Home

Located in southwest Columbia, in the state of Missouri, La Petite Ecole is a not-for-profit organization which provides early education to children ages 30 months to age 8 in a French immersion setting.

  According to the latest research, we know that the language center in the brain undergoes the greatest development in the first years of life.  If a child is casually exposed to a second language at a young age, he will learn to speak both languages easily, with the accent he hears around him, and will easily switch between the languages learned.  By participating in this unique program, your preschooler will not only become fluent in French, he/she will speak it with a native accent, which is next to impossible to achieve when learning a foreign language at a later age. 

Furthermore, it is known that learning a second language develops neurological pathways that are not stimulated in any other way.  Therefore, learning a second language at a young age not only gives children the ability to communicate in that language, it also helps them become better “thinkers” and “problem-solvers”, thus giving them an uncontested advantage over their peers.

At La Petite Ecole, your child will not only develop the  skills traditionally taught in preschool, he will have the added bonus of becoming bilingual and grow to appreciate other cultures.  In a global community, sensitivity to people who are different than us is a most valuable skill for a successful life.

In the news!  La Petite Ecole was featured in the Friday, June 17 2006 of the Tribune: “More than English” , the Sunday, March 6  of 2006 issue of the Missourian: “French Immersion Preschool aims to give Educational Edge” (click on the title or the articles to read these stories) and the Tuesday, April 22 of 2008 issue of the Missourian: “The Little School”

Open Houses:     Saturday February 21 & April 18 (2-4 pm)

Now located at 1111 S. Fairview Rd., we offer preschool classes, Pre-K/K (1/2 day), and full day K/1st Grade.

Summer Camps:                    The week of July 13 - 17

         Children Ages 3 - 6:  9 am until 12 pm

         Children Ages 7 - 9:  1 until 4 pm