French immersion for 2 year old in Oakland?
We've seen a multitude of French schools open up in Oakland. Our daughter is almost 2 and we're French-speaking parents hoping we could put her into a program where not only she's fully exposed to French as a primary language but she can also learn the rich culture and other aspects of French and other languages. We would love to connect to a Community of multicultural and multilingual parents through the school too. Any recommendations, advice or successful experiences you have had? Thanks in advance!
Jul 7, 2018
Parent Replies
Don’t have any firsthand experience with immersion preschools, but if you’re able to develop/maintain her French she'd likely get a spot at FCSO for kindergarten. The school is getting more and more popular, apparently a huge waitlist for next year. But they strive for dual immersion so kids who live in Oakland and can demonstrate age-appropriate French proficiency are pretty much guaranteed a spot. We attend the school and the community of families is really exceptional.
Hi,
My son attends Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley (full disclosure I also work there) and has been there since he was 3. He is about to start kindergarten next year and I’ve been extremely happy with his education there. I’m also French and it sounds like the school you are looking for is EB! Kids can enroll when they are 2 (toute petite section), the educational model is immersion 80% instruction in French, 20% in English until grade 2. Over 50 nationalities are represented within the parent body so the community is truly multicultural. I encourage you to call the director of admissions Manon Johnson or schedule a tour so you can get a better sense of the school. Bonne chance!