safely cared for by the staff here because parents sometimes park improperly (or skateboard in??) is wrong and vitriolic. The principal sent out a school-wide email reminding parents about being good neighbors during drop-off and pickup recently, I imagine after seeing your Google review. I am absolutely sure that they would have done the same if you had just knocked on the door and alerted them to your concerns in person instead of trashing them on the internet. For shame. My preschooler has learned more human kindness, courtesy, and manners at TCG than you have in your whole life.

This preschool is a shining light for our years in Tokyo. Maximum capacity of 18-20 students means that attention and care is given by the teachers to each child.
Meeting with Ann and Hisao will give you a good idea of what this school is about : their deep commitment to early child development is intoxicating and personal.
I was personally impressed and relieved upon meeting Ann and Hisao because of their absolute sincerity - they are who they are without any performance or games. Their ease and confidence in who they are means that they inspire the same ease in the people around them - the lack of the performative - which is so rare in people who work with children. !
The facilities are fantastic - books and art and toys, all illuminated by natural light.
The meticulous attention given to hygiene has consistently impressed me. The school has a feeling of space and light and cleanness that I’ve rarely found in a space filled with children!
Organic lunches are catered daily and enjoyed by all students and staff together at a large table.
The school has consistently brought in experts in language development, bilingualism, behavioral challenges, etc, providing further education not only to their staff but to the parents as well. We have learned so much from these offerings.
The school has a dance teacher each week who focuses on spatial and sensory awareness.
I am American and my husband is French, and we could not be more happy, thrilled in fact, with the quality, creativity and excellence of TCG.
The children spend hours outdoors each day regardless of the weather. They are allowed and encouraged to dig in the mud, find bugs, get dirty. They are observed carefully by the teachers in all their interactions with their world and each other, and are allowed to find and create meaning through wonder and collaboration with one another. The teachers notice when themes arise - and organize “projects” from these themes amongst themselves (such immense work!). Finding bugs leads to wondering what they eat leads to trying out different foods… etc.
Half the children speak Japanese, half speak English or French. The same ratio goes for the teachers - meaning that the bilingualism of the school stems from an actual reality of doing life with multiple cultures and languages, rather than from an hour or a class or a day in a certain language.
We receive daily photos and videos (always with commentary/descriptions from the teachers) of our child’s interactions and activities, as well as a weekly folder sent home of 10-15 PAGES of “documentation”, which are letters and photos written from teachers to each child about their discoveries that week. Each child receives their own, personalized documentation. The work and commitment by the teachers to provide this documentation every week is truly beyond anything I could have hoped.
Our 2.5 year old has blossomed since attending TCG.
Highly, highly recommended.

Amazing school. After trying two others in Tokyo we have found the perfect place for our 3 and 1 year old boys. The teachers are incredible and the children go outside to the park or on adventures every single day.

娘は1歳半のときからこちらの学校でお世話になっております。彼女の1番最初の学校として、この学校に出会えたことに心から感謝しています。インターナショナルスクールとして、英語環境はもちろんのこと、通常の学校では体験できないようなアート作りや冒険に毎日のように出掛けています。興味をもったことを徹底的にやらせてくれる（レッジョエミリアアプローチ）教育方針のおかげで、娘の集中力やクリエイティブな発想はめきめき育っていると感じています。年齢毎のクラスではないので、お姉ちゃんの真似をしたり、小さい子のお世話をしたり、大きな家族の中で育ってていただいている感覚です。
また、親に対しても子育てにおいて大切なことを教えて下さるミーティングが年に数回あり、毎回勉強になります。子供だけが成長するのではなく、親も一緒に成長する大切さを教えてくれる唯一無二の学校です。

2017年4月に開校した、定員18人のプリスクールです。北イタリアの小都市レッジョ・エミリアで戦後生まれた幼児教育法の「レッジョ･エミリア･アプローチ」を採用しています。このアプローチは、1991年に雑誌「News Week」で革新的保育として紹介され、主としてアート作品を共同で製作する際の手法を幼児教育に応用した｢プロジェクト型保育｣を実践する事で有名です。頻繁に学校説明会が開催されています。

中で行われている教育に関しての言及ではない。良い教育が行われてると信じたい。ただ、ここに通われている方（ご父兄）の送迎時の行動がについてはなはだ疑問。
目の前の公道でスケートボードを父兄自身がする。子供が走り回っても注意をしない。延々とエントランスで長話をする等、良識ある保育施設ならば、この種の言動は近隣への配慮、或いは、子供の教育の為に、施設自体から、極力控えるように注意喚起がなされると思うが・・・・わが子が通っている施設からは、厳にその種の行動を取らないように注意がなされています。