2. The origins of the project
The project was initiated by 2 teachers during the massive refugee influx in the parcs of Brussels in
During the summer they organised workshops of initiation to the French language for children in the Parc de la rosée in Anderlecht.
Through this experience, they realised the extreme difficulties faced in integrating these children into our current schooling system, and this for 2 main reasons:
The lack of experience of the teachers in dealing with such situations and the inadequacy of our classical educational model for children having lived through the trauma of exile.
The total absence of any school culture within the refugee families.

3. La Petite école today
The project welcomes 2 classes of a dozen migrant children each (mostly Syrians) during normal school hours and aims at preparing children to integrate them into the Belgian educational system.
Work with the children is articulated around 3 pillars:
Appeasement
Readiness to learn
Learning of French
The project also gives a crucial importance to the parents of these children and to their integration into society.

4. La Petite école today
The Petite école is also a pedagogical and child-psychology laboratory, in collaboration with the Universities of Brussels and Liège.
The Petite école has obtained numerous prizes, and most recently in June 2018 the Lydia Chagoll prize for the promotion of the Rights of Children (Fondation Roi Baudoin).

5. Financing
The operating budget for 1 school year reaches 215 k€. 85% of this amount is used to pay the teachers and schooling costs.
The project is partially subsidised by the official Belgian schooling system with 50 k€, and by Degroof bank with 42 k€ (until 2020).