School!
When we first arrived in La Pointe (two months ago) winter had not yet, but was close on our heels. In those last days of gentle weather (although to be truthful the weather has not been as gruesome as the many winters of my childhood) we walked with the neighboring parents to pick up their kids from school. This planted the seed that school was where the kids are and Soren has remained interested ever since. You cannot start school until three here and are not obligated to start until five. What we call “pre-school”, however, is fully integrated into and elementary school and in the case of public schools, is free. After the first year (in which you can send your child for a half or a full day) kids go to school M, T, Th, F, from 9-5, with a two hour break for lunch, during which many kids return home.
Given his excitement about school and the increasing difficulty of meeting up with kids in the great (wet) outdoors, we decided to take him to the Halte Garderie. There is not really an American equivalent, although it is in essence a drop-in center. The local mayor’s office funds it, and most areas have one. A family can send their child there for up to 16 hours per week, so it does not take the place of full-time childcare. Unless your child is staying for the entire day you have to pick up by 12:00 or wait until 13:30 to drop off for the afternoon. It costs 2 euros 50 cents per/hour, although this can be reduced for those with lower incomes (although not for foreigners).
The building, which is around the corner from the Totspot, is like a house in miniature on the inside, with tiny coat hooks, a playroom filled with small toys and climbing equipment, a kitchen with tiny chairs around a tiny table, two nap rooms with tiny beds and cribs, and most importantly, a bathroom filled with tiny toilets and a tiny sink. Outside there is a tot-sized playground that includes many mini-bikes and a boat with a steering wheel. Marie-Claude, a warm grandmother, runs the place and she has two assistants. At its fullest the ratio is 1:4 (a maximum of four babies and eight toddlers), but I do not think that they are often full. Marie-Claude’s grandchildren are among the children who attend (and Apolline’s cheeks were his initial target). Peter missed that detail and said to me “Look at that little girl, she prefers the arms of Marie-Claude to her own mother…”
We signed up yesterday, although Marie-Claude had met Soren for a few minutes when we first arrived, and arranged to bring Soren back every morning for short intervals until he was comfortable staying for two hours or so. We told him that he was going to school, and he has been very excited about this development in his life, shouting Kids! When we arrived this morning his name was written above one of the hooks, along with the names of the other kids who are scheduled to come today (you notify in advance).
Yesterday we stayed with him the entire time, while he played on the bikes and the boat, but today we left for a fifteen minute walk (Marie-Claude recommended we begin with that length of time) and while we were gone he sat at the snack table with the other kids and requested a jus de pomme. I had no idea that he knew the words jus de pommes. One of the reasons we are excited about him going here in the mornings (once he is settled Peter will bring him between 9:30 and 10:00 and I will pick him up just before 12:00) is that not only will he get to be around other children his own age and a little bit older for part of his day, but he will get to speak French with them. We explained to Marie-Claude that we had described the Halte Garderie as a school and she seemed happy to refer to it as that to him.
I have been impressed with the early-childhood resources available in France, at their high quality and comparatively low cost. It makes sense that most French women continue to work after they have children since they have access to affordable and high-quality childcare and a much greater possibility of securing part-time schedule if desired.
