A Japanese and English preschool for ages 2 to 5
Hinoki is a small preschool in Pearl City. Children ages 2 to 5 hear Japanese and English every day, in songs, picture books and clay at a low table with a teacher beside them, and in a calendar of seasonal festivals the whole school shares.
The school year
Each season brings its own festival, craft and songs, shared with families in the yard.
Children start the year gathering leaves and stones in the yard. In fall the school keeps a moon-viewing evening with families and a sports morning of relay and tug-of-war games.
A moon-viewing evening with families
A sports morning of relays and games
Leaf prints and paper lanterns
At the New Year families come to pound and shape rice cakes together, and children make cards for someone they love. In February everyone tosses soft bean bags to send the cold away.
Rice-cake pounding with families
Handmade New Year cards
A bean-bag tossing day
In March the hall holds a display of dolls for the Doll Festival, and in May paper carp streamers hang across the yard for Children's Day. Seeds go into the garden bed in between.
A doll display in the hall
Paper carp streamers for Children's Day
Seeds and a garden bed
Children write wishes on paper strips and hang them on a bamboo branch for the Star Festival. Families join an evening of summer dancing in the yard.
Wishes on paper strips
A summer dance evening
Water play in basins in the yard
Programs
2-year-olds
Songs, picture books and play, with a Japanese-speaking teacher and an English-speaking teacher side by side
3-year-olds
Japanese leads the morning circle and the seasonal craft; English leads story time and the afternoon
4-year-olds
Longer projects, a garden bed and the festival days that the whole school keeps together
Which language leads which part of the day is how we plan it, not a promise of what a child will say. Children take a new language at their own pace.
Sample programs.
The team
Eight adults work at Hinoki: two teachers in each room, an administrator and a floating assistant.
Director and fours room teacher, Japanese side
Kumiko leads the school and teaches the Japanese side of the fours room, with songs, stories and the festival crafts. She speaks Japanese and English with families, and she is at the door most mornings.
Threes room teacher, Japanese side
Tatsuya leads the morning circle and the seasonal craft in the threes room. He speaks Japanese with the children and English with parents at the door.
English-speaking teacher, twos and threes rooms
Lyn leads story time and outdoor play in the twos and threes rooms. She works beside the Japanese-speaking teachers, so the day moves between languages without a break.
Dates
Tours run in the fall and in winter, applications open in November, and families hear from us in February.
October and February
A tour takes about an hour in the morning, so you can hear the Japanese circle at work. Children are welcome to come along.
Book a tourNovember
The form takes a few minutes.
February
By email and a phone call, with a place or a spot on the waitlist.
Early fall
Families gather in the yard at dusk for songs and a shared snack.
August
New children start with a short visit alongside a parent.
Sample dates.
Safety and license
Licensed by DHS
Child care center license · HI License # 000000Verify
1 adult to 8 children
2-year-olds
Group size: 16
1 adult to 12 children
3-year-olds
Group size: 24
1 adult to 16 children
4-year-olds
Group size: 24
Group size
Up to 24 children
with 2 adults
Capacity
64
Ages 2 years to 5 years
An adult greets each child at the door and signs them in. At pickup a child goes only with the people on your list, and we ask for ID at the door until we know you.
Tell us about allergies at the tour; we ask privately once you enroll. We ask families not to send nuts, and teachers set out snack with the children.
A child with a fever or a contagious illness stays home. If a child becomes ill at school we call you right away, and a teacher stays close until you arrive.
We practice fire and severe-weather drills, and we count heads whenever children move between the room, the garden and the yard.
When a child is upset, the nearest adult comforts them in whichever language helps. A Japanese morning never means a child goes without being understood.
Children who stay for the school day rest on their own mat or cot in the room, with a teacher in the room throughout.
Ask us about child care assistance
Sample details.
Families
4.9
31 reviews
“The tour was unhurried. We heard the morning circle in Japanese, and then a teacher explained in English what we had just seen.”
“We do not speak Japanese at home. The teachers made sure our daughter was understood from the first day.”
“The festival days are our favorite part of the calendar for our family. We always know what is coming next.”
Sample reviews.
Questions
No. Most children who join us have heard little or none. Teachers use songs, pictures and gestures so a child can follow the day, and the English-speaking teacher in each room is always there.
Each room has a Japanese-speaking teacher and an English-speaking teacher. Japanese leads the morning circle, snack and the seasonal craft. English leads story time, outdoor play and the afternoon.
We can't promise what a child will say or when. We plan a calm, playful morning with songs and crafts, and a teacher who notices each child.
The room, your child's age, the schedule and the days a week. We don't print tuition here; we send the figures when you ask and go through them on a tour.
Yes. The school is licensed by the Hawaii Department of Human Services.
Pictures only go so far. Book a tour and hear the morning circle for yourself.