Bump! We're thinking about enrolling our DD in the Nursery at FMS after she turns 2 in May. Any current reviews anyone can offer up about it? Interested in any and all reviews, but particularly interested to hear about people's experiences who don't speak French at home.

Anonymous wrote:I would recommend to check WIS first. Good luck.

+ 1

Agree with previous poster who said it was a "hidden gem." Our daughter was there for three years (graduated from the Grande Section last year) and we loved it. She still talks about her teachers and her FMS friends. We plan to continue doing the the summer camp program until she ages out.

WIS isn't well designed for small children. It is a large school and very chaotic...and playground supervision is awful, so little kids get lost in the shufle.

WIS, years ago, had a separate Kinder area...now it's incorporated into the larger lower school, and it's not well run.

Try French Maternal...it's better and more nurturing.

Anonymous wrote:Hello, we are relocating to the Washington Area with a 3.5 year old attending a great French/English school in Berkeley. Does anyone have recent experience with French Maternal School? Does it have a decent size playground/running around space? Does it have a good amount of physical play? The academics are well established, just wondering about the other stuff. Im especially wondering what other parents do who need to drop off the kids before their 8:30 opening. Thanks, we are hoping to get into this school of January 2017

Our son is 2 and attends FMS. Our experience with teachers, staff and other parents has been terrific. The staff and teachers are especially responsive and my son has made a strong connection with those that care for him. They follow the 'maternal school' curriculum that is followed in France, but are flexible depending on the needs and developmental progress of each child. The playground area, from my perspective, is sufficient enough for preschoolers to run around and play. Based on the reports I receive, depending on weather, my son usually gets about an hour of outside recreation between the hours of 9 am and 3 pm. Most of the activities they do indoors is interactive, so they are kept quite busy.

Also consider Lycee Rochambeau in Bethesda/Chevy Chase. I see plenty of FMS stickers on cars at pickup so I assume it's not uncommon to enroll at Rochambeau beyond the preschool years.

I would recommend to check WIS first. Good luck.

Hello, we are relocating to the Washington Area with a 3.5 year old attending a great French/English school in Berkeley. Does anyone have recent experience with French Maternal School? Does it have a decent size playground/running around space? Does it have a good amount of physical play? The academics are well established, just wondering about the other stuff. Im especially wondering what other parents do who need to drop off the kids before their 8:30 opening. Thanks, we are hoping to get into this school of January 2017

It seems like interest in the French language is coming back among American students, after a few years of foreign language studies seeming like it would be all Spanish all the time -- does this reflect others' experience?

I have one child in the pk4 class and am planning to have my younger son attend once he is old enough. We just relocated from Paris this summer and have been very happy with our experience at FMS. The teachers are very caring and responsive and they create a stimulating environment for the children. There is a much larger emphasis on writing at the school than there was in our Parisian school, but I am guessing that is true of many DC preschools. In any case, it is really sweet and the parents seem very nice too. Many of the families live in the neighborhood, but a good number commute as well. We live downtown and commute.

Are most students local - Georgetown area ?

There was a thread on this last year -- I can't find it but try googling it

I agree with PP. My child spent two years there at age 3 and 4. We moved on to have the best shot at entering a K - 6 school for my kid's K year. It is a terrific school - we were thrilled with our experience there.

Lovely and loving place. Our child spent several weeks there for summer camp and had a great experience. We will probably go back next year. (Would have attended this school year had other options not panned out.) Mme. Pacot is really good. She's both professional and approachable. The student body is small and the space is small but it feels cozy, not cramped. Your child will be loved but there are serious, and not inconsiderable, learning objectives for the students. Were this a guide book, I would tag it a "hidden gem." There is one tricky issue. Get your child in at three (2.5 years old is the minimum, I think) if possible. Because the school is so small, it can be difficult to find a spot at four or five. Spots only open up through attrition. On the other hand, there are many fewer applicants at four or five and the school, again because of its small size, definitely wants to fill spots opened by attrition.

Thinking of applying for next year - any recent experiences with this school ?