In this article, the authors propose to examine the question of the French early childhood schooling in terms of the socialization processes. The authors start by presenting briefly the main characteristics of the French nursery school. They then discuss socialization processes through sociological perspectives on historical and anthropological views. Lastly, they discuss the issue of schooling for 2-year-olds, a topic which has been debated for the past twenty years in France. (Contains 2 notes.)