Terapia Pocket Waseda is a child development support classroom (児童発達支援 jidō hattatsu shien) for preschool children in Waseda, Shinjuku — one minute from Waseda Station on the Tokyo Sakura Tram. Four speech-language therapists are on staff, which is rare for a classroom in Tokyo. We help children whose speech and language are delayed build the language and group skills they need before elementary school starts in Japan — the period many parents worry about most. Families come to us from across Tokyo, not only Shinjuku. This page explains, in English, how the Japanese system works and how to start.
Ages 0–6 · Sessions in Japanese, communication with you in English · Publicly funded (10% family share, capped) · Open to families from all of Tokyo
IS THIS FOR US?
You do not need a diagnosis to visit. Many families start from "something feels a little different."
THE JAPANESE SYSTEM
Child development support (児童発達支援, jidō hattatsu shien) — sometimes described in English as developmental support or early intervention — is a public service under Japan's Child Welfare Act for preschool children (age 0 until they start elementary school) whose development is delayed or who have developmental characteristics that make daily life or group settings hard. A child attends a licensed classroom like ours for regular sessions, and a team of specialists works on communication, language, play, daily skills and readiness for group life.
It is not a cram school, not a daycare, and not a place only for children with a formal diagnosis. Children with and without a diagnosis attend. What matters is whether support would help your child now.
To use the service regularly, your child needs a certificate issued by the ward or city office where your child is registered as a resident (the same office that handles your residence registration). It works like a voucher: it states how many days per month your child may attend, and the public system pays 90% of the cost. The certificate is issued by your home ward but can be used at our classroom even if you do not live in Shinjuku.
In our experience, almost every family who applies receives the certificate. A diagnosis or a disability handbook is not required; a doctor's opinion letter or similar document showing that support is needed is usually enough. Your ward office will tell you exactly which documents to bring.
HOW TO START
You do not have to understand the whole system before you contact us. Start with step 1 and we will walk you through the rest — in English if you need it.
Use the English contact form on this page, or call 03-6380-2836. Tell us your child's age and what you are noticing.
Come and see the classroom, ideally with your child. Tours and first consultations can be held in English with our representative.
Your child tries a session. Our child development support manager (児童発達支援管理責任者) meets with you individually.
If you do not have the certificate yet, we explain the steps clearly. You apply at your ward or city office; it usually takes about a month from application to the start of service. In Shinjuku, the counter is the Disability Welfare Division, Support Section (障害者福祉課 支援係), Shinjuku City Office 2F, tel. 03-5273-4583.
We sign a service agreement, build your child's individual support plan, and sessions begin.
FEES
Child development support is publicly funded. Families pay 10% of the service cost, and there is a monthly cap set by household income.
| Household category | Monthly cap (family share) |
|---|---|
| Receiving public assistance | ¥0 |
| Low income (resident-tax exempt) | ¥0 |
| General 1 | ¥4,600 |
| General 2 | ¥37,200 |
The family share is free for three years starting from the April 1 after your child's third birthday (the national "free preschool development support" program). In Tokyo, the family share for children aged 0–2 is also covered from the September 2025 usage month. As a rule there are no other fees beyond the family share. Sources: Children and Families Agency — user fees · free development support for preschool children · Tokyo Metropolitan Government — ages 0–2 (Japanese pages).
OUR APPROACH
Our purpose is to help children who struggle with speech and language — and with the behaviour, attention and daily skills that go with it — grow into life in Japan. Sessions last about two hours; we keep them short on purpose so your child can practise what they learned in everyday life the same day.
Four speech-language therapists are on staff — rare for a classroom in Tokyo. They assess where your child's language is now, in the context of the languages spoken at home, and design the individual program from there.
Programs are built around one-to-one sessions with a therapist, combined with small-group time so that skills carry over into daycare, kindergarten and, later, school.
Speech-language therapists, certified public psychologists, psychiatric social workers, childcare workers and child instructors work as one team. The Tanaka-Binet intelligence test is also available.
Sessions are conducted with the child and therapist only; parents wait outside the room. Families are welcome to share their wishes, and we build them into the plan after the team has discussed them.
LANGUAGE
This is not a service that provides therapy in English. It is a classroom that helps children build the language they need to live in Japan — and that can explain everything to you in English.
Our therapists work with children in Japanese, because that is the language your child needs at daycare, at school and with friends here. Many of the children we see are growing up with more than one language at home; tell us about your family's languages and the therapists will take them into account in the assessment and the plan.
Our representative speaks English and joins tours and first consultations in English. If your family speaks little or no Japanese, he also takes part in the important conversations after you start, so you always understand what is happening and why.
If you need help in another language, Shinjuku City runs a multilingual consultation service at the Shinjuku Multicultural Plaza (English, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Burmese, Nepali). Other wards have similar counters.
SERVICES
Regular sessions at our classroom for preschool children. This is the service described on this page.
Our specialists visit your child's daycare, kindergarten or school and support them in the group setting where they struggle. Available with or without a diagnosis.
Planned to open in April 2027 for elementary-school-age children; we are preparing the designation application. Its individual program will be built around structured learning, including English study.
FAQ
CONTACT
Write to us in English. Tell us your child's age, where you live, and what you are noticing — we will reply by email, in English. Nothing you send here commits you to anything.
It helps if you include: what you are noticing (e.g. late talking, unclear speech, difficulty in group settings) · whether you already have the certificate · the languages spoken at home · days and times you could visit.
Phone: 03-6380-2836 (10:00–17:00, closed Tuesdays). The phone is answered in Japanese; for English, this form is the surest way to reach us.
ACCESS
You do not need a diagnosis, a certificate, or fluent Japanese to take the first step. Send us a message in English, tell us your child's age and what you are noticing about their speech and language, and we will take it from there.
