As hundreds of Haitian families are expected to temporarily resettle in the United States, many children and teenagers face a damaging break in their education. The opportunity to maintain their skills in French is particularly sought after by these families, as education in Haiti is mostly conducted in French.

In Miami, Florida, the French Heritage Language Program, a program of the nonprofit foundation FACE and a joint initiative of the French Embassy and the Alfred and Jane Ross Foundation, is working hand-in-hand with the Miami Haitian Alliance and the French Consulate to bring French language classes to the newcomers, as well as offering the possibility of other subject matter classes conducted in French.

We will be working in the Little Haiti neighborhood of Miami, where the City of Miami has offered us use of classroom space in the state-of-the-art Little Haiti Cultural Complex where we have already been holding French Heritage Langauge classes and a successful summer program for Haitian American children.

Our goal is to start helping 60 students aged 6 to 18, with classes that will take place two to three times a week. As public schools start to enroll new Haitian students, we will start offering our culture-based French language classes in schools as well. These classes will be intended to bring comfort to the students, and to maintain a strong connection with their language and culture of origin during their stay in the United States.

Please, help us open new classes!

Donate to the French Heritage Language Program today, and help Haitian refugees continue their French education.

$2,000: French classes for 1 month for 25 students, 6 hours a week.
$1,000: One part-time coordinator for one month.
$500: One-month French summer camp for 3 children.
$250: Supplies for 25 students for two months.
$100: One field trip for 25 students.

The French Heritage Language Program is a program of the non-profit foundation FACE (French-American Cultural Exchange), in partnership with the French Embassy in the United States. It is designed to support and enrich the teaching and learning of French language, literature, and culture for students of Francophone background in New York City. The primary objectives of the program are to help these students develop proficiency in French (reading comprehension, writing, oral expression and other literacy skills), and keep a connection to their respective cultures and identities, while increasing their opportunities for success in their new environment.

Through university partnerships, this project also hopes to contribute to scholarly research in the field of heritage language learning. As a pilot program, it is a place for pedagogical and methodological exploration, and a way to build new partnerships. We seek to develop curriculum models that can be replicated and adapted in other cities in the United States. The French Heritage Language Program works closely with the Internationals Network for Public Schools, which includes nine high schools for new immigrants in New York City and one in Oakland, California, all working at the development of models for global education.

The French Heritage Language Program currently serves 115 students in five different Internationals high schools, 20 students in a public elementary school, and 35 students at two different community centers:

High Schools:
- Bronx International High School
- International Community High School (Bronx)
- Brooklyn International High School
- International High School at Lafayette (Brooklyn)
- International High School at Prospect Heights (Brooklyn)

Elementary School:
- PS 125, Ralph Bunche School (Manhattan)

Community Centers:
-Malian Cultural Center (Bronx)
-TRUCE Fitness & Nutrition Center (Manhattan)