Pictures from LyceeFrançaisNewYork.com and Lyceum Kennedy
Many parents believe that the best education for their children is a bilingual education and many of these parents want their children to be bilingual in French and English. In New York City, the bilingual options for parents who want their children to speak French are getting better and better.
The first bilingual school to offer French and English instruction to students beginning in elementary school was the Lycée Français de New York, founded in 1935, later to be joined by the Lyceum Kennedy in 1964 and more recently, L’Ecole Internationale de New York in 2009. Each of these schools offers a private, bilingual education to students in three different Manhattan neighborhoods: the Upper East Side, Midtown East, and Gramercy, respectively.
Parents throughout the city looking to send their children to public schools are in luck, as there are a number of New York City public schools with dual language programs in 
French and English. In 2009, six public schools introduced bilingual classes: P.S. 125 in Harlem, P.S. 58 in Caroll Gardens, P.S. 73 and C.I.S. 22 in the Bronx, P.S. 84 on the Upper West Side and P.S. 151 in Woodside, Queens. More schools have joined their ranks since, such as P.S. 133 in Park Slope, which started its first dual language class just this September. These schools feature classes made up of native French speakers and native English speakers. Half of the instruction in all subjects is conducted in French and the other half in English.
While students within a school’s district are given top priority for the school’s dual language program, if the classroom is not filled, some schools will hold a lottery to fill remaining spots. As is the case with P.S. 133 William A. Butler, however, at some schools, even those students who didn’t win a spot in a dual language class can take advantage of the district’s support of the French language. At P.S. 133 Principal Heather Foster-Mann hosted French movie and culture nights open to any families interested in French and Francophone culture.
The founders of the private schools offering bilingual French-English instruction saw a need for such instruction in New York City. With the dual language public school programs, it is usually a group of parents that realizes this need and sets out to fulfill it. To improve the French education options in your neighborhood, all you need is a group of motivated parents and a receptive school.
Article by Monica Burton
Pictures from LFNY.com and Lyceum Kennedy
