The French Are Coming! —Bilingual Classrooms in Brooklyn

December 5, 2009  by Tory Hoen

Photo: bbc.co.uk

Is there anything cuter than a French-speaking kindergartner? I think not. That alone should be a reason to integrate bilingual immersion classes into the New York school system, and Williamsburg’s PS 84 has done just that. Starting in the fall of 2010, the school will join a growing community of New York schools (7 at present) that are getting on the French immersion bandwagon. PS 84’s program will begin with a bilingual immersion class for kindergartners and, presumably, it will expand over the coming years.

So if you’re a francophone parent in New York, or just a New Yorker who wants French-speaking children (we don’t blame you), you may want to look into an immersion program like this one. As PS 84 is a magnet school, it is possible for children in all parts of New York to attend.

With so many French and francophone families living in New York, it’s not surprising that immersion education is taking off, but it took some effort to get this program off the ground. The program at PS 84 came about as a result of the “campaigning” done by two local mothers, Lea Joly Sloan and Josée Bienvenu, who posted flyers throughout Williamsburg and rallied the support of twenty families who were interested in French-English education. Robin Sundick (the principal of PS 84) was receptive to the idea, and has since been recognized as one of four New York public school administrators to have initiated a program of this nature.

For more information, please contact frenchinwillyburg@gmail.com. To join the dialogue, click here.

Written by Tory Hoen for the HiP Paris Blog. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.

Tags: bilingual education, bilingual school new york, french school, french school new york, Josee Bienvenu, Lea Joly Sloan, PS 84, tory hoen, Williamsburg
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