In a time of low academic achievement by children in the United States, many Americans are turning to Japan, a country of high academic achievement and economic success, for possible answers. However, the answers provided by Japanese preschools are not the ones Americans expected to find. In most Japanese preschools, surprisingly little emphasis is put on academic instruction. In one investigation, 300 Japanese and 210 American preschool teachers, child development specialists, and parents were asked about various aspects of early childhood education. Only 2 percent of the Japanese respondents listed “to give children a good start academically” as one of their top three reasons for a society to have preschools. In contrast, over half the American respondents chose this as one of their top three choices. To prepare children for successful careers in first grade and beyond, Japanese schools do not teach reading, writing, and mathematics, but rather skills such as persistence, concentration, and the ability to function as a member of a group. The vast majority of young Japanese children are taught to read at home by their parents.
在美国儿童学业成绩低下的时代，许多美国人正向日本这个学业成绩和经济成就都很高的国家寻求可能的答案。然而，日本幼儿园提供的答案并不是美国人所期望的。令人惊讶的是，在大多数日本幼儿园，很少重视学习指导。在一项调查中，300名日本和210名美国幼儿教师、儿童发展专家和家长被问及幼儿教育的各个方面。只有2%的日本回答问卷者将“给孩子一个良好的学业开端”列为一个社会开办幼儿园的三大理由之一。相比之下，超过一半的美国受访者将此作为他们的前三大选择之一。为了让孩子们在一年级及以后的职业生涯中取得成功，日本学校不教授阅读、写作和数学，而是教授坚持、专注和作为团队成员的能力等技能。绝大多数日本幼儿都是由父母在家里教他们读书的。
In the recent comparison of Japanese and American preschool education, 91 percent of Japanese respondents chose providing children with a group experience as one of their top three reasons for a society to have preschools. Sixty-two percent of the more individually oriented Americans listed group experience as one of their top three choices. An emphasis on the importance of the group seen in Japanese early childhood education continues into elementary school education.
在最近对日本和美国学前教育的比较中，91%的日本受访者选择为儿童提供集体体验，作为他们在社会上开设学前教育的三大理由之一。更强调个性发展的美国人中有62%将集体经历列为他们的三大选择之一。在日本幼儿教育中，对这一群体重要性的强调一直延续到小学教育中。
Like in America, there is diversity in Japanese early childhood education. Some Japanese kindergartens have specific aims, such as early musical training or potential development. In large cities, some kindergartens are attached to universities that have elementary and secondary schools. Some Japanese parents believe that if their young children attend a university-based program, it will increase the children’s chances of eventually being admitted to top-rated schools and universities. Several more progressive programs have introduced free play as a way out for the heavy intellectualizing in some Japanese kindergartens.
和美国一样，日本的幼儿教育也存在多样性。一些日本幼儿园有特定的目标，例如早期的音乐培训或潜能开发。在大城市，一些幼儿园附属于有小学和中学的大学。一些日本家长认为，如果他们的孩子参加一个以大学为基础的项目，这将增加孩子最终被顶尖学校和大学录取的机会。一些更进步的项目引入了自由游戏，作为一些日本幼儿园重度智能化的一种出路。
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