Écoles Maternelles
music class
Courtesy of Allison Shelley at Education Week Newspaper

Background

Écoles maternelles, or nursery schools, were established as part of the free public educational system as a place where children receive their first education and the two sexes receive care to promote their physical, moral, and intellectual development. Écoles maternelles can be compared to public kindergartens in the United States.
Information

France spends 37.316 billion francs a year to fund its ècole maternelle programs,  which equals 26.520 billion U.S. dollars.  Every child is welcomed to attend these schools.  Parents pay no fees for their children to go to ècoles maternelles, no matter how much money they make.  Children can be enrolled as soon as they are toilet trained and can stay until they begin first grade.  The government makes sure that there is enough space for all children ages 3, 4, and 5. Two year olds are allowed but there is not usually enough spaces for all 2 year olds to be enrolled.  Parents can send their children part-time or full-time from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. There are usually twenty-eight children in a class.  


What do children learn?

In  écoles maternelles, children paint, sing, dance, play games and sports, and go on field trips. But the most important thing écoles maternelles teach children is French culture. Professional chefs prepare elaborate meals for children and serve it to them on china dishes. They are also taught to use proper table manners. The schools familiarize children to the French culture by allowing them to perform in an adult environment.
Requirements

Each class is taught by a teacher who has the equivalence of a master's degree. There is one teaching aide for every two teachers. All staff members are required to have a degree equivalent to two years of college in the United States and two more years of training in early childhood education and development. A large school would have a director, several teachers and teachers aides, and part-time recreation leaders for before and after school care. Teachers are encouraged to plan daily activities carefully and monitor the children continuously. The government is very strict with building requirements for écoles maternelles. All schools are new, spacious and well cleaned.

Why are they are so helpful?

Écoles maternelles can be very helpful because they provide poor families with a nurturing and caring place to send their children. They also help the children to develop well by trying to diagnose any physical, mental, or emotional problems the children might be having. Another one of their purposes is to prepare children for the first grade. Over half the children who don't attend an école maternelle fail the first grade. It is also important that these schools teach French culture to children of different ethnicities. This way, when they grow up, they will know how to operate in the French world.

References:

Bergmann, Barbara R. 1996. "Saving Our Children from Poverty: What the United States Can Learn from France." New York: Russell Sage.

The Clearinghouse on International Developments in Child, Youth, and Family Policies. 2002. "France." Retrieved December 11, 2002.
(http://www.childpolicyintl.org/countries/france.html)

The purpose of this web site is to provide web users with information on the social status of children in France. This site was designed by Jill Ulicny, Kacie Hovell,and Clare Harpham as part of a collaborative web project for the first year writing seminar Children and Society, at Tulane University taught by Professor April Brayfield.
Updated December 13, 2002