“On the first day of preschool, I was the one crying when I left my daughter to Nicolas, her teacher” remembers Mrs. Tao.

“Chingda was just 3 years old and she could only understand Laotian! She got used really fast to other pupils, to her teacher and to the rythm. She has really learnt a lot by playing! Today, she is one of the best pupils of CP. Her French is really good, but we still speak Laotian at home. It is important that she doesn’t forget about her origins”.

In France, even though preschool is not obligatory, almost 97% of children go to school aged 3, like Chingda. Why? Because everyone, parents, children, education specialists only see advantages in going to school that young – it gives children the possibility to learn the language more easily and it therefore improves their school success. School is also an opportunity to discover the others, to find a place among a group and to learn how to “live together”.

When she realised how school had developed Chingda’s curiosity and her hunger for learning always more, Mrs. Tao started thinking of sending her son to preschool when he would turn 2. He will be among the 10% of children going to school at that age. Mrs. Tao has big projects for her children. But which mother doesn’t?

To go further

Learning French

• If you want to refresh your French vocabulary about school, have fun by testing it here or here
• When do you have to write c’est and when do you have to write s’est? The rule and an exercise here!

Discovering more about the subject

• Maternelle, CP (“cours préparatoire”)… For an overview of the French school system and to check your knowledge with a quiz, go there!
• In France, preschool plays a specific role and all the policies about family are made to help children grow in a pleasant environment. Find useful resources for children’s education in the “Being a parent” category of the SamSam guide (the foreigners’ practical guide to France).

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