A French language preschool in Boerum Hill will expand to Clinton Hill at the start of the new school year in September.
Founded by Pascale Setbon in 2006, The Language and Laughter Studio Preschool focuses on French immersion education while also emphasizing the environment and social justice.
The school’s first location, on Nevins Street, is just a two-room schoolhouse with enrollment capped at 28 students. The Clinton Hill expansion will double the number of young children who can attend the school.
The Language and Laughter Studio aims to offer a “warm and nurturing environment” to help students “expand their thinking, build confidence, and develop empathy,” according to LLS administrator Paloma Nahon.
In 2020, as restrictions of the COVID pandemic eased, Pascale took a new approach at LLS: students and teachers embraced the outdoors and nature and moved the school to a nearby park.
“In doing so, we discovered that moving outside of their walls and undertaking this drastic shift allowed us to think so much more creatively about how to teach children and how to engage with the community on another level,” Nahon said.
Come fall, founders hope the expansion — designed by architects Chris McVoy and Beth O’Neil — will transform into more than just a preschool but also a community center, a place for Francophone culture to thrive through music, art, and creators from across New York.
The school will invite artists and performers to put on workshops and performances for young students – like “Le Petit B,” an immersive dance experience, and the Rhizomes Project, a two-week workshop that will combine physical movement with nature and plants.
The program does not require prior exposure to the French language, just a curiosity for both language and culture.
Children ages 1-5 can attend pre-school at LLS, while the school offers after-school programs and other programming for elementary school children and community members.
The Clinton Hill school is set to open this fall at 462 Vanderbilt Ave.
