San Francisco and the Bay Area have drawn French families for decades, carried by tech, research and a genuinely gentle way of life. The French-speaking community is dense and warm, from the city to Silicon Valley, and the bilingual school offering is one of the richest in the United States. First landmarks before you unpack.
Currency
US dollar (USD)
Language
English
Time vs Paris
9h behind
Emergencies
911
FIAFE network
The Accueil for French-speaking families
In each city, a volunteer-run association from the FIAFE network welcomes, informs and helps French-speaking families settling in.
San Francisco Bay Accueil
Since 1994
Since 1994, San Francisco Bay Accueil has helped French-speaking families find their feet in the Bay: welcome cafés, cultural outings, sports activities and a precious support network for the first months away from France.
Where to meet them
Regular welcome cafés for newcomers, by registration through the association's website and Facebook page.
A support network among French-speaking Bay families
Other support networks
Two large national networks also support the French abroad, each with its local chapter.
UFE
UFE San Francisco
The San Francisco chapter of the Union des Français de l'Étranger: mutual aid, friendly events and practical advice (tax, assets, settling in) for the French in the area.
The San Francisco section of Français du monde - ADFE informs and supports French speakers of the Bay Area and the Northwest US with their paperwork, in a spirit of solidarity.
The local French chamber of commerce (CCI France International network) is a real asset for work: networking, job offers and help to restart a career or start a business locally.
CCI France International
French American Chamber of Commerce, California
California's French-American business network, based in San Francisco and part of the CCI France International network: networking events, a Career Center and hands-on support that really helps when a spouse is looking for work or starting out in the Bay Area.
To follow local life in French: news, what's on, good addresses and, often, a directory of French-speaking professionals.
lepetitjournal.com San Francisco
MediaIn French
The San Francisco edition of the online daily for French expatriates: local news, housing, education, health, summer camps, events and the life of the Bay's French-speaking community.
The edition's expat directory: useful addresses and French-speaking professionals, who list themselves.
The San Francisco edition of the news site for the French in the United States: family, education, practical life, outings, podcasts and newsletters.
French Morning's US French-speaking directory: health (general practice, therapists, dermatologists), schools, services; filter on California, as many listings are in New York.
The Northern California edition of the media for the French in the United States: events (film festivals, Halloween, French-speaking events), practical life and professional advice for living and travelling in the region in French.
Directory of French doctors and health professionals in the United States (GPs, paediatricians, gynaecologists, psychologists, dentists...), to sort by region.
Before you even land in San Francisco, Facebook groups are the best shortcut: ask your questions, find a flat, a nanny, a second-hand stroller, and often your first friends.
Public In English
San Francisco, SF - Housing, Apartments, Rooms, Sublets, Roommates
129,900 members
This is the largest group specifically for posting about housing in San Francisco and the Bay Area (SF, South Bay, and Silicon Valley).
Spam posts will be deleted and the user banned from this group.
This group is supported by Anyplace (www.anyplace.com). Anyplace helps people find flexible furnished housing rental.
Welcome to the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of The Mamahood! !
The Mamahood is the largest, most diverse, support community for over 100,000 mothers...
Les français qui habitent San Francisco et la région, les français qui y voyagent, y passent pour le travail, les californiens d'origine française, qui parlent français et toute personne se sentant concernée et par langue française et San Francisco...
Here is an open group for all french who live in, travel through or pass by San Francisco Bay Area, californians who speak french or like France or have a french background...Well this group is open to all the people who feel concerned by french and by San Francisco !
Our goal for the group is to create and promote a supportive parenting community, on screen and in real life. Additionally, for the safety of our group -...
Welcome to our New Moms Group! To join, click + Join Group, answer a few quick questions, and you’ll be approved shortly.
This community is here to help you connect with other local new moms, share resources, ask questions, and support each other through the early stages of parenthood.
While the group is focused on community, we know that housing can be a big part of life as a new mom. If you happen to be looking for a room, trying to find a safe home for your family, or have extra space to rent out, you’re welcome to check out SpareRoom as a helpful option. More info: https://www.spareroom.com
For everyone’s safety, please be cautious and use good judgment when meeting or interacting with anyone from this group.
MSM Classifieds & ISO is an extension of Main Street Mamas: San Francisco.
This group is for posting items for sale, giveaway or ISO (in search of) any...
Vous êtes Français et vivez en Californie!
Vous voulez rencontrer d'autres Français, partager votre expérience, aider les nouveaux arrivant ou être aidé, partager des bons plans, etc....
Soyons Solidaire!!!
Nous précisons que ce groupe ne cherche pas à faire des emprunts entre particuliers, merci à toutes ces arnaques et ces arnaqueurs d'aller voir ailleurs si nous y sommes...
Compiled from Facebook's public search, links checked in July 2026. Group sizes change all the time.
AEFE network
Accredited French schools
Schools accredited by the French Ministry of Education follow the French curriculum: your child can continue their schooling seamlessly, abroad and back in France.
Source: official AEFE directory, verified June 2026. aefe.gouv.fr
Tutoring and private lessons
To support your children's schooling across two systems, two solutions designed for expat families.
