This daycare is a gem! I ignored the old reviews and had to see for myself. The facility is clean & well organized. There's a daily schedule they follow: 9am snack time, then outside playtime, 11am lunch followed by quiet/nap time and another snack time at 3pm. The teachers are great with the infants. I drop off my grandson here as my daughter needs to be at work by 6am. He loves it & marches right in. We checked out 2 other daycare facilities and felt this was the right fit for us. Wish more of the other mom's & dad's would rate this on yelp! My grandson's 2nd year and still loving it! They have an annual Undou-Kai (sports day) so much fun!! All classes are full with waiting list. I love the fact that he is learning the Japanese culture and manners. read more

See all

I attended here from 2005-2009, as a preschooler (3 yrs+) and summer-camper. I was the only non-Japanese student, besides Delia Sensei's kids, but 2 year olds have no idea about racial profiling so until I was about 5 I thought I was Japanese.. Overall one of the most memorable and exciting experiences of my life! I still remember many Japanese phrases and whole tunes stuck in my head from the good morning song to the lunch time song. We celebrated some Japanese holidays as well as all major American ones. On Halloween, we dress up and play spooky games, Christmas we sit on Santa's lap for a photo in the Chapel attached to the daycare, Oni Day we made mochi in a big cauldron and everyone got to pound it with a stick and wear a cool mask, etc... Academics were fun, I knew the Japanese alphabet before the English one. Recess was also a blast because the teachers sometimes lead games of infection tag where if you were "it" you flipped your uniform hat inside out and chased others. During snack time and lunch the teachers offered tea, juice, or milk (that's where my tea addiction began lol!) Nap time was immaculate as well, and although I had a bed wetting issue, the teachers understood and helped me out a lot. This was the only time in my life when I LIKED to go to school. Did I mention the uniforms are ADORABLE!? read more

I took my daughter to Japanese summer festival about 2 weeks ago. Then we saw a lot of children were dancing around the thing so my daughter were trying to join them. One of the teacher(I think) found out that my daughter does not belong to that school and she took my daughter off roughly. Then my daughter got so scared and sad that teacher did it to her, she was crying so hard but the teacher did not say anything for her and even act like nothing happened. What kind of teacher and school can treat like that to the kid? She did it because my daughter doesn't belong to the school? The summer festival is for everyone. I think the school is not friendly. They will nice to you if your kid(s) is(are) enrolled. I am not recommend for this school at all. read more

Koguma Youchien is great preschool. Teachers are very kind and responsible.

I just HAD TO create Yelp account so I can share what I observed at this preschool which I wish I could have known prior to enrolling my children here. I would give ZERO star or minus 5 stars to this preschool if I could, however, I don't have that choice here, hence, I am giving this place ONE star. Yes, the staff here are friendly and have smile on their face most of the time, just like teachers or caregivers at any other preschool, especially when they see and greet parents, and yes, they do speak Japanese (and very limited English) so, ya, if that is all you want for your precious children, this is THE place! Smile and Japanese!! YAY. but hey, your children are the most valuable asset you own, so I advise you avoid this place based on what my children and I experienced. Why? Here is what I observed at both infant center (my younger enrolled here) and at preschool (my older.) What I observed: 1. Very high children / teacher ratio: State regulation says preschool need to have 1 teacher for every 12 preschoolers. BUT I have seen more than 15 ~ 21 children in a class with one teacher. By regulation, they should only have 2? or 3 infant per teacher, however, I have witnessed more than 6 infants per teacher at the place. They permanently place ads on Japanese news papers and magazines and keeps enrolling children, yes, there is no such a thing as waiting list here. As long as you have the money, they will take you!! They honestly don't care if they don't have enough teachers and children are not being cared! All they care is $$$. Oh. and if you observe babies at infant care, you know they are not being paid attention AT ALL. They have no expression on their face!! 2. Filth: Place smells like urine if you walk in and also there are bugs! Children have been bit by fleas in 2014 - they ended up tenting the facility AFTER numerous complains from parents. 3. No overseeing of children due to permanent staff shortage: Children from all classes are crammed in this one large room during a day with one or two teachers standing, due to a permanent staff shortage (Children are sent to each class room and assistants from the infant center are sent there at the time of children drop-off and pick-up ONLY, so parents are deceived to believe they are in a class room with their teacher and the assistant for their entire stay.) I have seen children sent home with cuts, blues, scars, and bite marks as a result of fights, bullying, accidents, fall and so on with no explanation from their teacher in most cases. I really don't think teachers know whats going on - they just have too many children! Oh, and yea, did I mention flea bites? 4. No care: If your children are not fully potty trained, you must pay what they call a monthly diaper charge ($40 a month~) and you need to provide your own diaper and wipes (expect them to be used for other children for their convenience!,) of course, but, still, expect your child to be walking around with FULLY loaded diaper majority of a day. I have witnessed children playing or getting picked up with FULL diaper, soaking wet pants, leggings, socks and shoes! No wonder place smell like urine. Are they teaching children to become immune to wetness? 5. Deceitfulness: The principal is very good at talking about how much she cares about these children and writes really cute news letters for parents and also they plan and put awesome shows at a time of school event, such as birthday, Halloween, Japanese holiday celebration, etc., because parents attend these events! Yes, parents are entertained. But is that what is important to your child? "Your" entertainment? I would rather have teachers to spend that time and energy for children, though, I feel they do this because they understand parents are the one who write checks for the school. They even close school often to prepare for these event - and yes, if you are a working mom, you def. need to find a back-up care! 6. Conclusion: They are not honest. Their best interest is money & how many children they can enroll. They call themselves play-based, but this is place is more like, zoo. No schedule, no plan, no guidance, no education, nothing but free-roaming children playing with plastic toys! Your children will likely to come home with unexplained scars and scratches and fully loaded diaper. Though they have this 30-day notice policy to withdraw, I couldn't stand my children having another day there, they quit immediately. They could keep my $650 per child tuition (& $40 diaper charge for them to walk around with fully loaded diaper all day.) If you have any questions about this place, feel free to sent me message. I am writing here, because I don't want your child to go through what my children went through and I sincerely believe preschool should be run by people who have interests in children's well-being, not their parents money. read more

