We have been blown away by the caring nature of the staff and educators, the quality and diversity of the educational opportunities they afford the children, the incredible art program, and the loving francophone community we have been welcomed into.
Manhattan French Immersion Preschool
Our Program
L’Alliance New York’s Preschool curriculum is taught entirely in French to create a fully immersive learning environment, establish the foundation for true bilingualism, and open your child’s mind to a broader understanding of the world.
Our curriculum focus includes:
- Strengthening socialization skills and fostering social and emotional development
- Learning the language in all its dimensions
- Developing creativity through artistic activities
- Broadening children’s knowledge of the world through exploration and experimentation
- Acquiring the first mathematical tools
- Developing motor skills through movement, games, crafts, and more
Daily classes are built around various weekly or bi-weekly themes that students explore in every aspect of our curriculum: language, arts, math and sciences, and motor skills through engaging activities and projects conducted in groups to foster socialization or individually to promote independence. This structure provides appropriate levels of interactivity and flexibility to match each child’s ideal pace and learning modality.
Class Structure/Timing
Classes By Age
Junior Class
For toddlers 2½ – 3½ years old
12 students maxPre-K Class
For children 3½ – 5 years old
15 students max
Schedule Options (all ages)
Half-Day Schedule
Monday-Friday,
8:30–11:30 amFull-Day Schedule
Monday-Friday,
8:30 am–4:30 pmExtended day option available until 6 pm
Afterschool Program
An afterschool enrichment program (Mon–Fri, 4:30–6 pm), with various activities, is available for an additional fee.
Our Team
Our native French-speaking teachers specialize in early childhood education and have extensive experience teaching young children in the context of French immersion. They all share a passion for nurturing the development of young learners. Each preschool class has an assistant teacher and is supported by our bilingual administration.
Laura Terriere
Preschool Director (Manhattan Campus) & Pedagogical Consultant (Montclair Campus)
Originally from France, Laura holds a Master’s degree in Education and began her career as a teacher in France, where she worked with students across all grade levels. She moved to the United States in 2021 and joined an international school in New Jersey, where she taught before progressively taking on administrative responsibilities and eventually becoming the French Program Coordinator. Laura’s passion for languages, cultures, and travel has shaped much of her personal and professional journey. In 2025, she embarked on a new adventure as the Director of L’Alliance Preschool, where she is delighted to combine her love of education with her enthusiasm for French, international learning, and creating a joyful environment for young children.
Axelle Gautier
Junior Head Teacher
Originally from France, Axelle is a primary school teacher who moved to New York in 2025. It is her second year at L’Alliance New York and she is delighted to be teaching the Junior class. She holds a Master’s degree in Education from France. Throughout her career, Axelle has taught children of different ages and across various grade levels. She has also worked in priority education settings, where she supported English-speaking children in preschool. Her experience includes teaching young children for a year at a French international school in Amsterdam.
Sarah Bensaid
Junior Assistant Teacher
An architect by training, Sarah holds a Master’s degree in Architecture and Urban Planning and brings over seven years of experience in piano instruction. Based in New York since 2025, she has developed her teaching experience in French and the arts at Carousel of Languages and through the DZ Art Ing program at PS40. She joined L’Alliance New York in 2026 as a French teacher at the Language Center, before joining the Preschool as an Assistant Teacher in the Junior Class. She is currently continuing her studies at CUNY.
Marie-Françoise Morandais
Pre-K Head Teacher
Marie-Françoise has been teaching for over fifteen years, including the past five years at a French-American bilingual school. Originally from Guadeloupe, she grew up surrounded by a rich blend of cultures, traditions, and languages, which sparked her passion for connecting with people from diverse backgrounds and bringing a global perspective to the classroom. She believes every child should feel seen, valued, and inspired to learn, and strives to create a classroom where curiosity, creativity, and a sense of belonging can thrive.
Anna Le Gouriérès
Pre-K Assistant Teacher
Anna graduated from Université René Descartes PARIS 5 – Sorbonne, where she received a Master’s degree in French as a Foreign Language. She then embarked in a career in Banking for almost a decade, in Krakow, London and eventually in New York. During her career break while raising her two children, she decided to return back to teaching in French. She had the pleasure of working with the Junior class as an Assistant Teacher at L’Alliance Preschool for two years, and she is now excited to work with the Pre-K class.
Testimonials
How French Immersion Works
Raising a bilingual child has been proven to nurture life-long skills in planning, problem-solving, and staying focused. Learn more about the benefits of bilingualism at the bottom of the page.
Our teaching methods integrate non-French-speaking children and those with a connection to French at home. Various individual and group activities meet children at their own learning pace and, more importantly, forge a lasting cognitive connection between learning and having fun in a community setting.
Early immersion in a foreign language lays the groundwork for bilingualism and primes young minds for a broader understanding of the world. L’Alliance New York’s Preschool provides the foundation for your child to be conversational in French after two to three years of enrollment.
In the first year, children will begin to absorb and understand the language through embodied and visual cues, such as daily routines and gestures. When a child speaks in English or another language, teachers respond by rephrasing the question in French. Children might not say much in class at this early stage, but at home, they’ll sing the songs and use the words they’ve learned.
Studies have shown that children are more likely to speak a language spoken by their peers. For children with French-speaking parents or family members, the Preschool at L’Alliance New York provides a supportive social setting that is vital to encouraging your child to understand the French spoken at home and to verbalize it themselves.
Whether part of a French-speaking home or not, children in the Preschool will quickly master a broader vocabulary that allows them to speak in French and begin forming simple sentences and become conversational after two years. Whether they go on to an American, French, or French immersion elementary school, these preschool years offer a pivotal foundation for your child’s mastery of the language and a lifelong love of French.
L’Alliance Preschool:
Manhattan Campus
22 East 60th Street,
Between Park and Madison Avenues,
New York, NY 10022