French Primary Education System and After-School Care

Abstract

French children begin their compulsory education when they start preschool at the age of three. Preschools and elementary schools make up primary education in France. These schools generally deliver a regular, curriculum-based education from eight in the morning till four-thirty in the afternoon. They also offer after-school programs, allowing children to stay until dismissal at six or six-thirty, the usual time when parents arrive from work to pick them up. On average, most children in the French primary education system spend over 9 hours daily at school. This article examines, through historical, social, and policy factors, how long school hours have become a structured norm in France and explores implications for Korea’s policies on child education and child care.