For the last 7 years, I have helped parents and their children gain access to much needed French-English bilingual education, and together we created several bilingual programs in public schools.This work was featured in countless national and international media outlets, particularly for the work done with developing bilingual programs in public schools throughout the United States, and in New York in particular.

I have now become an advocate for bilingual education and initiated the French bilingual revolution (a very positive and pacifist one!). Why bilingual education? Because it is good education. Schools hosting bilingual programs benefit from the diversity of the population they serve and the diversity of the teaching staff, able to incorporate linguistic and cultural differences into their pedagogy. This model is also rich in cognitive advancement and beneficial to the brain’s executive control functions as illustrated by neuroscience researchers.

With a group of parents, educators, and philanthropists I am now trying to raise $2.8m to support and expand this movement. I have launched a campaign and I am fully committed to the development of bilingual education in the United States and in the world. We want to bring the benefits of bilingual education to as many children as possible, including those in under-served areas. I believe that with more funds readily available we can open new programs in primary and secondary public schools, starting with New York City and beyond. Why start with New York? Think Sinatra. If it can happen here, it can happen anywhere!

We started in 2007 with one Kindergarten class and 24 kids. By September 2014, 10 NYC schools will serve about 1,300 children by providing French-English bilingual education from pre-K to 7th grade.A school in New Haven, Connecticut, and another in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey joined this bilingual revolution. More schools throughout the United States have opened French/English bilingual programs in primary schools in the recent past. My new year’s resolution for 2014: make bilingual education grow in more public schools, more neighborhoods, and more towns

Help us make these programs expand. I would like to ask you to consider making a tax-deductible year-end gift to our campaign for the development of French/English bilingual education in public schools

– you can make a gift either on our crowdfunding platform
– or via our website
– or you can also make a check to the attention of French-American Cultural Exchange (and indicate “Dual Language Program” in the memo line)

Your year-end gift in any amount is deeply appreciated. It is fully tax-deductible as long as we receive it before midnight on December 31.

Thank you in advance for your kind generosity.

Bonne Année !  Happy New Year!

Dr. Fabrice Jaumont
Education Attache, Embassy of France