French Preschool Program

The goal of L’ecole is to help children become bilingual and develop the qualities needed to enter Kindergarten and become a successful students. In this sense, L’école uses the French Government official curriculum for the classes of Maternelle (2-5 years old) adapting it to our students who have various level of French .The curriculum can be divided into 6 main axes :

• Appropriation of language
• Discovering writing
• Becoming a student
• Physical expression
• Discovering the world
• Perception, feeling, imagination, and creation

The oral language is the main focus of the program. Students will learn to express themselves in French by building sentences with precise vocabulary, and learning to communicate with their peers and the teacher. L’école encourages interdisciplinary work constructing its schedule around diverse projects. The project approach helps children make sense of what they are learning. Each child is given a “cahier de vie“ (life notebook), which is a reflective personal notebook of the child’s life in class. We use it to tell about our activities, and keep a record of rhymes, songs, drawings, and work. This notebook is also uses to build a strong connection between L’école and the families. Families are able to complete it on a regular basis with pictures, stories, or explanations of special events that happened at home. It gives the child the opportunity to explain it in class.

The preschool has 4 classrooms :

• Très Petite Section de Maternelle (TPS) – for the 2 year olds
• Petite Section de Maternelle (PS) – for the 3 year olds
• Moyenne Section de Maternelle (MS) – for the older 3 to 4 year olds
• Grande Section de Maternelle (GS) for the 4 to 5 year olds

Aligned with the French school system, the Preschool is held every morning from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm, or until 3:00 pm for our full day program. The children have lunch together around 12 pm.

The daily schedule is based on the following:

• 8:30-8:45: arrival, welcome and free play
• 8:45-9:05: circle time with daily rituals and language (calendar, weather, rhymes…)
• 9:05-9:30: gross motor skills activity (obstacle race, dance, games, mime…)
• 9:30-10:15 : activity (art, music, science, counting, writing…)
• 10:15-10:50: choice of centers
• 10:50-11:30: recess/outdoor play
• 11:30-12:15: lunch
• 12:15-12:30: circle time
• 12:30 : departure of the half day program students
• 12:30-2:00 : nap time
• 2:00-2:30 : recess / outdoor play
• 2:30-2:50 : art
• 2:50-3:00 : circle time
• 3:00 : departure of the full day program students

New Students Preschool Financial Policy
2021-22

Registration Fee

The registration fee is $200 per family. This fee is non-refundable under any circumstances and must be paid at the time of registration. The child will not be considered registered until the registration fee has been paid. If the child is registered later during the year, the registration fee remains the same.

2 year old students have the option to apply for 2 days a week minimum.

3 year olds born after August 31st must apply for 3 days a week minimum (Monday, Wednesday, Friday).

3 year olds born before August 31st must apply for 4 days a week minimum (Monday through Thursday).

4 year old students must apply for 5 days a week. 

Tuition

Tuition for 2021-2022, for a half-day, is as follows

Tuition for 2021-2022, for a full day, is as follows:

A 10% discount is applied for the 2nd and the 3rd child enrolled in the same family at the Preschool. 

Tuitions can be paid in 1, 2 or 10 times. A 5% discount is applied for 1 time payment, 2% for 2 installments payment.

The 1st tuition payment is due at the time of enrollment and includes the first and last month of tuition. If the 1st payment is not received in time, the child’s enrollment is considered cancelled.

The next payments are due on the 1st of each month, from the month following the enrollment until May. 

Late Tuition (paid after the 10th of the month) is charged a $20 fee. Tuitions can be paid by check to the order of L’école, cash or Paypal. A check returned unpaid is charged $20 fee. 

There is no refund or credit for missed days for any reason, including sickness or vacation. 

In case of teacher absence, a replacement is provided, or the class is being managed by one of the other Preschool teachers.

Late Pick-up

A fee is charged in case on late pick up:

• First 5 minutes late = $2 

• Each additional minute = $1 

Supply fee

A one-time contribution of $70 per child is asked for supplies fee for the whole school year. No additional supply list is asked to the parents. Payment is due at the time of enrollment. 

Leaving the school during the year  

If the child is leaving L’école before the end of the school year, a written notice must be sent by the parents to L’école, at least 1 month before the last day of attendance. The last month of attendance is due in full, even if the child is leaving before the end of that month. 

From 2 to 5 years old is the best age for children to learn another language. All children are welcome in our french preschool program regardless of French language experience. We have a mix of French, bilingual, and non-French speaking families. If you are interested in enrolling your child in our preschool, please fill out the contact form below to request a tour.

A morning child care program is offered for free to all children enrolled to allow parents to drop off their children as early as 7:00 am.

The after school care is from 3:00 to 6:00 pm and is charged $270/ month.

L’ecole – French school of Raleigh, NC, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, and other school-administered programs.