This text is part of the special Francophonie booklet
Wishing to promote cohesion around the revitalization of Francophone early childhood centers in minority settings in Canada, the Canadian Association for French-Language Education (ACELF) and the National Commission for Francophone Parents (CNPF) launched last November the training La francosphere of early childhood.
The Francosphere of Early Childhood aims to create a pan-Canadian network of 1,500 professional early childhood educators, to train and equip them to promote French in the lives of toddlers. The francophone educational environment becomes even more important when a child spends the majority of their time at home in another language.
“Early childhood is a crucial time for attachment to the French language and for first memories,” comments Caroline Boudreau, project manager at ACELF. The specific mandate of Francophone early childhood services in a minority setting is to come and sow the seed of Francophonie”.
The training was therefore built around the need to promote the raison d’être of these services in French in the communities, namely the link with the language, the culture, the identity, but also the belonging to the community.
In four parts
The early childhood francosphere is structured in four parts. The first aims to deepen the crucial mandate of educators. “We want these people to realize that they are Francophone role models for children and that they understand the role of their childcare service in a minority setting,” notes Caroline Boudreau.
The 2and section explores cultural referents and provides examples that professionals can incorporate into their practice. We are thinking, among other things, of encouraging francophone music and reading in French with the children.
The 3and shutter asks the question: how to do that in the pleasure? “In early childhood, it goes without saying, it’s the play approach,” says the project manager. We always want to make sure that learning French is fun. The last part is a reflection on the accompaniment of the parent, which also contributes to the construction of their child’s Francophone identity, since they have made this important choice to go for a service in French.
Issues and development
Caroline Boudreau and Richard Vaillancourt, from the National Commission for Francophone Parents (CNPF), also did the exercise of noting the findings and challenges in Francophone early childhood services to come up with better tools for educators. “For some parents, a professional will opt to speak a little English to facilitate the discussion, notes Caroline Boudreau. However, when we mix things up with the parent or the child, we send the wrong message. »
Moreover, given that many educators come from recent immigration, they do not necessarily have the same French-speaking cultural referents to pass on to toddlers. “There is a whole Francophonie that wants to be open and inclusive, but how to find balances between traditional and contemporary references? she raises. The solution mentioned is openness and communication. The project manager mentions a song in Creole in Passe-Partout which allows Haitian educators to have a common cultural base with the children.
Professionals in the field can also feel linguistic insecurity. The training shows them that it is important that they see themselves as Francophone models for children and parents in order to celebrate together all the riches of the Francophonie. Richard Vaillancourt points out that the formation is far from being rigid. “We get asked: ‘Does that mean that I have to speak perfect French?’ No, speak French as you speak it, with confidence, but always be aware that it is important to put it forward. »
It is by raising these types of challenges that the ACELF and the CNPF have made their way towards the creation of La francosphère de la petite enfance. The ratings and comments collected since the fall launch allow organizations to update the training and enrich their offer.
“The Canadian Francophonie is becoming more and more diversified,” concludes Caroline Boudreau. There are different languages that interact in our social spheres. Our training allows us to work on this portion with the child, hoping that he will continue to French-language school and that his Francophonie will continue to flourish. »