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What ages does RaJA Global Academy take?
Children who are 3, 4 or 5 years old as of 1 April — the nenshō, nenchū and nenchō year groups.
What are the fees for RaJA Global Academy?
¥720,000 a year. We divide that across twelve months and bill it monthly.
Tell me about the free childcare for children aged 3 and over.
Households where both parents work can apply for reimbursement and receive back up to ¥37,000 of the monthly childcare fee (if you live in Kagoshima City) — up to ¥444,000 over a year.
What happens to the fees when my child is absent, or during the long holidays?
Our fee is an annual figure (¥720,000) settled month by month (¥60,000), so the monthly amount is the same however many days your child attends. We do not reduce it for the New Year closure and we do not pro-rate for absence. Please take that into account before you enrol.
What ages does C-Lab take?
From age 3 as of 1 April up to the sixth year of primary school.
What does C-Lab cost, and what happens there?
The curriculum is built so that money, economics and the SDGs are picked up naturally while playing. There is study too, of course — workbooks, handwriting practice. Attendance is unlimited on weekdays, and it is ¥25,000 including snacks.
Can we pay the monthly fee in cash?
As a rule, no. We would rather not hold large amounts of cash on the premises.
My child has had no contact with English at all. Will they manage?
Starting from zero English is fine. Children who spend their days with our experienced staff adapt remarkably fast. A language barrier is a big thing for a child too, and the stretch before they get used to it is stressful. We understand that challenge and that stress, and we stay patient beside them. Our teachers do not expect it to be smooth from day one, but they meet it head on and wait with affection, so that every child is enjoying themselves as soon as possible. It helps enormously if you back that up at home with positive words about what your child is taking on.
We do not speak English ourselves. Is that a problem?
Not at all.
What kind of place is RaJA Global Academy?
An educational facility where the day is spent in English. There are Japanese lessons in the afternoon, together with the work that prepares a child for their first year of primary school.
What is the evacuation plan in an emergency?
The building at 40-39 Korai-cho is reinforced concrete. It was an existing building that we had assessed for earthquake resistance and then strengthened, so that it is solid and safe to use. As a place that looks after children it has both an internal and an external staircase, so evacuation is possible in two directions. In a flood the plan is to go up to the roof and wait for rescue.
How many floors does the building have?
Three, plus a roof terrace with room to run about. The roof has a tall wooden fence and fall protection so children can play safely up there. Childcare itself happens on the first and second floors.
Can we use the extra lessons only?
Yes. Some families take the English conversation and study support online, from abroad.
Can we use the Academy if we are not working?
Yes — you can use it whether you are working or not. But the free-childcare subsidy for children aged 3 and over is paid to households where both parents work, so if that does not apply to you the full fee is payable.
How do we claim the free childcare for children aged 3 and over?
Contact the local authority where you live — your city office — and obtain a 新２号認定 (shin-nigō nintei) certificate. If you already hold a 2号認定, the same reimbursement may apply as it stands, so please tell us. Any other certificate has to be reissued. When you contact the authority, say that you want to re-apply for certification in order to use an unlicensed childcare facility.
Can a child transfer in partway through the year?
In principle intake runs through the set assessment windows, but a transfer is possible while a transfer intake is open (there is still an assessment). Please call to check whether one is running.
The fee is annual — what happens for a child transferring in?
We apply a reduction according to when the child starts, and adjust as far as we can.
During the long holidays, can a primary-school child come in the morning too?
Yes — during a Season School (SS) period they can come from the morning. The cost varies each time: the curriculum fee, plus lunch, plus the C-Lab monthly fee.
Can a child carry on at C-Lab after graduating from the Academy?
Generally yes, at the graduate rate. If numbers make it genuinely impossible to take a child we may unfortunately have to decline; thank you for understanding.
Is there anything like C-Lab for secondary-school age and older?
At the moment, secondary-school students can attend the English conversation school, the Yoyogi High School RaJA satellite campus, and the coding class. Do have a look at those.
Do you cater for food allergies?
Yes. With a doctor’s note we will remove or substitute wherever we can. Lunches are provided by Fresh Lunch 39 Kagoshima. If we judge that we cannot handle something safely, please send a packed lunch — in that case we do not charge the lunch fee.
My work starts at 8:00. Can I bring my child in before then?
Yes, from 7:00. Arriving early does not change when the curriculum starts — that begins between 9:00 and 9:30.
Can we look round the school?
