About the School

   La Petite École (LPE) is a half-day French immersion preschool, serving the Bloor West Village area. We are a licensed preschool under the supervision of the Ministry of Education. We offer a Morning Program for children between ages 2 to 3.5, and an Afternoon Program for ages 3.5 to 5. The school is open year-round. LPE provides a comfortable learning environment for children who are new to French language, and provides a French-speaking context in LPE which Francophone children communicate in their mother tongue. Children of all language backgrounds are welcome!

   Educational programs at LPE are carefully designed to take full advantage of the vast learning capabilities of young developing minds. We have taken to heart the scientific evidence that second languages are best acquired under the age of five. We also subscribe to the fact that early bilingualism has lasting effects on a child's overall development and intelligence. In our school, language is not taught through grammar rules and vocabulary lists; instead French becomes a living, immersive experience. Our teaching approach is based on the natural discovery process, where children directly interact with the object of learning. In addition to learning French through the sense of hearing, children at LPE learn through sight and touch. Engaging multiple sensory functions makes learning more efficient and, importantly, more fun!

   LPE combines the best of Canadian preschool and French la maternelle practices and traditions. We strongly believe that children require highly individualized attention. We are, indeed, a ‘’petite school’’, as we limit our capacity to only 24 children. At LPE, children are taught by certified Early Childhood Educators and Assistants from both France and Canada. Our team is led by the founders of the school, Caroline Paterson, Ph.D., and Lise Geffray, certified Early Childhood Educator (Éducatrice de Jeunes Enfants, Paris, France), and a registered member of the Canadian College of Early Childhood Educators (E.C.E.).

Testimonials