My child used to go to Koguma, but when I saw my child being abused by one of the teachers, that day became my child's last day at Koguma. Thereafter, I filed a complaint to the teacher's superior, however she didn't take this issue seriously. In my opinion, Koguma lacks in sense of responsibility and professionalism. I can't recommend this place. read more

it makes me sad to see such low rating from parents who supposedly just saw the small negativities of the place and blow it up as if that's all there is. I understand some may have been outraged because it concerns their child, and we expect perfection when it comes to caring for our loved ones. what parent wouldn't? but don't let your love for your child cloud your judgement. I just have to say I have my two children attending this school since 2012 and it's been nothing but a wonderful journey with the teachers and staff. I don't mean to make this review personal, but since there are few things pointed out from a specific individual, I'd like to respond. 1. HIGH CHILDREN/TEACHER RATIO: I will admit, at one point the ratio was high. this is because toddlers in infant care is required by the state law to move to a 2 year old class the moment they turn 2. but, this "Niji" class (2-3 year olds) will not bump up all the 3 year olds to the next "Hoshi" class just because they turned 3. the school has no way in finding out if the toddlers turning 2 will presume enrollment, thus if there are any applicants wanting to enroll in Niji class, they have no option but to enroll them. but so to be clear, the ratio never exceeded 12 students/teacher as required by state law, and assistants and even preschool principal engaged in taking care of our children whenever possible. no way there were 15-21 children taken care by ONE teacher. I take my children there 5 times a week and never saw this. 2. FILTH: no where in the facility smells like urine. toilet? maybe. but not in the mornings when it's been cleaned by the teachers EVERY DAY after school. maybe if you go in around 2:50 after all potty-training and JUST potty-trained kidskin used it, but never to the filth you smell in park bathrooms. like I said, the teachers, not janitors, clean, vacuum, mop the bathroom and classroom every. single. day. now, the bug issue. all I've seen are honey bees and butterflies, maybe worms on cabbages and broccolis in their garden. THERE WAS a flea problem, and this was a disaster. so to be clear, the CHURCH, which the preschool rents its facilities from, kept placing DRY CAT FOOD out to feed the stray cats. as all of you may know by now, that also attracted raccoons, opossums, and other critters at night (never saw them during the day). we suspected the cat food started this whole flea problem, so we kept telling the preschool principal. they sprayed. they used powder. they kept talking to the Pastor but HE. DIDN'T. BUDGE. we actually had to SHOW the PASTOR how much our children were being bit, AND ONLY THEN he hired the spraying company. the preschool has no authority to do any gassing or spraying using a third party WITHOUT church's approval. the flea problem was, in my opinion, the Church's fault. 3. NO OBSERVATION/STAFF SHORTAGE: ok, not proud, but my kid bit another kid. twice. was he about to do it more? maybe, but the teacher did stop him and worked things out. what kids do is instantaneous. it just happens in a heart beat. NOT EVERYTHING IS PREVENTABLE! that doesn't mean the teachers are willingly injuring them. NO! whenever I go pick up my kids and if they have a small scrape, the teachers will let you know what happened. also, every child has a notebook called "Mom's Note" (no offense to dads) which you can use to communicate with the teacher if you had any further questions or concerns. sometimes teachers will write you lengthy observations of each and everyday event of your child. EVERY DAY you go home with a note of something your teacher noticed what your child did. you can always book a teacher/parent conference too. take advantage! 4. DIAPER ISSUE: ok, what facility DOESN'T charge you for diaper fee? ALL facilities do!! any disposal of bodily fluid is considered a hazardous material. and what about bringing your own diapers and wipes? what's wrong with that? what if your child is sensitive or have skin condition? preschools can't accommodate EVERY family's small, detailed needs. besides, I've had my diapers used by other kids, but vice verse. Would you want your kid's friends to have full diapers just because their parents didn't make it on time to restock their load? it's just ONE diaper. besides, the other parent will be notified their kid has someone else's kid's diaper on. it's now up to them if they'd like to repay you with another diaper or two. 5. DECEITFULNESS: oh goodness sake, really? if you don't want to attend, then DON'T. COME. it's not mandatory! in my opinion, WHY wouldn't you want to take part in your child's FIRST SCHOOL activities? doesn't your child love you? wouldn't you think your child would want to share her/his life at preschool with the one they love? I am a part-time working mom so I don't know the difficulties of a full-time working moms. but PLEASE STOP giving low reviews based on narrow minded assumptions and without any clarification! read more

