Conakry - Post Report Question and Answers
Are preschools available? Day care? Are these expensive? What has been your experience with them, if any? Do the schools provide before- and/or after-school care?
Probably inexpensive. No before/after school care. - Sep 2022
The international schools I know of don't start until pre-K. There are lots of standalone preschools though, and new ones cropping up all the time. There are some that are very academic, with little guys sitting at desks or using computers, others that are more play-based, others that involve kids just sort of sitting around and hitting each other or watching TV without a whole lot of stimulation. All this is to say that, out of all the options, you should be able to find something that aligns with your priorities, though it may take some searching and asking around. We have enjoyed Les Fleurons, which offers a nice mix of letting little kids just be little kids, but with engagement and reading and organized activities from the teachers too. Childrearing in general is a bit different here, in that our US idea of early stimulation isn't as central, and once a kid can walk on their own they're sort of left to their own devices a lot of the day. At the same time, hired help may have an exaggerated idea of the attention foreigners lavish on their kids, so they may think that they need to spoil the kid in their care. So whether it's at a preschool or with a babysitter, it's a learning process on both ends as you try to communicate what you value (for us in the US, often this means speaking, interacting, playing, etc.), and you in turn adopt the useful local practices. It's fun to see the West African habits your child will develop. Our baby loves to be tied to his babysitter's back to help him go to sleep, and his main food is rice with Guinean leaf sauce. His first words have been a mix of the different languages spoken in our household--Susu, Spanish, French, English. At the same time, we (and he, since he is very independent) have had to push back on the babysitter to not always have him tied to her back, but neither to just leave him to wander around the yard in the security guard's care while she washes clothes or something. It's a balancing act, but I think that is the case in any new culture as you try to negotiate intermediate points and compromises. It's been a joy for us to watch as both our baby and his babysitter discover one another, gain familiarity, and especially as she has understood that we just want her to play and have fun with him--making the beds or watering the plants can always wait. They've both really grown into their relationship, and that's nice. - Jun 2021
Albert Camus has a program for kids ages three and up. I've never heard of day care or before and after school care. People get a nanny. - Nov 2019
There is a French preschool that people like. - May 2016
Another good French language preschool option is Tom Pouce- it has been well received in the expat community (18 months-kindergarten). - Dec 2014
Most people use nannies. All that I have come across, including my own, are really wonderful caregivers. The American International School has a preschool program, and many people also use Tom Pouce, a French-language preschool. - May 2009
I don't know about preschool but most people with small children have nannies. - Mar 2008
