Our Program

L’Atelier is founded and staffed by a team of three native French teachers, each with over ten years experience.

We provide a rigorous French immersion curriculum (no English is spoken) focused on pre-reading, pre-writing, pre-math, and fine motor skill development, modeled on French school methods.

Academics are combined with a motherly approach to our students’ emotional needs and comfort. In France, such schools are known as “les écoles maternelles.”

Cécile Depraetere, co-founder

Born in Lille, France, Cécile studied French and English at L'Université de Lille lll, Charles de Gaulle. Since moving to New York City, she has taught early childhood French immersion at The Language Workshop for Children and at Le Jardin A L'Ouest before co-founding L’Atelier.

Besides interests in poetry and photography, Cécile is passionate about literature, both for adults and youth, and enjoys sharing her discoveries with the children.