Support Now – QUEST Learning Support and Therapy

Kirsten O’Connor is a British educator based in Tokyo since 2001, and a member of the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan. As well as being the Founder and Director of QUEST TOKYO KK, she is also the Education Director with Clarence Education Asia. Previously she was the Head Teacher –Primary School, at The British School in Tokyo.

Tove Kinooka of the BCCJ’s Executive Committee caught up with Kirsten to find out more about her crowdfunding project, designed to offer support to families seeking help and therapy for children with learning differences or difficulties.

What I want to achieve with this project

I am starting a new not-for-profit support centre (Ippan Shadan Houjin) for families and children with learning difficulties and challenges: the QUEST Learning Support and Therapy (QLST) hub.

We want to get the QUEST Learning Support and Therapy hub off the ground and open in September 2021. This project will raise the start up funds needed to help us open and professionally staff the hub with full time specialists. We need to start with a Speech The goal is that the funding helps with our upfront staffing and set up costs while we build our service provision and client base.

Why I decided to do the project

Parents find it difficult to locate help in Tokyo when their children need learning support. If a child has learning difficulties parents are often looking for professional consultations, Educational Psychology Assessments, Speech and Language Therapy or Physical / Occupational / Behavioural Therapy.

Over the past 20 years I have worked with many families who have repeatedly expressed their desire to be able to source learning support from one place; to get advice, to be able to talk to others and share their experiences.

Our mission is to be this place: a hub where parents can book a consultation, secure an Educational Psychology Assessment, and source therapists in a range of connected areas. All from one place, one holistic, connected team with the child at the heart of the plan.

QLST will work with schools to arrange support and training so that children with specific learning needs can be smoothly enrolled. Through the hub parents can purchase individual support packages for their child, provided by QLST and in collaboration with schools.

Thank you for visiting our project, this is a long-held mission to launch this important center for children, parents, and schools.

For more information and to see the full interview, click HERE