Axiom Academic
Private lessons and tutoring for expat families: French curriculum, IB and British curriculum, at home or online, with teachers who know the schools in your city.
The Bay Area offers one of the finest line-ups of French and bilingual schools in the United States, from the Lycée Français to Silicon Valley. A local twist: a free public school with a French track exists in Santa Rosa.
Good to know
French and bilingual private schools are excellent but pricey: negotiate this line in an expat package.
Santa Rosa French-American Charter School is a free public school with a French track, north of the Bay.
The school year runs late August to early June; summer camps are part of the family budget.
Admissions are decided as early as autumn for the following year: visit early, places are in high demand.
French-speaking community
The Bay's French community is large and well organised, from San Francisco to families in Silicon Valley, around schools, associations and cultural events.
Good to know
San Francisco Bay Accueil (FIAFE network) has welcomed newcomers since 1994.
The French American Chamber of Commerce California helps spouses network and look for work.
Facebook groups of French-speaking parents in the Bay are very active, from gear swaps to nanny tips.
The French Consulate and cultural institutions pace the year, from Bastille Day to French-speaking celebrations.
A place has closed, something has changed?
The arrival reflex
The apps to download when you land
Drop your bags, download these and you're set: the apps everyone in San Francisco uses to get around, get things delivered and organise daily life.
Getting around
Clipper Card
One transit card for the whole Bay Area: BART, Muni, Caltrain and ferries. Load it onto your phone and tap to ride.
What mums ask when they arrive in San Francisco, in short, sourced answers.
American or French school: where do we start?
San Francisco public schools (SFUSD) are free and take children from Transitional Kindergarten (TK), for children who turn 5 during the school year. French and bilingual schools (Lycée Français, International School, Silicon Valley International School...) are private, fee-paying and in high demand: admissions are decided from the autumn for the following year. Our Schools and School fees pages detail the options: /en/cities/san-francisco/school-fees/.
In San Francisco, your address is not enough: you apply to the district (SFUSD) ranking several schools, and assignment follows priority rules, including the local attendance area for elementary. Health records (vaccines, tuberculosis) are required before the first day.
Yes in California: since 2020 every resident must be covered, or a penalty is added to state tax. Insurance usually comes from the employer; otherwise Covered California is the official marketplace. Check the deductible, network and copays before signing, everything is detailed on /en/cities/san-francisco/health/.
The French consulate publishes a list of French-speaking doctors in Northern California: GPs, therapists, dentists, a speech therapist, an orthoptist. It includes no paediatrician, so most families choose an English-speaking in-network paediatrician. We list them on /en/cities/san-francisco/health/.
Source ↗My child has a fever at night: where do I go?
If it is life-threatening, 911. Otherwise, UCSF's paediatric urgent care clinics in San Francisco and Berkeley have paediatricians and evening hours, and UCSF's children's emergency departments (Mission Bay and Oakland) are open 24/7. Call your paediatrician's or insurer's after-hours line first, it usually gives good guidance.
Source ↗Which neighbourhood should we choose with children?
The choice often follows the school: Cole Valley and Haight-Ashbury, Noe Valley, the Inner Sunset and West Portal in the city, Sausalito and Mill Valley in Marin, Palo Alto and Menlo Park in Silicon Valley. Security deposits have been capped at one month's rent in California since July 2024. Our page /en/cities/san-francisco/settling-in/ details neighbourhoods and renting.
It depends on the visa. The spouse of a transferred employee (L-1) is authorised to work by virtue of L-2S status, with the I-94 as proof. The spouse of an H-1B holder (H-4 visa) can only apply for a work permit if the H-1B holder's green card process has already started.
Only as a visitor. Once resident, you must get a California licence within 10 days: there is no exchange, you take the knowledge test then the drive test at the DMV. Book early, slots go fast.
Source ↗Nanny, daycare, after-school: how do we organise childcare?
Families often combine daycare or preschool, a nanny shared between two families (nanny share) and school after-care. A nanny employed at home is entitled to the minimum wage and the overtime set by California's domestic worker law. French-speaking parent groups and San Francisco Bay Accueil are the best source of recommendations.
Source ↗How do we keep up French if my child attends an American school?
Education Française Bay Area (FLAM programme) and the Alliance Française offer classes for children, the French-speaking scout troop Groupe Paul Coze welcomes 8 to 17 year olds, and there are many French summer camps. The Alliance Française library has a children's area. All the addresses are on /en/cities/san-francisco/family-outings/.
Source ↗How do I meet other French-speaking families?
San Francisco Bay Accueil has run welcome cafés and outings for newcomers since 1994. French schools, Bay Area parents' Facebook groups, the Alliance Française and Bastille Day on the Embarcadero are other meeting points. Also register with the consulate to receive its updates.
Yes for housing, private school, healthcare and childcare, which weigh far more than in France. On the other hand Muni is free for those aged 18 and under, and the library, the big parks and several museums are free for children. Our page /en/cities/san-francisco/settling-in/ goes through it line by line.
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