Yes, by appointment: 099-204-7730.
Can anyone enrol?
No — there is a selection process. It has two steps: submit the application form, then a family interview. If a child is not selected you can join the waiting list; when a place opens up because a family moves away, we contact people on the list in turn.
What are the selection criteria?
We are very sorry, but we do not publish them. We are an educational facility and we work through a daily timetable, so the ability to keep to that timetable, and to sit and listen to a slightly longer explanation, are things we ask you to practise at home as well. If at interview we judge that what a child needs right now is care rather than early education, we may decide to delay their start, out of concern for the stress it would otherwise place on them. The key question is whether a child’s development has reached the point where they can take in teaching.
Is the fee the same in a month with a long holiday?
Yes, the same. You pay one twelfth of the annual fee each month, so the monthly amount does not change with absences or holidays.
Is a health check required before starting?
Yes. However, if your 母子手帳 (mother and child health handbook) records a check-up within three months before the start date, or you can submit the record of one done at your child’s previous nursery or kindergarten, you do not need to arrange another.
How far does the no-characters rule go?
Please keep the backpack and the indoor shoes plain. For handkerchiefs, cutlery sets and toothbrush sets we know plain ones are hard to find, so we may let a character pass — but please choose the simplest you can.
How do we obtain the 新２号認定 certificate?
It differs by local authority, so please ask yours. In Kagoshima City the forms, including the employment certificate, can be downloaded from the city website. In the month before the one you want to start: download the employment certificate (or collect it from the city office), ask your employer to complete it, submit it to the city office, receive the 新２号認定, and give it to us. The reimbursement starts once we have it, so the earlier the better.
Is there an entrance assessment? Does every applicant get in?
There is an assessment, and no — not every applicant is admitted.
Do you have a school doctor?
Yes. We hold a contract with Kunisaki Internal Medicine and Paediatrics Clinic. As an unlicensed childcare facility we are not required to have a school dentist, but we hold a contract with Takehara Dental Clinic as well, so dental matters are covered too.
Does my child need a water bottle?
Yes. Please take responsibility for keeping the bottle clean. If it is drunk dry we may top it up here with cooled boiled water or barley tea — tell us if your child is allergic to barley tea. The bottle should hold water, tea or a sports drink. Note that a lot of sports drink can loosen the bowels, so please try it at home first and check that it agrees with your child; we recommend diluting it with water. No other juice, milk, milk drinks or smoothies.
My 3-year-old is not out of nappies yet. Can they still start?
As a rule we say no, so that we can keep more adult eyes on the room. But it is not a flat no because of nappies — it depends where the child is with toilet training, so please do ask. If you are anxious, send a full change of clothes.
My child also attends therapeutic support. Can they do both?
Absolutely. The support services come and collect children from us. We are always thinking about how to build the best environment for each child — let us work it out together, with childcare, early education and developmental support professionals side by side.
The tutoring is set at twice a week. What if we only want once?
Twice a week is set that way so the learning sticks. If you really do need once a week, you can take a two-hour session on Saturday between 13:00 and 15:00.
Do the children stay inside the building all day?
No. We go out to nearby parks, and depending on the activity we also go shopping, to the station building or to the cinema as part of the learning. We always tell you where they are going beforehand.
Do we have to buy the teaching materials separately?
No. We draw on Phonics and Developing Phonemic Awareness among others, but the materials are essentially our own, so there is nothing you need to buy. If something genuinely has to be paid for at cost, we tell you in advance and collect only what is needed, when it is needed. Exam fees, such as Eiken, are charged separately from the tuition.
How are the fees paid?
By automatic debit from a registered account each month, for the month ahead. We can take payment from Kagoshima Bank, Minami-Nippon Bank, Kagoshima Shinkin Bank, Kagoshima Sogo Shinkin Bank, Amami Oshima Shinkin Bank, Kagoshima Kogyo Credit Union, Amami Credit Union, Kyushu Rokin Bank, and the Kagoshima Prefectural Credit Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives (JA Group Kagoshima).
Does the fee change with how many hours my child is here?
No. The fee is for the curriculum, and a set amount of care time is included in it. If you need care before 8:00 or after 18:00, those hours fall outside the base fee and we charge ¥500 per 30 minutes.
If we use the lessons only and not C-Lab, is there a charge for the waiting time?
No. But if long waits become habitual it affects how we staff the room, so we may give notice and begin charging a care fee.