English Child Care
Moon Class
- Every Tuesday & Thursday
（＊English Child Care is offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Priority is given to children enrolled in Yama+Moon 5 days a week.　　　
　
This class was created in response to many requests from parents who have experienced "Apple Child Care" for many years as well as our dream to be able to create a supporting environment for children to develop their language skills.
This is a new class (Preschooler ESL ‘Moon' class) that started in the summer of 2020 to meet the needs of children who have difficulty understanding or speaking English as a second language while also maintaining our standard ‘Apple Youchien’ philosophy and curriculum. We have seen many cases of children struggling through their time in kindergarten or elementary school and our goal is to create a safe and fun environment to teach these children English in preparation for their future.
With a heavy inspiration from Waldorf Education, we encourage children's spiritual and physical development through natural toys and seasonal events in an environment where children can play and learn in their own way and feel that they are loved by others. In addition, through Bible stories, we nurture ethical values and support children to grow up to be kind and caring people who practice love.
Preschooler ESL
It is common for children who come to the U.S. from Japan or other non-English speaking countries to have a difficult time learning English as their second language. Some children are reluctant or hesitant to go to kindergarten or elementary school in the U.S., where the language and environment are completely different, and this can become a barrier to their development not only in the English language, but to their overall development.
At Apple Youchien, we have developed an English version of our curriculum that allows children who do not speak English at all or fluently to become familiar with the English language step by step, using a unique approach that is different from most standard English education or preschools.
We do this not only by learning vocabulary, but also through the curriculum designed to help children learn emotional expressions so that even if children run into situations in our classrooms or even in kindergarten and beyond, they will be able to use their emotional and social skills to solve them.
This class also includes kindergarten readiness/ preparations
through pre-academic activities such as leaning the alphabet, numbers, and enjoying a variety of songs with a different focus every month.
Through Apple Youchien’s English Child Care, we hope to entrust the children with memories, confidence, and skills that each child can use after graduating from Apple to lead a fulfilling and enjoyable time in their future education.
＊How Moon Class Came to Be:
In response to the many requests from the parents who were seeking a place for their children to enjoy learning English in a supportive environment for children who had just moved to the United States from Japan or had a difficult time learning English, Apple Youchien started the English Preschool Class: Moon Class in the summer of 2020, following the beloved Apple methodology to fit a bilingual curriculum. This English Moon Class follows Apple Youchien's daily rhythm and routine and curriculum based on focusing on the 5 senses, creating *Apple's Bilingual Methodology. While the language may differ, the children will enjoy the same rhythm, routine, and exciting experiences as the Japanese Class, building their language, understanding, and confidence through this repetition.
＊Apple's Bilingual Methodology:
Our goal is to help children who graduate from Apple to be able to communicate, express emotions and feelings, and to be able to problem solve in English with confidence so that the children can have a smooth transition from preschool to kindergarten and on here in the United States. We recommend our 5 day-a-week class with both the Japanese Yama Class (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) together with our English Moon Class (Tuesday, Thursday) for our bilingual students, as well as parents who would like to raise their children to be bilingual, where the greatest benefits of this methodology can be gained. The advantages of this methodology and enrolling in both the Japanese and English classes comes from the repetition. For example, by repeating the same experience from the Japanese Yama class, again in the English Moon Class, not only are the children reviewing the previous day's materials, they are also able to connect both days for a deeper understanding. of the original material in Japanese. Conversely, this is true for children who are learning English, in that they are more comfortable in the experience of the English class, since they are repeating the material again, building the confidence, as well as the listening skill which builds the foundation of language and bilingualism. Through the fun and exciting activities, and the kind teacher, the children will be able to open up and learn the joys of communicating and speaking a new language. This will not only help them learn new vocabulary in both Japanese and English over the two years at Apple, but also build confidence in themselves as they transition to kindergarten and on.