Bunkyo Multilingual Support Network ‘Elementary School Guidebook' for Foreign Parents

When your children reach school age, preparing for admission to a public elementary school can be quite a chore. Preparing the documents to be submitted to the school and preparing the designated school supplies is time-consuming, even for Japanese parents. This is particularly complicated for foreign residents, and the Bunkyo Multilingual Support Network receives many inquiries about Japanese schools.

The Bunkyo Multilingual Support Network has therefore produced the "Elementary School Guidebook for Foreign Parents", to help children and parents, as well as the teachers who deal with them daily at school. It is available in three languages ? Plain Japanese, English, and Chinese - and is published on the Bunkyo Multilingual Support Network's website.

In producing this Guidebook, they took advice from the "Partnership with International Neighbors and Tomodachi(Pinatto)" in Mitaka City, which published a similar guidebook 10 years ago. And, they discussed the content of the former's Guidebook together. Their focus was on pages about school supplies, and the role of parents. The Bunkyo Multilingual Support Network decided to use photos to show what kind of school supplies children need to take to school. The staff member collected her child's school supplies and showed them in the Guidebook.

The role of parents in schools varies greatly from country to country. The Guide explains, for example, "the role of parents," and, "when a child is absent from school", making it a reliable guide for foreign parents.

In addition to the Guidebook, the Bunkyo Multilingual Support Network also organizes school admission consultations. They are held to coincide with the start of the school year, in April, and in September when many students move here from abroad. They were held online in March 2022, due to COVID-19.

The website explains how to fill in documents that need to be submitted to schools. It also features an instructional video. The site's contents include "Child Health Check Form," "Teaching Assistance Card," and, "Japan Post Bank Account Opening Form".