Hi we moved to the Chamonix valley a year ago and have 2 small kids, 3 and a half and 18 months. My 3 year old is at school, as they start really young here. She is now I think understanding the French but not speaking yet, but I have been told it takes at least a year. I have a friend who moved here 6 months before me with an 8 year old, who now is pretty much fluent in French. I have found in this valley the schools don't offer any extra help for non french speakers, they just let the them get on with it which as a parent is hard, especially if you don't speak french yourself. But the lifestyle for children is amazing here. Very outdoor and healthy, as a family there is so much to do, we absolutly love it and am sure our kids will too, my 3 year old is already skiing amazingly and doing ski de fond with the school. It is really set up for after school sports and it is really cheap to do, so won't break the bank. The only thing that is not good is the language especially if moving to the Alps, where it is very easy to speak english and not be fully emersed in the french life. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask