French Programs May Provide U.S.
With Preschool InsightFrom Report on Preschool Programs,
November 10, 1999
U.S. preschool administrators can learn new curriculum and funding ideas by studying France’s preschool models, say researchers who recently returned from a visit to the European country.
France offers a system of free preschools available to families on a voluntary basis, and nearly all families use the service, said U.S. experts after their visit to the French-American Foundation, which supports cultural exchanges between the two countries. The French programs “should inspire us to create universal high-quality, full day year-round, voluntary preschool here at home,” said Delaine Eastin, California’s state superintendent of public instruction.
The French preschool programs operate in conjunction with before- and after-school services for older children available to parents on a sliding fee scale.
Aside from universal service, France offers other innovative policies such as: paid teacher education services, up to the equivalent of a U.S. master’s degree; comprehensive in-service programs; staff assistance in the classroom; and bonuses for teachers working in areas with high rates of school failure to promote staff stability.
The U.S. experts visited nearly a dozen of the schools, returning with a recommendation that the U.S offer free early childhood services to families wanting it. “We cannot afford not to provide all our youngsters with the right start,” said Douglas Price, panel member and co-founder of Educare Colorado program.
The panel included Sarah Greene, executive director of National Head Start Association. For information, contact: French-American Foundation, 509 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022; (212) 829-8800; http://www.frenchamerican.org .