Preschool Before Canadian Academy: Age 2 vs PreK-3 (2026)

Families looking at Canadian Academy on Rokko Island often ask two different questions as if they were one: Do we need preschool first? and Where does a two-year-old go?

Age comes first. CA's early childhood grades are set by age on 1 October. A two-year-old and a three-year-old are not applying to the same program.

Age and Grade (from CA)

Source: Early Childhood

Searching for "CA preschool" at age two will not find a school-run class. What CA publishes for that age is an external program: Peter Pan.

Age 2: Peter Pan

On its tuition page (Pre-School Children), CA states a longstanding relationship with Peter Pan International Pre-School, an English program for 2-year-olds, and a location about 10 minutes' walk from campus. The link leaves the CA site.

Peter Pan is independent. Address: THE ENTENTE 3F, 5-15 Koyo-cho Naka. Hours: Monday–Friday 8:00–17:00. The school says children already in kindergarten or nursery, and first-timers aged 2–3, can attend from one day a week. Full guide: Peter Pan International Preschool Kobe.

Attendance does not guarantee CA admission.

From Age 3: CA Early Childhood (ELAC)

From age three, the comparison is not only independent preschools. It is the school itself.

From Early Childhood:

• The program follows the IB Primary Years Programme
• Most learning is through play. Literacy and numeracy are introduced in age-appropriate ways at 3 and 4, more formally in Kindergarten B
• Each day also includes art, music, PE, Japanese, technology, or the librarian
• The Early Learning Activities Center (ELAC) is built for the youngest students. Classrooms connect, and each opens onto a playground reserved for them
• Small groups. Assistants stay with children in class, at lunch, and outdoors

Campus: 4-1 Koyo-cho Naka, Higashinada-ku, Kobe 658-0032. +81 78 857-0100

Admission is CA's process. Confirm seats and requirements on canacad.ac.jp and with admissions. Timeline: Canadian Academy admissions.

Preschool Is Not Required

CA is not a feeder system. Families still choose an early setting because:

• English instructions land more easily in a low-pressure room
• Lining up, listening, and sharing look like school
• A new arrival to Kobe needs weekday care
• Parents want to see how the child handles an English group before they apply

Weekly eikaiwa rarely supplies peer English. Peter Pan, though, also publishes a from-one-day-a-week option, so "daily immersion" is not the only shape. Match the days you can actually use.

No Guaranteed Admission

Neither Peter Pan nor a year in CA PreK guarantees the next grade. Canadian Academy decides.

If a tour guide says the preschool "leads to CA," ask who said it and whether it is in writing. What the school publishes is a longstanding relationship, a 2-year-old program, and walking distance — not a reserved seat.

2026–27 Fee Snapshot

From CA's Tuition and Fees (checked October 2026):

Fees are reviewed annually. Lunch, bus, and learning support are separate. Peter Pan's monthly fees are not on CA's table — ask the preschool.

Other Pathways

CA students also arrive from:

• Japanese hoikuen or yochien plus English at home
• Marist Early Years in Suma
• Kinder Kids and other Hanshin English nurseries
• Overseas preschool after a move

Japanese-first is a valid choice. See international school vs Japanese school.

Questions for the Preschool and for CA

Peter Pan: days per week, how 8:00–17:00 is used, full cost, English versus Japanese, how they talk about later schools.

CA: seats for the target grade, placement by age on 1 October, English support, open days, fee breakdown.

At home: decide whether you are adding English days at age two, or applying to the school at age three. Do not call both "preschool" as if they were the same form.

FAQ

Must a child attend Peter Pan to enter CA? No. CA runs its own process. Peter Pan is one option at age two.

At age 3, Peter Pan or CA PreK? Both come up. If you want the school's IB early years, look at CA (or Marist) first. If the child already attends Japanese nursery and you want extra English days, Peter Pan's weekly option may fit. Ask both whether overlapping enrollment is allowed.

When should English preschool start? Some families start at two, others at the school's PreK. Emotional readiness and the commute matter more than starting a few months earlier.

Do we have to live on Rokko Island? No. The commute is the constraint. Rokko Island family guide

How is preschool different from CA kindergarten? Peter Pan is an independent early-childhood program. CA PreK–Kindergarten is part of the school, on the IB calendar, at school fees.