My husband, bless him, worked from home today so he could attend the health check with my son and me. I think the teachers were surprised to see him because I kept hearing them exclaim "Oh, you are his dad!" I have never seen a dad when I have stopped by the school. As a matter of fact, this school appears to be run by all women, so I haven't seen any adult men there at all! (In my limited experience, there seems to be a lot more men in the education field than in the US. But I may be wrong about that.)
Once we arrived, we took off our shoes to enter the school gym. We provided a form that my husband had already filled out and they gave my son a name tag. We were instructed to remove his shirt and go over to the doctor (a male doctor, so now I've seen two men at the school). The doctor listened to his heart and looked at his throat. That was it. Health check over.
As my son was getting dressed the Vice Principal came over and asked my husband if we were able to stay for the interview portion of the application process. We had time, so we agreed. They took us to the Principal's office where we sat down and my husband had a conversation with the Principal. She wrote a couple notes while my husband talked about why we picked their school, our son's educational "experience," and his personality. She then asked him a few questions, like what food does he like and what is his favorite play equipment. It was very short, lasting only about 15 minutes. I was pretty surprised that we had to go through an application process including forms, health check, and interview for a public kindergarten, but that is the process here.
Some of the things that make me excited for his school are the offering of structured activities (a child is not required to participate, they are simply offered as options), the animals they have (turtles and bugs), and the agricultural learning opportunities (the play yard has lots of fruit trees and the kids grow plants like onions and potatoes).
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| They have wheelbarrows for the kids to play with. |
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Check out all the sand toys!
The sandpit has kiwis growing overhead.
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The little pool for swimming in the summer.
It's maybe 2 1/2 feet deep.
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| Lots of "natural" toys. |
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The little pond.
There are some citrus trees growing near it.
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After returning home, I was looking at my Nerima City Guide for Everyday Living. I found myself engrossed in the "Childbirth, Children, and Education" section of the book. I found the sections describing temporary childcare enthralling. There is affordable childcare options for families who need temporary childcare! If a stay at home mother has a second child, she can get childcare for her older child or children for up to a month for ¥1,000/day. She can also use this service if she is sick. If a working mom has a child who is recovering from an illness, but isn't allowed to go back to daycare yet (no longer contagious, but not 100% recovered), they can get special childcare for ¥2,000/day. (That is $9 and $18 per day!) I had to read every detail provided, as this is something so many moms I know have desperately needed. The services are provided at daycares, nurseries, and hospitals (for the sick kids) in special temporary childcare rooms. I'm just floored. There are even opportunities for temporary childcare for "the chance to refresh oneself." The cost is a sliding scale depending on age, with the highest price for infants at ¥2,000 ($18) for 3 hours. Finally, a community that understands how hard it is to care for a child 24/7 and the need for support! The whole thing makes my heart fill with joy just thinking of how lucky these families are to have these services, especially at such affordable prices.
Once again, I find myself happy that this was the community we chose to live in.
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