The Start of the 2018 School Year Will See Fewer School Days and More Paid Activities
The City of Lyon has unveiled a new plan for the elementary school year starting in 2018, with four days of instruction bolstered by increased childcare and paid extracurricular activities.
The school week will now be comprised of four days (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday), while Wednesday morning will be a day for activities.
The new elementary schedule will have full days Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, with a break for fun on Wednesday. ©Ville de Lyon
Because of the change, school days will begin at 8:30 a.m. and run until 3:30 p.m., as opposed to the current 2:30 p.m.
There will also be new paid activities offered afterschool from 4:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and on Wednesday mornings from 8:30 a.m. to noon. All elementary schools will offer free childcare in the morning on Mondays, Tuesday, Thursdays, and Fridays beginning at 7:50 a.m.
Extracurricular Organization
The new offers will be more structured than the current daycare and Friday afternoon model, introduced in 2014.
Two time sections will make up the afterschool option. From 4:45 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. is “Apres La Classe,” or “after class,” which is a period to relax and have a snack with optional reinforcement of school lessons through spoken and written work
Then, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. is “La Fin d’Aprem,” or “end of the afternoon,” which is organized activities rotating by theme, including reading, games, and sports.
The Wednesday “ateliers” will combine learning with structured activities for children ages 3-6, in themes like culture, sports, science, and technology.
Costs of the New Structure
The options will be paid on a sliding scale, based on the municipal family quotient, or “le quotient familial municipal,” of each household.
“Après La Classe” will run from €10-70 for a yearly subscription. “La Fin d’Aprem” will run from €0,57-€5,77 per hour per child. Families can decide which days of the week they need, and children can be enrolled each period between school vacations.
“Les Ateliers du Mercredi” pricing is based on the “Vendredi Aprem’” model and will run from €1,05-€5,88 for the morning, with a yearly subscription from €38-212. Enrollment will function on a yearly or semester basis.
Parents can sign their children up starting May 30 at the district city hall or online.