Preparation in Paris

In November, I visited Paris and the American University of Paris. In my travels, I learned about college life at a Parisian university and about the new early childhood program established by French President Emmanuel Macron in 2018. Intending to hear about college life in Paris, I encountered more information than I had anticipated about the new early childhood program in France. This visit connected the early stages of formal learning with college life, proving that education is never-ending.

Upon visiting AUP a small and niche university for undergrad and grad students from all around the globe, I was able to get a glimpse of college life in Paris. The city of Paris is the campus for AUP, like New York City is the campus for New York University. Like other major cities, space was at a premium but AUP made the most of their small quarters. Housing and dormitory facilities were scattered around the city. While most classes and activities are in one central location, students have to travel by foot or by train to get to some classes and locations. It is doubtful that anyone complains about this situation considering they are in the beautiful city of Paris, blocks away from the Eiffel Tower.

Our tour guide, Wyatt, told us AUP was the oldest American university in Europe and about half of his classmates are from the US, while the other half are from other parts of the world. This university uses the US college system and follows those guidelines, which makes AUP stand out from other Parisian universities. Wyatt, a California native and graduate of Georgetown University, felt educationally prepared in most areas compared to his international peers and noted the value of studying abroad. He said that makes himself available to school-sponsored trips all over Europe and a strong AUP internship program. The student body consists of 1200 students from 103 countries. Eleven percent of students are French, while 60% are from the US and 45% receive need based financial aid.

On our visit of AUP, we met with an adult student, Edith. She is a mother of two young children interested in furthering her education. She noted that she and her Algeria-immigrant husband have sometimes had a difficult time financially, but she absolutely loves France. Born and raised in Florida, she moved to France before marrying. Two children later, she and her husband have established lives in Paris. She is so grateful that President Macron has initiated a new early childhood program in France. Edith said the money she is saving on childcare and the additional time she now has will help her further her education, hence the reason she was visiting AUP. Although the early childhood program is only a few months old now, she feels that her son is learning much more than he would otherwise have learned without this program. The program has early childhood students in for school for six week cycles with  two week breaks in between. There is a sliding scale fee program. She also felt this initiative would help immigrant families as it would force them to send their students to school at an earlier age, giving them an advantage they otherwise would not have had while affording their parents some child care relief at a nominal cost.

While research on the benefits of early childhood is mixed, there are multiple studies attesting to positive outcomes resulting from preschool programs. A study published in 2015 found that children who started school earlier were more likely to be inattentive or hyperactive in class in later years (Dee & Sievertsen, 2015). However, other research indicates that if the early childhood program is of sound quality, the benefits will last a lifetime, especially among students of lower socio-economic status (van Huizen & Plantenga, 2018). Additionally, Melhuish found “consistent and enduring benefits” of preschool programs beginning at ages 3 and 4 compared to students who began school in kindergarten or older. In particular, this research noted that former preschool students had “higher educational levels, incomes, socioeconomic status, rates of health insurance coverage and lower rates of substance abuse and legal problems.” (Melhuish, 2011). A study by Karoly, Kilburn, Cannon confirms that early childhood programs lead to future economic benefits for the student. (Karoly, Kilburn & Cannon, 2005.)

We were able to experience how these two schools, while very different from each other in many ways, both focused on preparation. The American University of Paris prepared its students to be global citizens through having a campus in Paris, promoting internships and hosting trips all over Europe. The French government emphasized preparation through the implementation of their new early childhood program allowing and encouraging all young learners to attend school at a reduced and sometimes free of cost. Parisians are preparing for the future through education. Shouldn’t we all be doing that?

References:
Dee, T. S., & Sievertsen, H. H. (2018). The gift of time? School starting age and mental health. Health economics, 27(5), 781-802.

Karoly, L.A., Killburn, M.R., & Cannon, J.S. (2005). Proven benefits of Early Childhood interventions. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2005.

Melhuish, E. C. (2011). Preschool matters. Science, 333(6040), 299-300.

Van Huizen, T., & Plantenga, J. (2018). Do children benefit from universal Early Childhood education and care? A meta-analysis of evidence from natural experiments. Economics of Education Review, 66, 206-222.

Walker, S. P., Chang, S. M., Vera-Hernández, M., & Grantham-McGregor, S. (2011). Early childhood stimulation benefits adult competence and reduces violent behavior. Pediatrics, 127(5), 849-857.