Yamanoko Childcare Center About Us
This is our Little Planet.
We live our lives together with children—the greatest unknown.
Through our interactions with children, both verbal and nonverbal, as well as our encounters with their still-developing five senses, we as adults may feel like they are from another part of the universe—that they are “great unknowns.” From the sounds they make that slowly mature into words, to their growing bodies exploring the world around them, we consider everything they do to be an act of expression. We aspire to keep this principle in mind as educators at Yamanoko. This is the inspiration behind the name of this site: “Little Planet.”
See what’s happening on our Planet→What We Wish For We wish for children to grow up to cherish the present and to be aware of their place in the world.
Childcare Policy
・To treasure and cherish each child’s every moment.
・To create an environment in which each child can freely choose to do the activities they enjoy.
・To encourage children to befriend nature—the sun, the soil, the plants, and the water.
・To help children build bodies that are smart and resilient.
The Attitudes We Aspire to Have
・To observe and interact
・To look at growth holistically
・To keep exploring and asking questions
・To respect and promote diversity
*Reference: “20 Principles of Permaculture”
Our Childcare Environment
Mountains, ocean, and rice paddies. Tsuruoka City in Yamagata Prefecture is filled with the blessings of nature.
The city is also home to the Tsuruoka Science Park, the center of world's most advanced research and development in biotechnology field.
We have created a place to live with children there.
“Yamanoko Childcare Center Home” for children aged 0-2 years and “Yamanoko Childcare Center” for children aged 2-5 years.
Yamanoko Childcare Center Home (0-2 year olds)
– concept: "Home”
- A place where small people(the children) can sleep, eat, and live comfortably on their own.
- A place where small people can fully engage with and explore the world surrounding them, using their bodies and five senses.
- A small-group, family-like environment that supports their first group living.
Yamanoko Childcare Center (2-5 years old)
– concept: “Laboratory / Atelier”
- A place for children to create life (such as farming, food, craftsmanship, play and rules) with children in their own hands.
- A place for exploration where children can freely move between areas such as the atelier, woodworking, cooking, garden, etc., and choose what they want to do.
- A human environment where there are no bind of classes, where the age structure changes based on the activities, where different ages mix and learn from each other by watching, imitating, feeling, and thinking.
Edible Garden
– concept: “Little Earth”
Each garden has a compost and a field, where children can experience the cycle system of making soil - sowing seeds – harvesting – eating - returning to the soil.
The children put banana peels and vegetable peels into the compost, which are returned to the soil by the microorganisms, and we use this soil to grow herbs, fruit trees, and vegetables.
Together with various living creatures, it is a small ecosystem that makes our lives more enjoyable and tasty.
Outdoor Field
Taking advantage of our 15-minute drive to all the mountains, ocean, rivers, and forests, children aged 3 and above ride on the bus once a week to the outdoor field. With four distinct seasons, children encounter and play with nature to the fullest in every season. Every year we continue to discover the field and expand our playground.
Yamanoko Childcare Center Home
| Address | 1F 378-45 Nihonkoku, Daihoji, Tsuruoka, 997-0053 (in Park Side Village Ray)( Google Map ) |
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| Phone | +81-235-64-8940 |
| F A X | +81-235-64-8941 |
| Managed by | Spiber Inc. |
| Open | Monday to Saturday (closed Sundays and national holidays) |
| Operating hours | 7:30-19:00 (Extended childcare: 18:30-19:00) |
| Age of children | From 6 months to 2 years old (children transfer to Yamanoko Childcare Center from 2 and a half years old) |
| Maximum number of children | 19 |
| Opening date | September 1, 2017 |
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Yamanoko Childcare Center
| Address | 6-1 Kitakyoden Shimotorinosu, Tsuruoka, 997-0053 (in KIDS DOME SORAI)( Google Map ) |
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| Phone | +81-235-26-0700 |
| F A X | +81-235-26-0703 |
| Managed by | Spiber Inc |
| Open | Monday to Saturday (closed Sundays and national holidays) |
| Operating hours | 7:30-19:00 (Extended childcare: 18:30-19:00) |
| Age of children | From 6 months old to preschool age |
| Maximum number of children | 50 |
| Opening date | September 25, 2018 |
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ACCESS
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18 minutes on foot from JR Tsuruoka Station, 7 minutes by car from Tsuruoka IC
16 minutes by car from Shonai Airport, 2 minutes on foot from the “Science Park” busstop
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