In Valenciennes, a new educational center is opening its doors and transforming the Chasse-Royale district. From January 6, 2025, nearly 500 children will have the opportunity to return to school in an innovative and resolutely forward-looking setting. This project, supported by the Department, is a great promise for the education of tomorrow. The Gisèle Halimi center, which brings together a nursery and a school group, embodies a unique model in France, aiming to strengthen equal opportunities from an early age.
The center, inaugurated after only 18 months of work, is located a stone's throw from the Joséphine Baker college and the Odyssée cultural center, in the heart of a sector in full transformation. It creates a complete educational ecosystem, combining education, health and social ties. An ambitious project born from in-depth reflection on how to better support children and their families, particularly in areas classified as REP+ where socio-economic and educational challenges are more present.
From its conception, the project placed emphasis on early prevention, educational continuity and rapprochement with families. One of the strong points of the center is the partnership with the Valenciennes Hospital Center, which offers on-site services, as does the PMI. By combining educational and health resources in the same space, the objective is to support children in their overall development and to support parents in the face of possible difficulties.
With its 7,500 m2 dedicated to education, this center brings together a crèche with 22 places, a nursery school with 10 classes, an elementary school with 15 classes, catering areas for 418 students, dormitories for the youngest, as well as as an integrated leisure center. But that's not all: shared spaces, such as meeting rooms, creative laboratories or motor skills spaces encourage exchange and collaboration between the actors of the place: teachers, facilitators, health professionals and of course , the parents.
The Gisèle Halimi educational center is not only a place of education, but a real center of life, focused on the needs of children and their families. It is the result of two years of consultation between all the players essential to the development of children. This “go towards” model has already proven itself, and it represents a major advance in the way we approach education and family support.
This exemplary project is part of a vision of a sustainable and supportive neighborhood, with a total cost of 19.5 million euros, financed in part by the Department as part of the Structuring Territorial Projects. This model could soon be reproduced in other districts of Valenciennes and beyond. Another educational center, just as innovative, will see the light of day in 2026 in the Faubourg de Lille district, where a social center will complete the educational offering.
The Department, through its involvement, is betting on the future, by supporting a modern and inclusive structure that meets the needs of families and younger generations. The Gisèle Halimi educational center embodies a real revolution for the education of tomorrow, and proves that it is possible to build tailor-made solutions that respond to current challenges.
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