Current Issue Regarding Nursery School in France :

Effects of Early Enrollment to Schools

Abstract

From the 1880's, French nursery schools were included in the primary education system that is open to children between the ages of two and six. Today, in France, almost all three-year-olds attend nursery school, and the percentage of two-year olds leveled off at around 35% in the 1990's, and has been declining recently, to 13.6% in 2010. Nursery school is one of the most original initiatives in the French educational system and plays a key role in the provision of early childhood services. Currently the pre-elementary schooling for two-year-olds has been a political issue of much controversy; its effects are, pedagogically and economically, in question. This paper aims to clarify the fundamental points of the recent political controversy in France over nursery schools, considering its historical aspects and actual situation.