Bilingual Preschool Program 'Les Petits Sourires' to Open on Upper West Side

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — A preschool promising a year-round schedule, an English-French bilingual curriculum and long school hours to help working families will open soon on the Upper West Side.

The program is called Les Petits Sourires and will be located in Stonehenge Village, a residential building located on West 97th Street between Columbus and Amsterdam avenues, according to a press release.

"We are delighted to welcome Les Petits Sourires to Stonehenge Village," said Ofer Yardeni,
chairman and CEO of Stonehenge NYC, in a statement. "Their unique and refreshing approach to education will benefit the community."

The school's first open house will be held tomorrow, Dec. 1 and every following Thursday in December. The school's expected to open in January 2017, according to a press release. The school's curriculum will include subjects such as music, sports and studio arts but its focus will be on teaching children to be proficient two languages, English and French.

The school will also feature a nearly 12-hour school day, which will help working parents who need to pick their kids up late. But with an afternoon nap time longer than one-and-a-half-hours kids won't get over-worked.

Here's a copy of the day's schedule from Les Petits Sourires website:

• 7:30 to 8:30: Arrival
• 8:30 to 9:00: Breakfast
• 9:00 to 9:15: Clean Up And Potty
• 9:15 to 9:45: Circle Time En Francais!
• 9:45 to 10:15: Let’s Count And Write En Francais!
• 10:15 to 10:30: Story Time En Francais!
• 10:30 to 11:00: Daily Enrichment Program
• 11:00 to 11:30: Outdoors Discovery
• 11:30 to 12:00: Classroom Conversation En Francais!
• 12:00 to 12:45: Lunch And Potty
• 12:45 to 1:00: Comptines (lullabies) Pour Enfants
• 1:00 to 2:45: Nap Quiet Time
• 2:45 to 3:00: Clean Up And Potty
• 3:00 to 3:30: Snack
• 3:30 to 4:00: Sensory Exploration
• 4:00 to 5:00: Choice Time And Teacher observation
• 5:00to 6:00: Meditation and Dismissal

"Through words, songs, and stories, we will provide students with opportunities for crossculturalenrichment to gain a better understanding of French and American culture," said the school's founder, Rose Hanson, in a statement.

Photo by Google Maps street view from May 2016