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Why these savvy parents are choosing Nishimachi International School’s inclusive multi- cultural community and authentic Japanese programs

By on May 30, 2023

Moms and dads generally want their children to acquire lifelong skills to ensure financial stability, raise their quality of life and make a positive impact in today’s world.

With the interconnectedness and diversity of peoples, culture and histories, it has become increasingly valuable for parents to raise children as globally aware as possible to help them solve problems, contribute to innovation and become a caring generation.

The proverb “It takes a village to raise a child” sums up just how parents benefit from having a caring school community in their child’s corner and a curriculum that nurtures young minds into analytical and future problem solvers.

In choosing a good school, however, parents learn that although advice is good, most will take their own route. Others do a more top-to-bottom exploration regarding what schools can offer and how these will help their child succeed.

When the Donahue family’s eldest turned 4, they did just that.

“We toured schools and spoke with a number of parents to learn more about each school and educational method/philosophy,” recall Tokyo parents Adam and Maiko Donahue.

The Donahue family knew what they wanted for their two children ages 4 and 8. Although academic rigor and quality of extra- curricular activities were top on their list, parental participation, inclusiveness and a school open to different cultures were just as important.

After an extensive search, the Donahues gravitated to Nishimachi International School (NIS), one of central Tokyo’s most academically successful and longest-running international schools. The school started in 1949 with only 4 students. Today, it has over 470 from 42 countries, half of whom have dual or multiple nationalities.

Education experts say nature and nurture work hand in hand in children’s development. And with that comes the unwavering commitment of Nishimachi International School to focus on innovation and learning outcome.

In all grade levels at Nishimachi, the ‘Understanding by Design’ roadmap, a curricular framework defined by what, why, how and to what degree students should learn in an intentional and systematic fashion, is at the core of the learning process.

“We felt that Nishimachi fosters intellectual curiosity via creative learning while also maintaining a strong focus on academics.The community is multi-cultural and parents are well integrated into school activities – for example – year-round events celebrating Japanese and other cultures,” tell the Donahues to Tokyo families.

While Japan on a national level, grapples with a dramatic and continuing slide in the number of children who go to college, part of what adds to Nishimachi’s prestige and competitive advantage is that all of its graduates go on to pursue higher education.

In late 2017, when the D’Attanasio family from New York were in the midst of applying to private kindergarten in NYC, they were presented with the opportunity to relocate to Tokyo with their two kids, ages 3 and 5.

“We started exploring our options in NYC when my son was 4 years old and I think that is a good age to start thinking about primary schools,” relates Karen D’Attanasio.

After checking out three schools (The ASIJ Early Learning Center, Willowbrook International School and Nishimachi International School), the D’Attanasio family went with NIS for their Kindergarten son and the ASIJ-ELC for their daughter to start in nursery. A year later, their daughter transferred to Nishimachi to start Kindergarten.

In this age of interconnectedness, it was important for the D’Attanasio family as expats to engage their children in culturally responsive and enriching educational experiences. Nishimachi fills that need.

Karen says of their decision, “Of the international schools we considered, Nishimachi offered the most authentic Japanese-international school program. Japanese language and traditions are an integral part of the experience which was important to us, as expats.”

“Knowing our time in Japan would be limited and we’d eventually return to an American school system, we wanted our children to have experiences at school that would offer them the greatest exposure to Japanese language and culture,” she adds.

TRANSITION

Being in a new home environment is never easy for young children to get used to – new friends, new school and language. It is all too common for young children to be stressed by having to move between play activities and school routines – often for valid reasons: limited social and emotional skills, communication delays, etc. For the D’Attanasio children however, being native English speakers learning from Nishimachi’s English and Japanese-tailored curriculum, made a difference.

As for the Donahues, not only did a previous preschool experience work to their son’s advantage (before the Kindergarten switch), the teachers’ enthusiasm also had a huge impact in motivating their little learner to want to go to school everyday.

“Nishimachi does a fantastic job of welcoming new students, allowing them to get used to the new environment and nurturing them. It felt like a seamless transition, and the children look like they are having fun as they carry out their daily agenda,” shares Maiko Donahue of their positive experience.

“Our family has had an excellent experience at Nishimachi. Our child is excited to go to school every day – his intellectual curiosity nurtured, and his self-confidence and resilience reinforced by a well-rounded academic curriculum.”

THE SMALL SCHOOL ADVANTAGE

Not only does Nishimachi’s average 20-pupils-per-class advantage bring inquisitive learners up to speed with quality teacher- student interaction, Nishimachi parents feel closer being in a tight-knit school community.

“One of our favorite things about being a Nishimachi parent is the sense of camaraderie amongst parents, both when we casually see each other at drop-off/pick-up each day, and as we celebrate events throughout the year. Nishimachi feels like a small neighborhood school and we love the proximity to our home and having the chance to be on-campus with other parents to volunteer or participate in fun school activities such as Food Fair, Omochitsuki, Sports Day and Book Parade,” raves D’Attanasio family about the harmonious Nishimachi community through which children get support.

The Donahue family couldn’t agree more!

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