My daughter is going to preschool now and used to be at infant center/day care since she was 1 yr and 3 month? ALL the teachers DO have great smiles and that's very important in ANY of the work place! Smile can give everybody in a great impression! Do you want to be greeted with a flown face?? They NEVER abused any of the babies or kids. My daughter never had a full diaper there. They were even willing to potty train with parents. YES, I DO agreed that the smallest kids' class students to teacher ratio was slightly high (last year). So as a parent, we kept inquiring to the principles as well to teachers directly, and they heard. It was NEVER be 1 teacher to more than 15 + Kids. We always had 2 teachers, Maybe those people who have complained in the past, they saw the classroom when teachers went to the bathroom or something. They should be allowed to have a potty break. PLUS, those teachers NEVER call in SICK!!!!! amazing... They are based on Japanese, however, there IS/ARE English speaking teachers in the preschool, who supports as a teacher's aid, plus, they have an English class 3 times a week to get used to be in an English environment. YES, some kids DO bite or scratch or etc, but then teachers are FULLY aware what those kids do. If some bites had have happened ,they will be yellow carded and then red card to suspend accordingly. Their day care system are very versatile and flexible. You just have to enroll monthly for working moms and your kids will be taken to day care on those 1/2 day school. If you are working moms, you should know your schedule. Don't blame on school. My daughter never had trouble going to day care on those days. This school is strictly let the kids imagination grown as it SHUOLD BE. They will have more learning environment at 5 yr old class - the last year at preschool. They graduate with ability to write your name and recognize. They have a huge library at school and always let your kids borrow books on Fridays. They read EVERYDAY. Idea for this Koguma is not for the teachers to tell kids "do this" "do that" instead, "oh there is xxxxx, what should we do?" Let kids use their imagination, judgement, thought process, WOW! hands down all the time. YES, kids DO fight, but teachers always observe how it had happened and let them solve what was going on, sometimes it was not even a fight. Kids are learning problem solving. When it gets serious, then teacher comes in and LISTEN to the kids what happened. We have a note going back and forth between teacher and parent. they will write your kids activity so other kids who got hurt is also aware what happened. I grew up being told and do something. I don't want my kids to grow like I did. I want her to expand her imagination or problem solving skills naturally. If you are one of the parents want more of an academic school with such a tiny play area and tiny playground toys, let your kids go to those places, and keep our preschool as small as it is. I'm more happy for that. LET YOUR KIDS BE KIDS! School is not entertaining parents. No matter which school you go to, they will have an events annually, and parents are always welcomed to participate or volunteered. Elementary school will even ask for volunteer anyway, why not enjoy attending kids events and enjoy TOGETHER with kids!!!! read more

I moved to the area and have had my kids attend the Preschool and After school care for school year 2015-2016 and they are both now at the after school care where they study Japanese. The director is the most caring person ever, my daughter is so loved, my son who is 4 years older attending after school care says she acts like her mommy, he feels very safe there, they treat you like family and it comes from the heart. The director is very loving, but she is also strict on a great way, the students are responsible, respectful and hug each other all day, hold hands, play very well together. I am so gratful for the care my children get, and they have been so accommodating too. The school fosters creativity, they have an Open House where the kids blew us away with a 27 minute long play about space and saving the earth. They always wow us with all the things these children learn! They have cooking days, spend time gardening and the parents are all very involved, it is a wonderful loving environment, they strive to teach the children as much as they can through play. My daughter is now in kindergarten but gets to see all her friends from Pre-school at after school care and she tells me I can come get her later, she wants to stay and play. She is doing very well in kindergarten too, she is completely bilingual. My son who forgot how to speak Japanese, being older and in public school, came here and after coming here last year and spending this summer with the director made him bilingual again. It was the best thing he could have done! He is speaking Japanese fluently again! It's just incredible and he is so grateful too, he knows how much he lost and has brought back in a short time being immersed in Japanese all summer. I would give them a million stars if I could. read more

Horrible place for children. My child used to go to this preschool until last spring. I spoke to a few of the parents who used to send their children to this preschool until this summer and we all regret sending our children to this place, and we all are a bit resentful. The place is unsanitary. It is always short-staffed and children are kept roaming around unsupervised. They call themselves "preschool" however, it is more like an institutional daycare with a preschool price. As "school lunch", they provide children pastries and cakes, instead of healthy lunch. Your children deserve better. Do not recommend. read more