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Franc depart (Strong Start):
The Adventure Continues!

By Shannie Harvey

<=

In September, we were thrilled
by the opening of the second
francophone — Strong — Start
(Franc départ) centre at Vancouver's
Anne-Hébert school. We also attended
the reopening of the Franc départ pro-
gram at Des Pionniers school in Mail-
lardville. Part of a Ministry of Education
initiative, the francophone Franc de-
part centre mission is fo welcome chil-
dren aged 0 to 5 years, along with their
parent or caregiver, and to guide their
participation in a variety of fun-filled,
stimulating activities. An early learn-
ing specialist is responsible for the pro-
gram. This educator’s role is to provide
a French language curriculum to con-
tribute to the child’s overall develop-
ment, and to support parents as prime
educators of their children.

Franc départ stresses the import-
ance of human contact, as one new
mother recently told me. She described
her experience during one of her first
visits to Franc depart, while she was
still getting used to her new role as a
mother. She was worried, since her per-
fectly healthy baby was smaller than
most infants of the same age. Happily,
at Franc depart this mother mef an-
other more experienced mother who
took time to reassure her and remind
her that babies come in all shapes and
sizes and that, regardless, they are all
beautifull The new mother returned
home with far less worry, thanks fo this
simple, but productive exchange.

Another excellent example of how
the Franc départ centres can help in the
development of our communities is that
of a young woman, a former student of

Des Pionniers school who now attends
Franc départ with her own two chil-
dren. Through this experience, all three
do experience a range of emotions: on
one hand, school staff members have
an opportunity fo renew contact with
a young woman whom they watched
grow up over the years and who is
now the proud mother of two beautiful
children. On the
other, it’s an op-
portunity for the
former student to
again be a part
of the school
community and
to develop in
hernew role as a
mother.

1 will
clude by  shar-
ing with you one
final anecdote,
the story of a
new mother who
| had an oppor-
tunity to meet
at the open-
ing of the Franc
départ centre
in Vancouver.
My — encounter
with this mother
demonstrated fo
me, yet again,
the importance
of having high
quality — franco-
phone preschool
services — within
our = commun-

con-

Strong Start is offered
in Vancouver and

Port Coquitlam to
francophone families
with children aged

0-5 years

ities. Indeed, this woman was prepared
to drive at least half an hour with her
two young children, a boy of 2 and a
newborn, barely a month old, for the
pleasure of participating in activities in
French!

On this positive note, the Franc dé-
part adventure continues...with ever
new surprises to come.

rAnc
part

ECOLE ANNE-HEBERT
DE VANCOUVER

7051 KILLARNEY ST.
VANCOUVER

ECOLE DES PIONNIERS

DE MAILLARDVILLE
3550 WELLINGTON ST.
PORT COQUITLAM

STRONG START PROGRAM
FOR FRANCOPHONE FAMILIES

ildren on the road

ironment to autonomy and knowledge

nedepart_annehebert@csf.be.ca
il: francdepart_pionniers@csf.bc.ca

%. StrongStartBC |