American School in Japan - Early Learning Center

At the ELC, we shape a community of inquisitive learners and independent thinkers through intentionality, love, and respect.

The early years are a magical time of growth and at the ELC we recognize just how special this phase of life is for each child and family. Learning is everywhere in our nursery, pre-K and kindergarten community. We embrace the concepts of holistic development and child-focused, early learning philosophies. Our teaching is anchored in current research and guided by developmental objectives and discrete academic standards. Each day we focus on nurturing and encouraging each child as together, we embark on this lifelong journey of learning, discovery and growth.

At the ELC, we shape a community of inquisitive learners and independent thinkers through intentionality, love, and respect. Our approach is inspired by our image of the child as a curious, capable, and confident learner seeking to make meaning of and contribute to their world. Children enjoy a strong sense of agency and self direction and we support their journey through intentional planning and design of our environments and learning opportunities.

We believe that learning comes to life through purposeful play and emergent curriculum.  Learning is active and joyful, authentic and meaningful, creative, messy, social, collaborative and fun.  We appreciate that play is the essential work of our children and we embrace it as a powerful learning strategy. Play offers unbounded opportunities for development and has long been recognized as central to how children learn. Joyful, meaningful, iterative, actively engaging and socially interactive, play offers the ideal mindset for growth and learning. Our professional team celebrates its potential and authenticity; our children consider it natural and fun.

Meaningful opportunities for children to develop are designed in ways that are flexible and inspiring. We nurture the potential that lies in every moment and in every experience. Learning at the ELC is personal, authentic and meaningful—and most importantly full of joy.

We recognize that each member of our community is an individual, with particular gifts and talents as well as specific challenges and needs.

Since 1902 the commitment to understand and care for individual students has been central to ASIJ’s culture, and we intend for it to remain at the heart of our community for the next century. We recognize that each member of our community is an individual, with particular gifts and talents as well as specific challenges and needs. We are at our best as a community when each individual within the community is known and understood as who they are, valued and appreciated for their particular capabilities and strengths, and cared for based on their individual needs.

ASIJ believes that learning is a personal, lifelong process that leads to change, including the ability and willingness to adapt. It is driven by curiosity and motivation, occurring in a supportive environment rich in engagement, social interaction, and feedback. Learning is constructed in authentic contexts and results in the development of new understandings and skills for all learners.

‍At ASIJ, we believe that learning should be a personal, lifelong process that leads to change, including the ability and willingness to adapt. We believe that curiosity should drive learning and that a school should provide a supportive environment rich in engagement, social interaction and feedback. We believe that learning should be constructed in authentic contexts, whenever possible, and that it is our duty to challenge students academically, intellectually, and personally and to inspire each student to reach their greatest potential. This culture of learning will help prepare students for the complex landscape of a constantly shifting future, equipping them with the tools they need to face the challenges of tomorrow.

At ASIJ, we believe it is our purpose to cultivate each student’s intellectual and personal passions and aptitudes by creating learning opportunities that build students capacity, autonomy, and self-awareness. We encourage curiosity, model passion and provide a robust academic foundation with opportunities to learn independently. We inspire a lifelong commitment to learning with joy and enthusiasm for life, beyond the walls of the school. This commitment runs deeply through our school and is illustrated by the many opportunities for students to explore their interests and passions in authentic contexts and for authentic purposes, both in the classroom and in over 170 co-curricular offerings across all grade levels. The scale and breadth of our co-curricular program illustrates our belief that students should try new things, take risks and persevere through challenges or failure in order to discover themselves.