Feedback from Parents

Happy changes and benefits since starting at Yumeterasu!

Every day, we get sent photos over LINE showing how our child spent the day at Yumeterasu. Our child looks forward to it too. When we look at them together, my son, who still can't talk much, does his best to explain everything to me. He looks so happy, and it makes me happy too.

How long did it take for your child to settle in, and what was it like?

He still cries at drop-off and pickup, but on the fifth morning of attending, I was struck by how he walked up to his teacher on his own to be held. I've heard that he stops crying as soon as I leave each time, so I think he settled in quite quickly.

What do you think Yumeterasu puts real effort into, as a parent?

There's a different curriculum every day, so he always seems to be having a great time. I really appreciate being able to hear directly how his day went at pickup time.

Who we'd recommend Yumeterasu Preschool to:

Families who want their child to have plenty of interaction with other children the same age, and families looking for a Japanese-language environment before starting kindergarten or nursery school, with the kind of solid curriculum and care you'd find in Japan.

By her third day, my daughter went to school without crying. That alone told me just how much she was enjoying life at the school, and how much she trusted her teachers.

Changes we've noticed since starting at Yumeterasu

We've especially noticed her becoming more independent.

• She's saying more words
• She tries to get dressed by herself
• She can tidy up after herself
• Naptime used to only work with mom, but now it's fine with dad too

What I (mom) look forward to is reading the detailed daily notes in her record file, and seeing the photos from school sent over LINE.

Did she nap well? Did she eat her lunch? Is she getting along with everyone? I can check on all these worries, which lets me feel at ease leaving her in their care.

She's only just started and still cries, but even while crying, she seems to already know it's fun, because her body turns toward the teacher and she reaches out to be held.

With the 10-day-a-month plan, her attendance days aren't fixed, so I thought it might take a while for her to settle in. But every morning, her teacher greets her warmly and says "You did great!!", and that seems to reassure her; after that, she's been able to spend the rest of the day happily without crying.

We're told how she's doing at pickup, through her daily notebook, and even through photos, which puts my mind completely at ease.

The program is appealing too, designed so children don't get bored. I really appreciate that the staff never force anything, but instead naturally draw out the child's own wish to play and join in.

I haven't had many chances to talk with the Thai staff directly, but they always have warm smiles, and while having a Japanese principal on site is naturally reassuring, the sense of security goes even beyond that. I'm grateful that they actively speak to and engage with the children too.

My child goes to school happily without crying, so it really seems like she's enjoying herself, which is a huge relief for us.

The daily curriculum is always clear, which I really appreciate when talking with my child about what they did that day.

They let us know how things are going, and share any concerns, through the daily notebook and at pickup, which gives us real peace of mind. Living in Thailand, it's not always easy to consult family right away since they aren't there to see our child directly, so being able to hear the perspective of the staff who spend time with her directly is a huge help, and it eases my mind knowing I'm not carrying worries alone.

She's started doing things we never taught her at home, like tidying up, and she's begun playing with older kids and showing interest in younger ones too, which has been wonderful to see.

Since siblings can attend together, it's a huge help for us as parents too.

My son has always struggled more than most with being away from his parents, and we'd used temporary childcare a few times before, during which he cried the entire day. This time too, I expected him to cry for weeks, but he settled into Yumeterasu within just a few days and now attends happily.

Having a kind, experienced Japanese teacher always present seems to have given him a lot of reassurance, since he could actually communicate in his own language. At first he stuck close to Ms. Sugawara, but now he's opened up to the Thai teachers too and gotten close with them, and looks forward to going to school every time.

In the past, whenever other children came near him at the park or playground, my son would immediately move away and couldn't play together with other kids. But since starting at Yumeterasu, he's become able to share the same space and play alongside children he doesn't even know.

He used to be shy around strangers too, but he's become much more sociable. He's also started humming songs and doing finger-play games we've never heard or seen at home, and it's just adorable to see.

Since starting, my son's vocabulary and sentences have grown a lot! Looking at the artwork he brings home and the photos we receive, he tries to tell us about what happened at Yumeterasu, so we've been having a lot more conversations as a family.

At lunch, eating well-balanced, delicious-looking meals together with friends has also expanded the range of foods he'll eat. And having a fixed naptime every day means he no longer accidentally falls asleep in the evening, so his bedtime has stopped getting pushed later.

There's a lot of curriculum content that's hard for parents to offer at home, like arts and crafts and activities tied to Japan's four seasons and events, and painting. He's picked up daily life habits like handwashing, changing clothes, eating, and using the bathroom, and above all, the level of every staff member is excellent!

Sending him five days a week does feel a little lonely as a parent, but I'd recommend Yumeterasu to anyone who wants their child to play freely with friends, who feels uneasy about childcare only in Thai or English, or who wants their child to experience all kinds of things.

Since starting, my child now sits down in his chair on his own at mealtimes.

He also gets to work on crafts that are hard to do at home, alongside older kids who inspire him, and we're sometimes sent photos of him deeply focused on his work. Seeing that scene in our minds makes both my husband and me truly happy.

Above all, having a Japanese principal meant we could count on detailed support and someone to talk to, which gave us real peace of mind as first-time parents leaving our child in someone else's care. When we used a similar drop-in childcare service in Japan, he cried the entire day, but at Yumeterasu, we were surprised to receive a photo of him smiling on his very first day.

The Thai teachers also use simple Japanese and always interact with the children with warm smiles, and we feel a warmth in that which goes beyond language.