Princeton French School Offers A Different Educational Experience

Candace Braun

Not many towns can boast of a school offering a French-speaking program for nursery school students. However, Princeton can.

The Princeton French School, located at the All Saints Church on All Saints Road in Princeton Township, has just started its fourth year, and continues to grow and expand to offer a unique program to children in and around Princeton. Initially only a preschool with four students, the school now has 50 children enrolled, and offers classes for preschool through fifth grade.

The school's immersion program allows for children to absorb a second language through daily teachings and discussions in the classroom in the French language.

Parents are attracted to the school because it gives their child a different kind of learning environment that will help them become fluent in French, while learning in a more structured environment than many American nursery schools.

Co-founders Anne Carcagno and Corinne Gungor run the school with a majority of French or French-speaking teachers.

Ms. Carcagno is a French-American who has lived in the area for 35 years, and Ms. Gungor has lived in the U.S. for five years. The two women got together in 1999 and decided to start a school which combined American and French teachings, to offer the best possible education for children.

"Our common goal was to set up a school where we could combine the two," said Ms. Gungor.

School Curriculum

Parents bring their children from Princeton, West Windsor, Plainsboro, and Montgomery Township to the school, which is the only French school in New Jersey. "Even if it's a long ride for the parents, they are willing to do it," said Ms. Gungor. The only other French schools in the area are located in Philadelphia and New York City.

The school started out at the Christ Congregation Church on Walnut Lane, and then quickly moved to the All Saints Church when the enrollment expanded from five to 20 students. Now, with an enrollment of more than 50 students, the school is almost at capacity, as class size is limited to 12 students.

Having small classes is one of the most attractive aspects of the school for parents, along with learning a second language in a very structured environment.

"The curriculum is challenging, and the children learn many things," said Leanne Hunter of Princeton, whose daughter attends the school. "The class sizes are small and the children receive tons of attention."

According to the director, Ms. Carcagno, the nursery program is much more rigo- rous than the average program in the U.S. The children are taught pre-writing, pre-reading and vocabulary.

However, according to parent Mona Hall, the children still have fun. "The teachers are very energetic, the area is open, and there's lots of space," she said. Ms. Hall said she likes to drive by on occasion and observe her child playing outside with the other students.

Some students at the school have French as their first language, while many others speak English primarily, One child, who comes from Russia, enrolled in the school not fluent in either language.

"At the beginning of the year it's not easy," said Ms. Gungor. "But children are like sponges, and they absorb the knowledge."

Ms. Gungor said the children are taught only in French their first year of preschool. Then, they are taught Music, Science, English comprehension, and Art in English, and Math and French comprehension in French. She said it takes several years at the school to become fluent in French, however the children start to pick up the language after about three months. "Children are ready to speak several languages," she said.

Parental Involvement

Ms. Gungor, whose husband is Turkish, speaks French, English and Turkish with her children on a regular basis. However some parents who enroll their students at the school have no French background at all.

Ms. Hall, who has extended family members who speak French, says her five-year-old child appears to be perfectly bilingual. "It's great when she picks up the phone and speaks to her grandmother in French," she said.

Ms. Hunter, who is very enthusiastic about the program, says her daughter is doing so well with the French language, sometimes when she speaks she can only find the French word for what she wants to say.

"My daughter is doing great," she said. "She's very confident, and she'll babble away in French. She even dreams in French."

According to Ms. Carcagno, parents are willing to help out at the school in whatever way they can. Ms. Hunter and her husband donated 10 computers for the children to use, and several parents are helping set up a library for the students. They are also holding a book fair at the school in November.

When parents were asked if they feel their children will have trouble transferring to an English-speaking school in sixth grade, many had a positive outlook.

"Her English is great," said Ms. Hunter. "If anything, she'll be academically ahead."

Ms. Carcagno agreed. "Children have no problem adapting," she said. "American schools are very willing to take [our students]."

The Princeton French School will be holding an open house for parents interested in enrolling their children for the 2004-05 school year on Saturday, December 13.