Kaze To Hana Daycare

It is with no hesitation that my husband and I give Kaze to Hana our highest recommendation. If it were not for an out of country job transfer, we would still be there today. I tried to provide real examples below to help other parents. 

Our son joined Kaze2Hana around 13 months old (the min. enrollment age) as he was comfortable walking and generally adjusts easily to new people. It is no doubt that Chihiro and her team made the easy adjustment all the more possible. We were looking for a small daycare that prioritized time outdoors, physical activity, a focus on nature, and one that was not overwhelmed with stimulus -- mostly wood/natural material toys, individual and small group activities, arts/crafts, etc. We also really cared about a balance of collectivist and individual expression. We are not Japanese but a mixed Asian family and it is important that our son learned manners, respect for his friends and elders, and felt safe and cared for enough to thrive. On top of all this, Chihiro was very Covid-conscious at a time when things were very uncertain. 

Chihiro's home was the perfect set up and somehow always tidy despite having a bunch of little ones around! They went to parks almost daily, fed neighborhood chickens, played on homemade obstacle courses, bouncy houses and sand pits and did a number of crafts related to Japanese culture (often using recycled materials). A local mom who often saw the group at the park once told us we were lucky to have such caring and attentive staff who would bring things like a jump rope or play with the children as they collected sticks and acorns. Lunch/snacks were healthy and fresh. Our son always came home miraculously clean even after a painting session or time in the sandpit. 

Chihiro is intentional about everything. Her husband once dressed up as Santa Claus to surprise the kids, she held an adorable holiday party full of songs and stories, and always made sure her updates covered all the children weekly. We received daily updates and a dump of photos at the end of each week. It became a favorite pastime to review them each Friday. Chihiro is very responsive and despite being a small operation, she was very accommodating of our dietary restrictions and toilet training. 

Our biggest challenge was the language barrier given my husband and I do not speak Japanese but it never became a big issue as long as we spoke slowly and clearly and both parties followed up in writing. We saw huge improvement in communication by all parties as time went by, and we, including our son, learned Japanese words, phrases and songs! 3 months away from Kaze to Hana and he still frequently breaks out in Japanese songs. 

Kaze to Hana gave us everything and our son LOVED going to "school". He beamed every day we picked him up and was almost always in a pleasant mood after. We cannot think of another place that would meet the standards Chihiro set and we miss it every week! Kaze to Hana was the best care decision we made for our family.