Meet Our Faculty

Vanessa Handal-Ghenania is the founder of VHG group Inc., early childhood language schools (daycares and preschools). Born and raised in a trilingual household with French as her primary language, Vanessa and her family traveled around the world. Her parents, from an early start, gave her a taste for discovering new languages and cultures. As a young adult and thereafter as a mother of four children, Vanessa developed a passion for the field of Bilingual Early Childhood Education. Upon her arrival in New York in the year 2000, Vanessa concentrated her career in childhood development. During those years, she earned two Masters’ degrees from Columbia University: One in bilingual Education, the other in School Building Administration. As an educator, Vanessa gained experience both in the classroom and outside the classroom. Vanessa was a proud Primary English teacher for 3 years and the English department coordinator for 2 years at the Lycée Français de New York. Vanessa was also a founding teacher for New York’s first public bilingual French Elementary school, PS58 in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. After that, she was also Curriculum Developer and Administrator for New York’s first French American Charter school in Harlem.

In the spring of 2014, after the birth of her third son, Vanessa launched her first daycare, “Petits Poussins”. In a short three-year-span, she created three other daycares/Preschools around New York City (West Harlem and Upper East Side): Arc En Ciel (2014-2015), Petits Poussins Too (2016) and Bilingual Nest (2017) were created under the umbrella of VHG Group Inc, Early childhood language schools. As of today. Vanessa holds 7 schools located across Harlem, Upper East side, Lower East Side, and Brooklyn.

In 2018, Vanessa Handal-Ghenania an advocate for bilingualism, was nominated Knight to The Ordre des Palmes Académiques (order of Academic palms) by the French government for her work in promoting the French language and culture in the United States. This nomination was a testimony to her work and achievement in the bilingual education field in the United States.

For Vanessa, her “Petits Poussins” daycares and preschools are a dream come true! She says: “When I first started this project, with my own children and their growth in mind, my vision was to create a “home away from home” for all children. When you walk into one of my schools, I want you to feel the warmth and love our staff provides on a daily basis. Our Core Values: Love, Fun, Duty are ingrained within us. At Petits Poussins, each child is celebrated. As an educator, it is my mission to make sure that all our children are provided with a nurturing environment to learn and grow and that they are seen as unique individuals. Our bilingual schools are comprised of a diverse, multi-lingual student and teaching body hence, this creates an extremely rich environment and makes our Petits Poussins schools extremely special.” Petits Poussins daycares and preschools all provide a bilingual curriculum, inspired by the Education Nationale (France) and New York Department of Education, in French and English. Bilingual Nest also provides a bilingual Spanish option.

We are thrilled to have our centers as part of your community!

Mikael was born in Lyon, France, known as the capital of French gastronomy. Mikael has always been surrounded by children since a very young age: His mother was taking care of children 6 weeks to 7 years old in a family daycare run in their own home. His skills and principles in early childhood education have been inspired by the French Ecole Maternelle standards. After he graduated High school, Mikael joined a business school that specializes in international marketing and management: IDRAC Lyon.

As a freshman in college, he had the opportunity to study and work in Rhode Island and Florida for a year and a half. Mikael kept a strong taste for travel and adventure from this positive experience that also raised his awareness on the beauty of multi-cultural work environments.

As a work experience in France, Mikael was a manager in the catering industry and in logistics, but after moving to New York, he went back to his roots as an early childhood educator at the Lycée Français de New York. Passionate about learning, language teaching, and sharing cultures and experience, it is with great enthusiasm and full of energy that Mikael joins the VHG Group managers’ team, to contribute to this great mission of educating our future citizens of the world.