Lyceum Kennedy French School is a bi-lingual French/English preschool that accepts children from the age of 3 years. There is no upper age limit because the preschool transitions into a formal private school with students from Kindergarten through High School.
LK as the school is called has the majority of classroom instruction in French with children at the preschool level allowed to use either French or English until they become comfortable with the French instruction. In operation since 1964, LK was originally founded for French families in Manhattan. The program is endorsed and accredited by both the state of New York and the French Education Ministry. Children who leave the school are able to transfer to schools in France without any loss of grade level or, as in the case of the preschool, may transfer directly into a French school.
Preschool students are screened during a rigorous application process. All children must be completely toilet trained and require no adult assistance. Beyond that the children are screened for development, language skills and ability to interact with others. After acceptance into Lyceum Kennedy French School children will adhere to a rather stringent curriculum. This includes:
- Language classes
- Reading and writing skills
- Math and science skills
- Arts and crafts
The school considers the developing of language skills to be the top priority for preschool children and fluency in both English and French is the goal. The preschool program has three primary groups, each corrosponding to the ages of the children. This aspect of the Lyceum lasts for 3 years.
- Nursery (Petite): 3 years old
- Pre-K (Moyenne): 4 years old
- Kindergarten (Grande): 5 years old
