Vanalden Avenue Elementary School

We have had two daughters go through LILA in West Valley from preschool when they were 2.5 turning 3 through 1st grade and K. We are not French speakers, but after looking extensively at preschools in the around Encino/Sherman Oaks/Tarzana, LILA stood head and shoulders above any other preschool.The curriculum is a more academic and far more advanced than any American pre-school. We were so impressed with the depth the school teaches about French, English, Science, Social Studies starting at age 2. Both our girls are now fluent in French, and native speakers in France are amazed at the lack of any accent from them. Their English are as advanced if not more than their friends in normal American programs. The small class sizes are a huge benefit to our girls, with none of their classes larger than thirteen kids, with a dedicated French teacher, teacher's assistant, and English teacher. The parents have generally all been very friendly and active. We've made lifelong friends with some of the other families. The teachers are absolutely the highlight though, energetic, warm, and highly professional (we hear the pass rate for the teacher's French govt credential test is less than 20%). They are many levels of ability above the normal daycare workers at other preschools we've sent our oldest to before LILA and during the summer. The program is fairly academic, and your kids will be challenged, so if you are looking for a babysitter to watch your kids play during the day, this probably isn't the place for you. That said, there is a good amount of differentiation, with small groups for different levels for both French and English, and lots of 1:1 teaching time as well. Starting in 1st grade, top American magnet and private schools may start closing the gap with LILA in terms of quality of instruction, but from ages 2-6 we really don't feel the competition is very close.