Tag Archives: Preschools in the DMV

Play: A Necessity for the Child and the Student at Rochambeau The French International School

[Note: This is a sponsored guest post contributed by the staff at Rochambeau, the French International School.]

“Start by closing your eyes…the intensity, power of laughter, the pleasure and the joy are incomparable and unforgettable. Open your eyes, cut the sound: the joy on their faces, the enthusiasm, friendships, exploration, total and absolute engagement: pure enjoyment,” advises Fréderic Tavernier, the Director of the Maternelle Preschool at Rochambeau The French International School.

For a teacher, this small experiment is a way of reminding us that preschool and kindergarten are all about fun.  “For the child, play is a source and a vehicle for learning,” he insists. This principle is at the heart of France’s official Maternelle program and at the core of the curriculum taught at Rochambeau The French International School Maternelle for children ages 2 through kindergarten.  

While Rochambeau offers a comprehensive education all the way to 12th grade, “Maternelle is an essential step in the journey of students to ensure their academic success,” emphasizes Frédéric Tavernier. It is a school where children will learn together and live together. Here they develop their oral language and begin to discover writing, numbers, art, sciences… in both French and English. They learn through play, reflection, problem-solving, practice, recall, and memorization.

This attention for the well-being of the child, with a curriculum adapted to their rhythm, ensuring a balance between academics and recreation, meets the recommendations of American specialists. In August, the American Academy of Pediatrics sounded the alarm in a report expressing concern about the decline in the amount of time devoted to play in the lives of toddlers. “From 1981 to 1997, children’s playtime decreased by 25%. Children three to 11 years of age have lost 12 hours per week of free time. Because of increased academic pressure, 30% of US kindergarten children no longer have recess.”

The Maternelle teachers have one central goal: to ensure that the children are excited to go to school to learn, gain confidence, and develop their personality.

“Mission accomplished,” say parents like Erika Aparakakankanange. “When my children are at Rochambeau, they have so much fun that they don’t always realize that they are learning things, and for children like mine, who are not native French speakers, it makes the immersion process much easier…I can honestly say that my boys like to go to school every day and that is one of the many things we love about Rochambeau.”

“What I like,” says another parent, Sabine Durier, “is that the school combines classroom work, where all activities are intentional, with moments purely reserved for free time, where they can be children before they are students.”

Quoting Montaigne, the French philosopher, Maternelle teacher Bénédicte Le Nouën Maurice notes that “a child is not a vase that you fill, but a fire that you light”, which you let grow. “It’s important to give children free time to play, to make choices. This free time is not a waste of time, quite the contrary! During these moments of freedom, the child thinks about what he could play; he can make choices, invent, create, reach out to others. Many skills are built during this time. The child must not always be waiting for instructions, he must be able to learn to think for himself, to make his own choices, to invent, to create… and for this he needs free time.”

Preparing Global Citizens
Beginning at the preschool level and continuing through 12th grade, all students at Rochambeau, the French International School receive regular, guided instruction in both English and French, and can start a third language as early as elementary school (Arabic, Spanish).

Students represent more than 80 nationalities and communicate in over 25 different languages. As the only accredited French school in the Washington, DC, area, Rochambeau proudly enrolls children without any knowledge of French until the 4th grade. Our adapted immersion program gives students the opportunity to be part of and benefit from this extraordinary community. 

Graduates of Rochambeau go on to study at top universities in the US, Canada, UK, France, and all around the world. Students receive their US high school diploma at the end of 11th grade and the French Baccalaureate at the end of 12th grade. Starting in 2021, Rochambeau will also offer the IB dual language diploma. 

Tours of the school are offered on Thursdays and Fridays on all three campuses — register for them here. For more information about Rochambeau, The French International School, visit the website.


This post is sponsored by Rochambeau The French International School, however, I only promote programs, places, and events that I genuinely believe in and think would appeal to KFDC readers.


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Filed under 2020, Educational, Gradeschoolers, High Schoolers, Maryland, Middle Schoolers, Preschoolers, Schools, Teens

A Service to Help You Find the Right Preschool or Private School Fit



As parents, we all want what is best for our kids, but sometimes what we want is not always best for them. This is part of what informs the work of Trevor Waddington, President and CEO of DC School Hub, a comprehensive online resource for families researching preschools and private schools.

For 14 years, Trevor has been a successful director of admission, both in Pennsylvania and, for the last 10 years, in Maryland. He is now taking his deep understanding of the profession and using it to help DMV families find the best education fit for their children.

“I’ve sat on the other side of the table, and now I’m looking forward to helping families find what will set their child up for ultimate success,” said Waddington.

Four years ago, he launched DCschoolHUB.com as a one-stop website for parents seeking child care, preschool, and private school in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. He painstakingly researched and entered all of the data about the schools onto the site. During that time, he learned more and more about the various programs.

“I’ve always been interested in why people choose certain schools. For some it’s what they knew growing up, and for others, it’s what they wish they had. But where families choose to send their children is not always an optimal fit for their learning style and personality.”

So, Trevor set out to create an algorithm based on data from every school in the DMV to use along with the Expert School Match Survey provided on his education consulting website, PrivateSchoolConcierge.org. The school match survey, when taken by families, provides Waddington with prescriptive analytic data that scientifically matches a child to a set of schools. Some of the filters include geography, tuition budget, academic strengths, and long-term goals.

“While it provides me with percentage matching data, that’s only a piece of it. I then look at each school and determine with good old fashioned “admission intuition” which schools will be best for said child.” The results for each family include four to six schools ranked in order of best match along with a narrative about why each is an optimal match.

If you are looking for a preschool or private school in the DMV and would like help finding the right school for your child or assistance navigating the admission process, The Private School Concierge, Trevor Waddington, can help!

You can also learn more and meet Trevor at DC School Hub’s Private School and Preschool Fair this Sunday, October 21!

And a bonus: Right now, they have a “Crack the Vault” contest running with a grand prize of $25,000 that would go toward school tuition. Parents just need to do just one of three things to enter — sign up for the newsletter, like and recommend us on social media, or review their current child care or school. Second place prizes include a full admission season of services from PrivateSchoolConcierge.org.

This post is sponsored by DCschoolHub.com, however, I only promote services, programs, and places that I genuinely believe in and think will appeal to KFDC readers.


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Filed under All ages, Class, Daycare, DC, Educational, Maryland, Preschoolers, Professional Service, Schools, Sponsored Post, Virginia