The Social Enterprise Early Learners School or SEELS aspires to make a difference by having a school and community participation on children's learning that help to bring impact to child growth and development. The key is to teach English in Science, Technology, Environment, Arts, and Math (E-STEAM) as the core curriculum content carried out in Seels DX International Preschool program.
DX stands for Digital Transformation where children have to be prepared to live in a digital culture that has never been experienced before. Seels DX International School as a social enterprise is running two Neighborhood Reachout Programs to extend support to children and parents. The Seels Montessori Juku is for children in need of supplementary after school programs on E-STEAM.
For children needing a place to stay while waiting for their parents to be back home is the Seels DX Gakudo. A sanctuary for children to do their school homework, a relaxing place to play and to learn English language and computer coding and programming.
Teachers and child caregivers are all provided with relational and intentionally designed training and licensing courses with a year of diploma studies and another year of internship and on-the-job training. A course developed and provided by Seels Teachers Academy who has been in service for over a decade in connecting the dots between foreign mothers of half-Japanese children and foreigners living in Japan and the English education needs in the neighborhood.
Parents and communities are well assured that licensed Seels Teachers and Child Caregivers have full capacities and are well prepared to run and operate all programs and activities under Seels DX International School, Seels Montessori Juku, and Seels DX Gakudo. Thanks to the grant awarded by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) who provided the startup funds to SEELS Co., Ltd., the initiator and operator of Seels Teachers Academy (Seels TA) and the Tokyo Blockchain Academy (ToBA).
In addition to the METI award, the Seels Teachers Academy was voted as one of the Top 50 Organizations by the Global Forum on Education and Learning (GFEL) in its December 2019 convention held in Dubai. An acknowledgement that Seels Teachers Academy's international preschool training and license is in high international quality standards.
SEELS stakeholders worth mentioning include the founders of Akira Foundation, World in Tohoku (WiT), Social Venture Partners (SVP) Tokyo, international TEFL Accreditation Council (ITEFLAC), Global Blockchain Initiative (GBI), property owner of Japan Christian Center, individual supporters, and the over a thousand graduates and students of Seels Teachers Academy.
From theoretical studies to practical classroom management, SEELS teachers are equipped with century old to modern global standards teaching skills.
1. Practical application of over a hundred year Montessori Philosophy and Methods
a) Exercises on Practical Life
b) Exercises on Sensorial Development
c) Language Program
d) Arithmetic
e) Culture and Sciences
f) Peace and Development
2. Applied Newly Emerged Teaching Systems
a) Montessori Phonics to Jolly Phonics
b) Multiple Intelligences
c) Emotional Intelligence
d) Computer Coding and Digital Arts
3. Brain Development in Early Years in Life
a) Architecture of the Developing Brain
b) Serve and Return Interaction
c) Toxic Stress Prevention
d) Brain Hero Advocacy
It is important for a Seels school to discuss with parents the human emotional needs of their child. How would their child's attainment, achievement, sense of purpose and value in life be fundamentally related to well being that is linked to the psychological security of attachment. Our aim is to invite parents to become part of our learning community and grow with us alongside in a relationship.
We need to be clarified that the aspects of a child's and family's time with Seels school are what we care about and as the driving force behind the decisions we make in our teaching and learning setting. We share available scientific evidence and findings about life as adults and help parents to see where their small child will eventually be as a teenager, with quite different needs, but which depend on their own experiences in early years in life.
Our overarching goal is to help parents to reframe their thinking about what they want for their child in the long term. Backup the parent stands with a clear perspective in order not to be lost in the turmoil of early parenthood, with all its competing pressures and prevent child toxic stress.
We aim to achieve through this help each parent and caregiver to feel the child's uniqueness, have a revalued point of view, and recognize as such that the child is part of the family and community. This is important because education is a moral journey with a social purpose that is what we represent as the Social Enterprise Early Learners School or SEELS DX International Preschool.
"A child is like a butterfly in the wind. Some can fly higher than others. But each one flies the best it can. Why compare one against the other? Each one is different. Each one is special. Each one is beautiful." Dr. Maria Montessori.
Seels focus on children's individual progress based on the child's stages of development and help children to take ownership for their own learning. Teachers and caregivers prepare the environment for learning and let children direct part of their own learning. "Learning activities are interactive, dialogic and spiraling and students have opportunities to engage within their zone of proximal development" (Vygotsky, 1976).