Terakoya / More about our Terakoya program

Terakoya / More about our Terakoya program

Following the US academic calendar, our program runs from September to June.

We assist your child every step of the way to his/her/their dream college, starting as an infant and moving up to studying Japanese at primary level to junior high and high school levels.

"Classes for infants"

Mebae (sprouts) Saturday classes (for children aged 2 to 4)The primary goal is to expose children to Japanese culture and customs through group work and build a rich Japanese vocabulary.

Japanese language classes

Preliminary Hiragana classes (for children aged 3 and above)children learn penmanship, vocabulary, and reading of Hiragana syllabary, etc.
Hiragana classes (for children aged 4 and above)children learn penmanship and writing of Hiragana, etc.
Katakana classes (for children aged 4 and above)children learn reading and writing of Hiragana and Katakana, composition, etc.
o Kanji classes (for children aged 5 and above)children learn Hiragara, Katakana, Kanji, and composition.
Note: Preliminary Hiragana and Hiragana classes meet in the same classroom, so do Katakana and Kanji classes.
Note: One class period is 60 minutes.

Supplementary Terakoya classes

students at junior high and high school levels

  • We cater our teaching to the needs of each child.
  • We provide support for the effective management of daily schoolwork and entrance examinations.
  • We provide trial classes for a fee.
Japanese
Typically children become increasingly familiar with English and its way of thinking as they are schooled in this country. Our job is to teach them reading and writing of, and ways of thinking in, Japanese carefully and patiently. We adapt our pedagogy according to the different needs of different children. Our teaching staff had experience teaching in Japan as well as here in US. We are dedicated to sharing the strengths of Japanese culture with your children through the language.
Mathematics
What's number? Fraction? Equations? Or algebra? We are committed to teaching students the fundamental meaning of these concepts and what we need them for. We then take students to net steps, where they learn why and how accepted formulae work and when they are helpful. We teach students skills to solve problems by themselves. Students will learn the importance of math in their lives, and recognize the joy of understanding it. We can also provide assistance to students' schoolwork or their preparation for an entrance exam. When it is helpful, we introduce the pedagogies established in Japan and help every student find a way to solve mathematical questions by themselves. This program is suitable for students who don't like math or feel not good at it. The program is designed by Director Mukai, a charismatic teacher with years of experience in teaching math to people at different levels.
ELA
We sometimes observe children who are native speakers of English yet unable to express their thoughts effectively due to the restrictions on their vocabulary and ability of composition. To be able to think clearly and make informed decisions, children need to accurately understand what is being presented and then respond to it by formulating effective answers. That is exactly what we do at Starchild. We do not just ask students memorize words, but teach them patiently, sometimes by lecturing about the etymologies of these words. In teaching reading, furthermore, we make sure to encourage students to pay attention to the context of what is being written (such as author's cultural background). Along with helping build this foundation, we also help children do homework and prepare for tests for their school, or prepare them for an entrance exam. Our program is perfect for students wishing to be true bilinguals.

Preparation for entrance exams

NY States Test Prep Summer Program
we are prepared to teach according to New York State Common Core Learning Standards; we pride ourselves in the fact that all our former graduates received a grade of 3 or above in the subjects of English and math. Our teaching staff are professionally trained and acquainted with the NY tests. Our goal is to help your child earn a score of 4 for the NY States Test next April.
Preparation for SHSAT and ISEE/SSAT
to perform well in a high school entrance exam at the end of a year, preparation in a summer is key. Since different exams ask different types of questions, examinees would need to invest a lot of time for each subject. At Starchild, we try to help students earn 95% or above in the fields of math and English. All our students earned 90% or above, and our best-performing student received 98%.
Preparation for college applications (SAT and ACT)
We assist students in all aspects of college preparation, ranging from choosing the right college to campus visits to studying for SAT and SAT subject, and ACT. Our teaching staff are well acquainted with these tests. Our target is to help children earn a perfect score of 800 in English and math.
We provide trial classes for a fee. Please make an appointment now!