The Playgroup

The Playgroup is a French/English bilingual kindergarten for two-and-a-half-year-olds to 6 year-olds. It is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 8.00 to 12.00 and from 14.00 to 16.15. A day nursery operates during the lunch-break from 12 noon to 14.00, after school from 16.15 to 18.15, and all day on Wednesdays and during school holidays.

The Playgroup dates back to 1976 when a group of English-speaking families founded the “Cercle International”, a non-profit cultural association set up to meet the demand for a bilingual kindergarten based on active teaching methods.

Against this background, the Playgroup stands out from other nursery structures in the Strasbourg area on account of its:

• mix of English and French-speakers, which enables the children to familiarise themselves with another language and culture and to become accustomed to, and accept diversity;
      
• excellent child/teacher ratio (never more than 10:1), which produces a relaxed and friendly atmosphere and allows for a considerable degree of flexibility;
• status as an association, which means that parents are expected to take an active part in running the school.

The Playgroup does not discriminate on the basis of religion, race or handicap.

Children are immersed in a relaxed and friendly bilingual environment that enables them to:

• familiarise themselves with a language and culture other than their own;
• develop at their own pace, according to Montessorian principles;
• acquire the behavioural skills and knowledge they need in preparation for primary school.

Introduction to a foreign language

All the children at the PLAYGROUP spend part of the day with an English-speaking teacher and part with a French-speaking teacher. In this way, naturally, through play and more structured educational activities, they improve their mastery of their mother tongue and familiarise themselves with another language. The split between activities conducted in French and those conducted in English depends on the age of the child.

Through hearing teachers and parents speaking a foreign language in a natural environment, the children come to appreciate the value of this experience and are encouraged to learn the language themselves. The cultural aspect is also important and is taken into account, for example by honouring national traditions such as Guy Fawkes, Halloween, etc.

On Wednesdays morning, all children participate to a one-hour English class, animated by an English-speaking teacher, grouped by small groups from 8 to 10 childs.

Child development

In its characteristically warm and stimulating environment, the PLAYGROUP focuses on all aspects of a child's development (mental, physical and emotional).

Games, physical exercise (e.g. gym classes at Baloo Club©, dance), and arts and crafts are only some of the ways in which the children are helped to develop harmoniously, acquire a good sense of balance, improve their dexterity and fine motor skills, and mature their lateralisation, while being left free to express their individual creativity.

Through group discussion times, songs, nursery rhymes, poetry, stories, etc, children are encouraged to develop their memory skills and capacity for oral expression. Hands-on activities and experimentation lead to key discoveries that help develop their sense of logic and introduce them to the reading and number skills they will be called upon to build on in their further schooling.

Where emotional development is concerned, the PLAYGROUP tries hard to respect the individual routine and behavioural patterns of each child (periods of activity and rest times, quickness to learn) and to allow them to adapt to life in society gradually in an environment where they can feel secure.

Acquisition of behavioural skills and knowledge needed for primary school

The skills and knowledge needed for primary school are acquired gradually and continuously over the course of Years 1 to 3 as set out above. Children start by acquiring a degree of independence in accomplishing everyday tasks and by learning to respect other people, public property, and the environment.

They then go on to learn about responsibility and the importance of solidarity. Lastly, they gradually acquire the learning skills they need for primary school.

Parent evenings and other opportunities for parents and teachers to meet each other

Parent evenings are organised for each class. The first meeting takes place in the autumn, before the half-term break. Other meetings may be organised on request and according to needs.

A characteristic feature of the PLAYGROUP is the ease with which parents are able to arrange meetings with members of the teaching staff (outside normal school hours).

Lastly, the PLAYGROUP's characteristic approach is designed to take account of the education concepts specific to each culture in the manner best-suited to each class, in the hope that by the time the children leave they will be well-balanced and happy, aware of their own personality and capable of expressing it, and keen to go on learning.

The Playgroup is open open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 8 am to 12 noon and from 2 to 4:15 pm. A day nursery operates during the lunch-break from 12 noon to 2 pm, after school from 4:15 to 6.15 pm, and all day on Wednesdays and during school holidays.

The school is divided into several groups of approximately 25 children each. Each class has two teachers, a native French-speaker and a native English-speaker. They teach in their respective languages. They are sometimes helped by educative assistants.

An outline of a typical day and week at the PLAYGROUP is distributed at the beginning of the school year.

The PLAYGROUP also organises outings for the children. These include a weekly gym class (at Baloo Club©), concerts, trips to the theatre, visits to farms, an overnight stay in the Vosges for Years 2 and 3, as well as other outings on a specific theme.

Remarks: Parents are advised to drop their children off before 9 o’clock in the morning to make it easier for the teachers to organise classroom activities.

Parents are free to choose their child's attendance schedule from among the following possibilities:

• Four days a week (Wednesday is not a school day).
• Lunch-time-care: four days a week.
• After-school care: four days a week.
• All day Wednesday (day-care, with or without lunch-time-care).
• Half day Wednesday (with or without lunch-time-care).
• Day-care during school holidays.

   

The monthly fees for subscription to Playgroup vary according to the options you choose for your child.

Please contact us if you need any information.