Kindergarten Program Description

Welcome to Katoh Kindergarten!

The English Immersion Program is the first step in your child’s journey to bilingualism and intercultural awareness.

Katoh Kindergarten is a private kindergarten founded in 1967 and accredited by the Japanese Ministry of Education (MEXT). The school offers two program options: the Open Plan Program and the English Immersion Program. Children in the English Immersion Program spend approximately 50% of their time in an English environment with an English-speaking teacher. Children in our program fully develop their first language while establishing the foundations for early bilingualism and functional proficiency in English.

The English Immersion Program at Katoh Kindergarten was launched in 1994 and currently comprises six classes of about 22- 25 children in each class. Each class has both a native Japanese and native English speaking teacher and the teachers work as a team towards the development of the whole child.

The English Immersion Program offers comprehensive kindergarten program with a full range of rich, age appropriate experiences in which up to 50% of the program is conducted in English. The Immersion Program is integrated into the entire school structure allowing children to participate in all major school events such as Sports Day and our year-end “Kobato Concert.” We create many opportunities for the immersion class children to interact with their peers and teachers in our “regular” Japanese Open Plan Program while still maintaining the English immersion experience.

The normal kindergarten day begins at 10am and ends at 2pm. There is a staggered morning arrival time (8:30-10:00AM) and afternoon departure time (2:00-2:40PM). This is primarily to accommodate our 10 different bus routes.

In the English Immersion Program, the children have a number of opportunities to be exposed to English when they play, do activities or have meals with native English teachers. The children pick up English naturally by repeating the same routine every day. Once they are comfortable in this routine we find they are able to cope well with the dual language environment. This routine is the same on both the English and the Japanese side. Learning English through this daily routine is the key to our English immersion education.