The school founder and Director, Véronique Liebmann, is a native of Annecy, France.

Véronique moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1993 with her nine-month old son. While raising her young child, Véronique developed a keen interest in Early Childhood Education.

In 1995, she was certified as an Early Childhood Montessori Teacher by the American Montessori. In 1996, she visited several Francophone Schools in Canada, and an immersion preschool program in the Chicago area. She was, at this time, convinced that she could benefit the community best by teaching in her native language.

In September 1996, she introduced a French immersion program for preschoolers at Sunny Hollow Montessori in St. Paul, MN. She quickly found out that the Montessori approach had several limitations when it came to learning another language; the individual approach would only allow the teacher’s interaction with one or two children at a time. The whispering atmosphere in respect of children’s concentration on their individual activity would also not allow the children to hear the music of the language.

After extensive research on different Early Childhood Education models, Véronique chose to follow the path of the unique Ecole Maternelle française, while maintaining a Montessori inspired classroom setting and activities. In France, public school starts at two and a half years old, with a structured curriculum providing the foundations to prepare students for elementary school.

In September 1998, Véronique founded her own French Preschool & Kindergarten program in Eden Prairie, MN: La Maison des Enfants, accredited by the French Ministry of Education (AEFE). Over the years, La Maison des Enfants became The French Academy of Minnesota, the French American School of Minneapolis, and finally, The French Académie at our current location in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

The French Académie expands upon Veronique’s original vision, which combined Montessori education with the French Maternelle curriculum, by incorporating inspirations from the Reggio Emilia approach.

Come experience the unique educational atmosphere at The French Académie, where Oui Play, Oui Sing, and Oui Learn!

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About The French Académie of Minnetonka, MN

The French Académie is accredited by the French Ministry of Education (AEFE) and licensed by the state of Minnesota. We are also affiliated with the Mission Laique Francaise (MLF) and the Association of French Schools in North America (AFSA).

One of the primary ways young children learn is through play. With a Montessori inspired classroom setup, different games and activities are kept accessible for children to explore, and are set up in a neat, organized, and sequential manner. There is structured time during the day for children to play. Play activities help children learn and develop spatial awareness, creativity, and interpersonal skills. For these reasons and many more, we believe that play is one of the most important and innate methods of instruction.

Music is a part of every culture around the world, and is an integral part of the curriculum at The French Académie. You may even say that we speak not just two languages in our school, but three! Our curriculum incorporates the Music Together In School program, which is an internationlly recognized play-based program, providing developmentally appropriate lessons in a musically rich environment. Engaging with music is also an integral piece of exploring a new culture and new language, and children are able to gain a comprehensive understanding of the French language by its expression through song.

We believe it is our responsibility to encourage the entire development of our students. In addition to providing children with a strong foundation of knowledge in science, math, language, music, and art, our academic curriculum is designed to teach children independence and social skills, and incorporates French culture and manners into our daily routines. Children spend much of their day in school, and we believe that it is vital for our program and our staff to help them learn and develop into responsible, well-rounded, respectful, and creative students.

Meet Our Teachers & Staff

Enchanté! We are delighted to partner with you and your children

in their growth and development.

Veronique The French Academie of Minnetonka

Director

Véronique

"In 1998 The Little School That Could was born. Inspired at first by Maria Montessori, my vision of the school evolved, year after year. My passion for education and French language is a continuous commitment to engage children from the youngest to the oldest, to the fascinating path of discovery and learning.

A school is a partnership between a team of staff, parents and students. Each play an important role and contribute to its success. Educators instill knowledge while respecting the child as a unique individual. Administrators are a constant link keeping
an eye on the birds and their nest. Parents give their faithful and unconditional support. Children develop independence, and their natural curiosity to learn and discover the world shape them, step by step, year after year, to become students, active learners and ready to fly as citizens of the world."

Le Tout Petit Programme

Aude

“My devotion to the little ones is boundless. Every day, I commit to being their compass, guiding them through their first explorations of the world around them. With every hesitant step, every curious glance, I see the vastness of their potential. At this tender age, every small progress is a colossal leap in their development. That's why I shape a space where curiosity is nurtured, where the wonder of new experiences is celebrated daily. Every interaction, every game, every shared laugh is a window into learning. I firmly believe that by fostering a safe and trusting environment, we provide children with the strong foundation upon which they will build their futures.”

La Maternelle

Camille

“Children represent the future. Their education is the most important thing in the world. Education is not only to transmit knowledge, but to bring children the wellbeing necessary for their fulfillment. This wellbeing can be found in the attention we give to them. As a gardener gives his flowers, they need sun and water to be fed but also special care and consideration. The sun and water alone aren’t enough for the flower to grow and bloom. Those are just the basics. Flowers need to be considered as they exist to reach self-realization and become a beautiful flower. They need a nice environment, too. If we can see children as flowers, we can give them what they need to become strong and confident children.”

La Maternelle

Claire

"I always wanted to be a teacher and had a passion for young children. The changes and progresses we can observe particularly in very young children are fascinating. I like to teach them things, and even more to learn from them. Creating an environment of trust, where everyone can learn and blossom is essential. I want to be here to listen to them and guide them to help them grow in a happy place."

Le Tout Petit Programme

Claude

"I believe that all children bring their personalities into the school and that makes it a unique and extraordinary place. The school caters to each individual’s needs in a safe and happy environment that is conducive to learning. I see the school as a place to interact with each other, so that children gain confidence and self-esteem. I see the school as an active learning place where the learning process is as important as the result. I see the school as providing many activities to better respond to children’s diversity."

La Maternelle

Edwige

"I love to work with children and create opportunities for them, not only to improve academic skills, but also life skills be that socially, physically or emotionally. The most important rules in my class are « be a good friend to those around you » and « have fun ! » Happy children flourish. So my goal every day is to create a happy and encouraging atmosphere where children feel safe, confident and eager to learn.

I believe that children learn best through a variety of meaningful activities where they can engage and delight. Playing of course is essential to learn but so is creating, feeling, experiencing, working with materials, cooking, gardening… I am proud to accompany children and support them on their learning journey."

Le Tout Petit Programme

Jackie

"Working in early childhood education is meaningful to me because you get to see them learn, grow, and develop their own personalities every day. It is very important to me to create a safe, loving environment for children to flourish. Children have such vivid imaginations, and being able to see the world from their eyes is such a magical thing. My favorite thing about working with children is that they are unapologetically themselves. An important part of building a relationship with these tiny humans is to accept them for who they are."

Le Tout Petit Programme

Julien

“Working with young children is to accompany and help them along their learning path. On one hand, they need sufficient freedom of space, discovery, and hands-on learning optimized for their development, and on the other hand, they need care and proper supervision. I am glad to be part of the French Académie team, with its rich ideas from people of diversified backgrounds and paths who are set up around a common goal."

School Mascot

Tootsie

“It is quite a responsibility to be a school mascot. My chocolate eyes hiding behind my long and silky hair often raises the question “Does Tootsie have eyes?”. Indeed, worthy of being called a Havanese, I capture the best smiles and jump on every opportunity to be loved. I exhibit unconditional patience with children, including clumsy toddlers. Because people, young or grown up, make my day when they give me attention. My mission at The French Académie is to watch over the Director to keep her happy and focused. I also try hard to teach dog language to the children, but they are far too busy learning the French language to make significant progress. Woof woof.”

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