Saratoga French Cultural Preschool

SFC is such a wonderful preschool! Ms Nadia and all the teachers a like an extended family while also incredibly professional. We are not a French speaking family and the school and other parents are very welcoming. The play based, emotional learning focused making preschool fun and also enriching was exactly what we were looking for, plus exposure to another language. We also loved that our children had the exposure to learn about and cultures and religions from all around the globe from their class mates. Our son looks at a map or globe and has real meaning as he describes where his classmates were from or traveled to. I am so so thankful we learned of this magical nurturing place!
Sep 15th, 2023

My two boys go to this school and we absolutely love it. Ms. Nadia and all of her teachers are so incredibly warm with the children and their families. They go above and beyond to create real community, and that is very special to us. 5/5 recommend!
Feb 23rd, 2023

My daughter started last year and she absolutely loves it! The teachers are amazing. Nadia, the director is so welcoming And always available whenever we have questions. The best preschool in the area!!
Feb 17th, 2023

My son has been in the Papillons (3s and 4s class) since September 2022, and we are so pleased with our experience with the school. The teachers are excellentI trust all of them absolutely to look out for the best for my kid, help him with his social skills, speaking French, and fun preschool activities. Each member of the Papillons team (Anne, Annie, Antoine, Marie-Helene, Moncef, Nadia) is so kind and great with kids. I believe SFCP&K uses a Waldorf-inspired approach that emphasizes social-emotional learning and creativity, and it has a really unpretentious and welcoming atmosphere. I have heard only good things about the Monarches class to which he will move to in the fall. My sons communication skills have improved a lotwhen he started, he probably understood some French thanks to his francophone father, but would not speak any French words. Then around Christmas I watched him exchange pleasantries in French with his holiday camp teacher. By March he was actually excited to chatter in French about a dream he had with his French-speaking grandparents on FaceTime, when before he would refuse to interact with them over the phoneSFC has opened up a whole new relationship with his grandparents! Other great features: SFC has an amazing teacher:child ratio I believe there are typically three adults present in the class of ~12 kids. My son loves the camps that are often held during school holidays. -Community: there are many opportunities to socialize with teachers and other parents at gatherings. -Special activities: some months there is a weekly soccer class, music teachers every other week, lots of cooking (he brings home a little round of bread that he helped bake at school at least once a month), harvesting stuff from the school garden. -Location/conveniences: next to a lovely park with a playground, which is perfect for the warm-weather barbecues and playing after pick-up while waiting for traffic to die down. Pick up and drop off are very easy there is a huge parking lot that is easy to get in and out of. I love that they provide an interesting variety of peanut-free foods for lunch (chicken nuggets, Korean beef, tofu curry, pesto pasta, etc.).
Apr 8th, 2023

We bumped into this school by pure luck two years ago and it has been undoubtedly one of the best decisions we made for our children. Don't be intimidated by the French immersion aspect of the school - it is for native and non-native speaker families (like us zero French at home) alike. Nadia the director of SFC runs this school with absolute passion and makes no concession on what she believes to be the best for the students. The school facilities remind me of a version of the Waldorf and where many hands-on projects are provided, such as cooking, crafting, planting and games. The pedagogy is for raising well-rounded children. We also really appreciate some of the French cultural elements such as having lunch served in chinaware for preschoolers and writing cursives for Kindergarten. Miss Zoe, the Kindergarten teacher in the afternoon English program is very attentive, caring and patient. For a class of 13 kids, she prepares customized curricula for kids at different levels of academic maturity. We deeply appreciate the education, nurturing and love from the team of teachers and staff to our child, and feel so proud to be part of the community of parents.
Mar 25th, 2023