Chateau School

Chateau School
Location
3-17-3 Nishi Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Information
Type International Preschool
Established 11.11.2011
Founder Rina Bovrisse

Chateau School is an international, multilingual school for children from ages zero to six based in Azabu, Tokyo. Located near the embassies of numerous countries, the school’s “World Diplomacy Program” focuses on internationalism and fostering positive relationships. Chateau School is the most expensive preschool in Tokyo.

The school was founded by Rina Bovrisse, a mother and former executive in the fashion industry who brought international attention to discriminatory practices of industry employers. Her experience contending with her own child-care needs internationally inspired the Chateau School concept.[1]

History

Chateau School was founded on November 11, 2011, with a mission "to educate children on the value of diversity and multiculturalism through extraordinary modern-world, real-life experiences." [2]

Activities

The days activities are from 9am to 3pm, built around the theme of a country (among a chosen hundred), plus some relevant keywords. Throughout the day, the children consider themselves “diplomats” and the teachers are “ambassadors,” and the children check in with pretend passports on arrival. Drawing on Montessori methods, the curriculum includes second and third languages, and the subjects of a liberal arts program--math, science, social studies, music, and arts, including technology components, such as 3D pens and printing. The children also make trips for experiences at area embassies, museums, farms, festivals, concerts, and businesses in industries such as coffee shops, restaurants, fashion labels and technology companies. [3]

World Diplomacy Program

The founder’s experience with schools in the USA, Britain, France, and Japan, plus international corporate environments, suggested to her a need for better cross-cultural understanding that was not being met by the educational and corporate institutions she encountered. Bovrisse designed a program of emphasis on multiculturalism that takes advantage of the school’s location in an area with many national embassies. The program teaches children to recognize the importance of diplomacy and their own diplomatic powers, and to view and value the world as a diverse, yet cooperative and interdependent place. Each day’s agenda, and numerous school excursions, are themed around different countries and cultures. The idea is reinforced with pretend elements of diplomatic officialdom, such as school-issued passports and identification as diplomats (students) and ambassadors (teachers). [3]

Location

Chateau School is located in the Azabu area in Minato, Tokyo, which is in the vicinity of the embassies of more than fifty countries. This is part of the inspiration for the school’s international diplomacy concept.[4]

2016 Fuji TV Documentary on Chateau School (in Japanese)

References

  1. ↑ "Entrepreneurial tips & Highlights from the BCCJ's Small is GREAT event". BCCJ. 2018-04-27. Retrieved 2018-06-11.
  2. ↑ "Welcome: Chateau School". BCCJ. 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2018-06-11.
  3. 1 2 "Chateau School travels 365 days a year". Japan School News. 2012-01-03. Retrieved 2018-06-11.
  4. ↑ "Foreign Embassies in Tokyo". Real Estate Tokyo. Plaza Homes. Retrieved 2018-06-11.

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