# Fondational knowledge
## Coucou
### Coucou’s mission, vision and values
#### Mission
Coucou challenges the conventional language school model with a culturally savvy, community-forward approach that takes learning French from hobby to lifestyle .
#### Vision
To make language learning a lifestyle, fostering personal growth and human connections. Coucou aims to be the premier French cultural hub, redefining learning as exciting, authentic, and multi-dimensional.
#### Values
COMMUNITY
Coucou classes are a means to form meaningful relationships. Students come for French but stay for the people. We believe in the importance of a warm, convivial learning and working environment, where students and employees alike can grow, share, and connect.
PASSION
Behind the business opportunity Coucou is above all a passion project. We take pride in having such a passionate and dedicated team that makes Coucou what it is today.
QUALITY
Striving for perfectionism, intelligence and excellence in every aspect of our work. Our teachers are carefully selected for their expertise and creativity, and our curriculum is designed with up-to-date, real-world applications in mind.
AUDACITY
We embrace our irreverent, rebellious spirit. This manifests in our willingness to challenge conventional teaching methods and our courage in choosing employees with unique profiles.
OPEN-MINDEDNESS
We are committed to inclusivity and empathy, ensuring our classes are a place where people are encouraged to express their singularity regardless of their background or prior language experience. At Coucou, we aim to treat each other with care and respect.
AUTHENTICITY
The promise of the Coucou method is to teach an authentic, modern French, just like you would hear on the streets of Paris. We’re committed to staying up-to-date to the most current French trends.
HUMOR
It’s in Coucou’s DNA to be a little “cuckoo” and to not take ourselves too seriously. We wish to lighten up the daily life of our students and community by bringing a cheerful energy in all our mediums of communication. At the end of the day, we can bring nothing but positivity into people’s lives!
### The Coucou Method
### 6pm in Paris, Coucou’s sister company
In 2023, Coucou cofounder Léa, alongside longtime Coucou team members Éléonore, Julien, and Nina, embarked on an exciting new venture. They launched 6pm in Paris (https://6pminparis.com/home) , a startup aimed at creating an innovative platform—think Netflix meets Masterclass, but entirely focused on learning French. The platform features lessons, short films, original fiction, and more—offering a fun and engaging way to learn and practice French.
Given the shared vision, team members, and cofounder, it was only natural for Coucou and 6pm in Paris to form a close partnership. As sister companies, we complement each other by following different paths to the same goal: teaching French language and culture. That’s why many of our teachers appear in 6pm’s videos, and why Coucou even offers a special Expert class (https://6pminparis.com/coucou) using content from 6pm!
### Little Paris, a Coucou initiative
“Little Paris” is the project of Léa and Marianne Perret, founders of French language and cultural center Coucou. From the beginning, community-building was at the core of Coucou’s mission. The school was designed to give New Yorkers access and fluency in contemporary French Culture. These very same goals motivate the ambition behind the “Little Paris” initiative.
Léa and Marianne’s goal is not only to rename the neighborhood but also to officially bring together a community of French Businesses, Francophiles & Francophones in Lower Manhattan.
## Coucou’s product offering
#### Levels
The Coucou curriculum is made up of 8 levels detailed below.
Level 0 through 5 are grammar levels: they follow a specific curriculum with coursebooks and optional exercise books.
Level 6 and 7 are conversational levels. Level 6 is the entry conversational level, has no specific curriculum and comprises open conversation, activities, games, videos, etc. Level 7 is advanced conversation level and has a rotation of themes.
Here is the full breakdown of the levels with their names: Intro to French (level 0), Débutant (level 1), Grand Débutant (level 2), Apprenti (level 3), Intermédiaire (level 4), Confirmé (level 5), Spécialiste (level 6), Expert (level 7).
## Student Support
### Contacting us
#### Via email
Email is the best way to get an answer from us, and we always do our best to reply within 48 hours. That is why you should always suggest email before phone contact.
If students request to contact someone at Coucou, you can suggest the following options, depending on their request:
[email protected] for inquiries or problems related to private lessons
[email protected] for sending resumes or enquiring about open positions. Open positions can be found at www.coucoufrenchclasses.com/jobs
#### Via Phone
Email is the best way to contact us and should always be suggested first. If students insist, they can call us in case of an emergency.
NYC school: (917) 675-6191 between 12pm and 8pm Monday through Thursday, 12pm to 5pm on Fridays, 11am and 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
### Student portal
The Student Portal ( www.coucoufrenchclasses.com/account ) is a central hub for students to access content and information related to their classes, purchases, etc. Among other things, they can find:
Information about classes: the Classes and Workshops tab (https://coucoufrenchclasses.com/account/classes/) summarizes the dates and time of a student’s class, as well as its Zoom link (if applicable), or any session skipped due to a holiday, if applicable.
Make-up recordings (level 0 to 5). In the classes and workshops tab, if students miss a class, they can access a video recording of the same lesson by clicking “Missed this class?”, up to 30 days after the end of their level.
Make-up class requests (levels 6 & 7). In the classes and workshops tab, still, conversation class students will get access to a make-up request form instead of videos.
Answer keys for the exercise and homework for each lesson
Audio files for each level
A PDF copy of their course book
The Private Lessons tab (www.coucoufrenchclasses.com/account/lessons) allows them to purchase credits and book private lessons.
Digital Resources : a list that includes podcasts, websites, apps and more to help students practice outside the classroom, organized by level.
End of level quizzes : a great tool for our students to refresh at the end of a level and to make sure they are ready for the next one.
A feedback form , which allows students to let us know about their experience at Coucou.
The dashboard features various announcements, such as new products, sales and offers, upcoming events, holiday closure reminders, etc.
The purchase history tab ( https://coucoufrenchclasses.com/account/orders/ ) displays past orders and invoices for students with questions on transactions, orders or
### Missed Classes, make-up classes, and recording
We only offer live make-up classes for conversation levels. For grammar levels, students can watch a make-up recording of the exact same lesson, taught in a Zoom class and are encouraged to ask any question they may have to their teacher when they come back to class.
Whether students are eligible for make up classes or only make up recording, they will find it in the exact same place: in the student portal, in the “classes and workshops” section (direct link: https://coucoufrenchclasses.com/account/classes/), by clicking the “missed this class?” button.
## Recurring questions
### Offering
#### Classes for children and teens
All Coucou group classes are for adults 21 and up. We do not offer classes for children at all. Teens 15 and older can take private lessons during daytime (before 5pm) but cannot join group classes.