La Petit Ecole: A "Small School" with Big Ideas

La Petit Ecole Tribeca Location 

La Petit Ecole or "The Small School" offers a unique program for those seeking to place their children in a French language immersion preschool. The school focuses on creating a space that helps students explore their curiosity and creativity through teacher guided activities that are based on student interests. Students engage in a variety of activities with art, music, and food to help build their cognitive and language abilities along with their social skills. All activities are taught using the target language to ensure that student gain as much exposure to the language as possible.  Guest artists and musicians also make regular visits to engage with the students. There are two locations one in the Upper West Side and one in Tribeca. To apply to this program, children should be at least 2 to 4 years old. 

Painting is one of the major activities at La Petit Ecole where children express themselves 

 Students are encouraged to show off their talents in music along with songs they have learned at La Petit by performing in front of an audience. 

This well-kept kitchen area is used during lunch/snack time where children are also given "lunchtime duties" which is an important part of French culture. Students also learn recipes in French and prepare  dishes such as a fruit salad that they prepare and share with their classmates. 

Here is a series of pictures of a typical day routine usually consisting of "circle time" where all students come together, "exploration time" where students are divided by language level and engage in various activities, snack/nap time, and outdoor playtime. If weather permits, teachers take students to neighboring park areas where they play and engage in physical activity. Students work independently and in groups and learn to cooperate with one another, building social skills and respect for a shared space. 

Students also learn math and science concepts using blocks of wood in various shapes and pick up numbers and formulas in the target language. 

The most amount of students in one classroom is 15 students and are open to students of all language backgrounds including no prior language experience. 

Once the application is reviewed, student are interviewed to complete the process. 

Check out their website for more information  https://sites.google.com/site/lapetiteecolenyc/

NYFACS: A French American Charter School in West Harlem

NYFACS Located on West 120th street in Harlem 

One may not have to look to far to find bilingual schools located in the neighborhood. If you are looking for a bilingual French-English program located in Harlem, the New York French American Charter School or NYFACS may be worth exploring. NYFACS opened its doors in 2010 in West Harlem offering a bilingual language immersion program in French, catering to its community of French-speakers. Families come from many different countries around the world and the school emphasizes programs focusing on the development of global and cultural diversity. Interestingly, it is the only free bilingual French charter school in the U.S. 

One thing we noticed about this school is the amount of space available. The school has four floors with a number of classrooms that are painted with bright colors. Student work is a common theme as you walk down the hallways, usually displaying what students have learned about the two cultures. The school currently offers programs for grades K-5, but has plans on expanding to K-12. 

Classrooms are bright and spacious with enough space for students to hang their belongings. Currently classrooms have anywhere from 15-25 students, 25 being the max. 

The library is full of books in French and English 

Students are exposed to French language in all grades, however there is a heavy emphasis on French in the lower school (K-2) where 80% of instruction is in the target language. All teachers who speak French are native speakers.  

As students move to the upper school (grades 3-5) the level of language instruction becomes 50% French and 50% English

Student Artwork 

Different cultures embraced at NYFACS

Brandi Fluent, the administrative assistant who gave us a tour of the school, emphasized that they are focused on building a truly global perspective by developing knowledge and understanding of cultures throughout the world. The staff has a diverse background as well, including native French speakers who come from various countries. These teachers can provide different perspectives and are able to share their experiences with their students. 

To learn more about this school please visit their website at http://www.nyfacs.net/ or contact them by phone at (212)666-4134.

Thank you again NYFACS for having us!