| ZyParenthése |

La voix des parents de Colombie-Britannique

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Progress Report

With the end of the school year
fast approaching, the time has
come for an update on FPFCB
projects during this past year.

Partners Committee

Since inception during the last FP-
FCB conference, establishment of
the partners committees in the school
communities is progressing well. Many
schools have already formed _ their
committee. Most of these committees
are already hard at work, preparing the
school educational project or a plan of
action for the coming academic year.

During the past few months, the
working group steering this file has
developed a template to help in the
drafting of an educational project. The
group has also prepared a partners
committee operating guide (Guide
d'accompagnement pour les comités
de partenaires) in response to feed-
back, particularly comments received
during the last FPFCB conference. The
CSF (francophone school authority)
recently distributed the template and
guide to all CSF schools.
For more
information
on this issue,
visit the CSF
website,
www.csf.
be.ca and
click on the
Comités de
partenaires
link in the
leff margin
(Info in Eng-
lish, then
click on the
brochure
picture — for
an English
language
version).

New Early Learning Services

The BC Ministry of Education recent-
ly contacted the CSF to confirm fund-
ing to establish Strong Start programs in
four CSF schools. Note that these four
schools will share the equivalent of two
full-time Strong Start programs. Thus,
Franco-Nord school (Prince George)
and Bois-Joli (Delfa) will share five half-
days per week (equal to one full-time
Strong Start program). For example, the
program may operate three half-days
per week in one school and two half-
days in the other. The same is true for
Entre-Lacs (Penticton) and Des Sentiers
Alpins (Nelson).

Including the schools that already
have Strong Start programs, Anne-Hé-
bert in Vancouver and Des Pionniers in
Port Coquitlam, a total of six schools will
offer the program during the coming
academic year.

More than 100 children are cur-
rently enrolled in the two existing Strong
Start programs. This far exceeds initial
forecasts. This demand attests to the
success of this program. It addresses
a family's need for children to social-
ize in a francophone environment and
adapt to the school setting in prep-
aration for Kindergarten. It also allows
parents to converse and learn about
French-language services available in
their region.

New Preschool/Childcare
Services

Three parent groups are work-
ing very hard to establish preschool/
childcare services in their schools. At
Anne-Hébert, the Tartines et chocolat
preschool/daycare is currently rais-
ing funds for construction. The services
will also use the Strong Start program
space in the afternoons, which will en-
able them to enrol more children. For
Sechelt, Les petits pacifiques is also
looking for funding to renovate the
room that the school has provided for

By Mare Gignac, FPFCB Interim
Executive Director

them. In Prince George, the parents
have taken steps to open a preschool
in Franco-Nord school. The launch of a
Strong Start program in that school will
be of tremendous help fo the parents.
Indeed, a pooling of resources allo-
cated for the opening of the two ser-
vices will facilitate their establishment
considerably. Finally, at André-Piolat
school in North Vancouver, parents will
soon be celebrating the opening of a
daycare for toddlers.

Departure

This article will be my last for the
Federation. 1am leaving my post at the
end of June, after 17 of advocating to
obtain a French-language education
system equipped with all of the resour-
ces needed to provide first-rate servi-
ces for children across the province.
We're not there yet; but we're on the
right track.

During the past few years with
this organization, | have experienced
many moments of great satisfaction.
| have collected a truckload of mem-
ories that | will cherish for many years
to come. There have been (and still
are) many, many issues. | have never
had a “routine.” | have never lacked
motivation. And working with you, the
parents, |have never been bored. |am
convinced that it will be the same for
my successor.

! would like to thank the Board of
Directors for the support and _ frust |
have enjoyed since my arrival in March
1992. | believe that together, with help
from you, the parents, we have ac-
complished major projects that have
contributed to the development of the
British Columbia francophone com-
munity and the welfare of families and,
especially, their children.

Thank you. | hope we meet again.