1. Alyssa, Sam, Sophia,Andrea, Lucia, Hyunah

2. Population: 127, 078, 679 98.5% are Japanese 1.5% are Korean, Brazilians, Chinese, Filipino, and Ainu

3. Nihongo is the official language English is included in the school curriculum 4 alphabets: kanji, hiragana, katakana, romaji

4. End of WWII: division of kindergarten and childcare 1962: revision of curriculum to train childcare workers Childrens Welfare Act: revised in 1988, 2001, and 2002 2006: Nintei Kodomo-en proposed

5. 2 childcare systems: day care centres and kindergarten High standards and attention to detail Baby hotels, babysitters & live-in nannies Child allowance Private Small number; still an emerging business In-hour centres

6. Public 22 800 publicly supported day care centres administered by local governments 2013: integration of day care centres and kindergarten Parents contribution: 1/5 of total cost Low cost for low-income families Has issues

7. 1900s & 1950s: training of childcare workers and kindergarten teachers 1967: development of legal systems for teacher training 2 year course + exam Certifications: Class 1, Class 2, Specialized Renewal every 10 years

8. East WestMontessori (Okinawa) Sunshine Montessori (Okinawa)

9. Disciplining children Your bad behaviour reveals how badly you were brought up. Being locked-out of the house Kejime Societal restrictions Ratio: 1:3 infants plus nurse and nutritionist 1:20 for children

10. Japanese children are more independent Parents reliance on technology to keep track of where their children are

11. http://www.eastwestmontessoir.com/ http://www.sunshinemontessoriokinawa.com/ http://usmilitary.about.com/od/airforcebaseprofiles/ss/yokota8.html http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122108699907321179.html http://www.tokyowithkids.com/fyi/hoikuen.html http://facts-about-japan.com/ http://factsanddetails.com/japan.php?itemid=623&catid=18 http://blog.naver.com/ilw405?Redirect=Log&logNo=60138710748 http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9CO9J5O0&show_article= 1 http://www.georgianc.on.ca/news/?attachment_id=12771 http://timmygtime.wordpress.com/2010/05/24/amazing-kindergarten- class-from-japan/ http://business.blogs.cnn.com/2010/04/28/working-women-in-japan-f ace-day-care-deficit/ http://www.childresearch.net/PROJECT/ECEC/asia/japan/report09_ 01.html http://www.flickr.com/photos/63936024@N08/5973371187/