The association “French Education in New York” (EFNY, for Education Française à New York) was formed in 2005, through the initiative of Florence Nash and a friend of hers, who gathered a small group of French-speaking parents who wished to share the French language and culture with their children by offering practical and affordable educational options.
EFNY initially offered French programs in the form of Saturday classes, playgroups, etc. It soon became apparent, however, that these options were insufficient for the group’s educational goals. A child must be socialized in a language for it to become or remain her own. A bilingual child quickly loses his maternal language if it is not the language of his environment. A child will not master a written language if she does not attend a bilingual program. It thus quickly became clear that the full acquisition of the French language required a more sustained approach, and that innovative programs must be created within the public school system of New York City.
EFNY drew its inspiration from similar models in Miami http://teachers.dadeschools.net/mclark/ and other cities (see Links). If these programs exist elsewhere, why not in New York, international city par excellence, in which, according to the last national census, there are nearly 90,000 French-speaking people, of whom 12,500 are children between the ages of 5 and 17 years? New York City’s Department of Education has a very active dual-language (bilingual) division, with more than 60 schools specializing in Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Korean, or Haitian Creole. Why not French?
EFNY began consulting with parents, educators, French officials, and other New Yorkers, and now manages and/or promotes a variety of bilingual and bicultural programs in French within the public schools. EFNY works in collaboration with the New York City Department of Education and the French authorities, both of whom have been very receptive.
EFNY is a rallying point and a voice for families sharing the same objectives. Its programs exist only to the extent that they are initiated and organized by parents, to whom EFNY brings its support. If you wish to initiate a program or to obtain more information on an existing program or on a project in progress, please contact EFNY at info@efny.net or Contacts, or subscribe to our email list at Sign up. You can also offer your assistance in Help Us.
EFNY is undertaking an adventure that promises to be one of the most gratifying possible for any New York-based francophone or francophile family.
Come and join us !