The Francophone daycare, Centre éducatif les petits penguin, officially opened in 2010 and continues to offer French language care for children as young as 18 months.
Until the centre, named after École Père Mercure’s penguin mascot, opened there were no French services in the Battlefords for children under 36 months, when they become old enough for pre-kindergarten. The centre was created inside École Père Mercure at 1881 - 99th St. in North Battleford, by retrofitting existing schoolrooms in the south wing.
With the Francophone daycare in place, for those families who want their children to become fluently bilingual, it's an opportunity for an early start – and when it comes to language, "the earlier the better," says Jenny Kellgren, cultural animator for École Père Mercure.
One parent says, “Our daughters joined CEPP at the ages of two and four years old. They didn’t know how to speak French and we wanted them to learn the language. We, as parents, believe that being able to speak more than one language brings a number of personal benefits, such as being able to adapt more easily to new environments and being able to express their ideas from different perspectives. As we (parents) speak just a little bit of French, we thought their learning process was going to be slow, but within months our girls proved us wrong. We realized they were already understanding and speaking the language. Kids learn easily when they are in the right environment. Having them started at the French daycare at those early ages was definitely the best choice. They learned the language before starting their elementary years. Our oldest daughter is now in Grade 1, she is doing well academically and we definitely appreciate the differences that having her go through daycare in her early age has made to the beginning of her academic life.”
Kellgren points out the daycare is not just for children who already speak French, just as École Père Mercure is not just for students who already speak French. A child who is eligible to attend École Père Mercure, a Conseil des écoles fransaskoises school, would also be eligible to attend the daycare.
In general, the guidelines for admission to a Francophone school in Saskatchewan are based on article 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom, guaranteeing education in the parents' first language. In North Battleford, the demographics of the community have seen the francophone school accepting children from families where only one parent speaks French, from non-French speaking families who are prepared to accept the French language and culture in their child’s education and from immigrant families whose first languages are neither French nor English. These criteria are also then applicable to enrolment in daycare.
Another parents says, “Our family has been involved with CEPP and ÉPM for the past three and a half years. My oldest started in Pre-K when she was four years old and attended the daycare, too. My other two children started in the daycare when they were 18 months. I couldn’t believe how quickly they adopted the language and culture. My husband is of French Métis descent, but did not have the benefit of being raised or attending school in a Fransaskois community. So this school, daycare and community have offered us a great opportunity to regain that lost heritage and to be able to share it with our children. We love to attend the winter festivals, family concerts and magic shows that the Francophone centre put on. Also, even though I am Anglophone, I am still very involved in my children’s education through parents’ boards and French classes that they offer for parents. Our family is so grateful for the welcome we have received into this community and have all been able to make some great friends.”
There are 25 licensed spots in the francophone daycare. There are four staff and two rooms, one for children from 18 to 30 months and another for 30 months to school age. It operates year round.
The Association des parents Fransaskois has advice for families who want to help their children develop their bilingual potential as a lifelong gift. That includes couples where only one parent speaks French. The association says about 85 per cent of Francophone parents in northern and western Canada have a spouse who speaks a language other than French. Teamwork is the answer, says the association. It recommends:
• You and your spouse should speak to your child in your native languages. Encourage your spouse to speak French to your child every day. (From the birth to 12 months, this helps the child learn the 36 sounds of French and distinguish them from English sounds. The child incorporates these sounds into his or her babbling and exercise the speaking muscles used to pronounce French sounds.)
• Start as early as you can – it's never too late.
• Make sure your child has fun in both languages.
• Choose Francophone services for your child, including daycare, early childhood education centre or preschool, summer camp in French, French language elementary and secondary school.
The association also advises parents to be positive towards French to reassure their children French is important and relevant.
"Don't worry that your child will not be fluent in English if you promote French at home. Your child will become fluent in English due to the surrounding English environment," says the association.
For more information about Francophone daycare, contact Centre éducatif les petits penguin at 306-445-4010.
