Parenthése |

La voix des parents de Colombie-Britannig

Early Learning... Moving right along!

The issue of Francophone servi-
2 ces for families and preschool-

ers is taking centre stage.
Compared to the situation only five
years ago, the progress is remarkable.
This despite the federal government's
abandonment of the Canada-British
Columbia Agreement on Early Learning
and Child Care.

When we first became involved in
this issue some fifteen years ago, the
FPFCB envisioned the establishment of
pre-schools in the francophone schools.
This vision has evolved considerably. To-
day we dream that BC families will be
able to grow and prosper in French.
Strategies were developed. Now we
continue to strive fo offer a full range of
Francophone programs and services for
families and young children.

Government Investment

The efforts made have prompted
governments to increase investments in
this sector. Here in British Columbia, the
government is truly committed to the
development of early learning services
and this commitment is beginning to
show results. An excellent example is the
provincial government's latest initiative,
which is designed to expand the school
board mandate to include early learning
programs. This justifies and encourages
the efforts of francophone agencies
working in this sector. In fact, the FPFCB
and CSF have established a partnership
to establish preschool and daycare ser-
vices within the francophone schools
and to promote their incorporation
into the education system. The govern-
ment initiative will provide the legislative
framework and additional resources to
support this objective. As evidence, the
Ministry of Education recently awarded
a subsidy toward the development of
early learning programs.

The Ministry of Children and Family
Development also awarded a subsidy
fo support implementation of an early
learning action plan for BC franco-

phones. This plan was developed in
cooperation with the FPFCB, Educa-
centre College, the CSF, the Economic
Development Society (SDE), fhe Fédéra-
tion des francophones, and RésoSanté
CB (Health Network}. Among other
items, the subsidy will enable Educa-
centre College to continue to offer early
learning development certification and
professional development activities for
early childhood educators. Educacentre
College will also develop four workshops
designed for parents and focussing on
early childhood development, and par-
enting skills. The funds will also enable the
FPFCB to actively support the creation of
preschool and daycare spaces and to
reactivate its pilot project to establish
an early childhood and family services
centre in the Victoria region. The other
activities listed in the early learning ac-
tion plan are funded through a number
of sources to which the afore-mentioned
partners have access.

Partnership in Action

The francophone community must
work together if we hope to provide a
full range of Francophone services for
families and young children. Individ-
ually, the organizations lack sufficient re-
sources to ensure sound development.
This is why the early childhood partner-
ship among. provincial francophone
associations is a major asset. It helps to
harmonize the various agency activities,
thereby increasing fhe efficacy of ac-
tions and optimizing the use of available
resources. This also helps to increase visi-
bility and enhance representations to
the various levels of government.

For example, RésoSanté CB has
contracted the FPFCB to conduct a
study designed to develop a model to
incorporate health services into an early
childhood and family services centre.
RésoSanté had already cleared the way
and approached fhe Vancouver Island
Health Authority. This has facilitated the
FPFCB task greatly and both organiza-

tions will use the resulting model for their
respective purposes.

The study findings confirm that we
must support partnershio at all lev-
els. Consequently, the FPFCB has ap-
proached all of the local francophone
agencies to increase awareness of the
agencies’ role in providing early child-
hood programs and services and en-
couraging the establishment of local
partnerships among schools, preschool
services, and community organizations.

Wesfern Network

The FPFCB also took part in the pro-
ject to combine forces in the Western
Provinces. An initial meeting among
francophone early childhood key play-
ers has taken place and participants
have agreed to establish a network
that will include the four Western Prov-
inces and two Territories. The goal of this
network will be to promote sharing of
expertise and resources among the vari-
ous players. This will hel to increase the
efficiency of the organizations in their
actions and economize in terms of re-
source development.

Providing a full range of Franco-
phone early childhood and family ser-
vices presents some considerable chal-
lenges. Ensuring access to fhe space
needed for the services, a clientele scat-
tered over a vast area, or even guaran-
teeing the continuity of existing services
pose a number of difficulties. However,
the FPFCB is optimistic; we feel that the
francophone agencies working in this
sector are up fo the challenge. The part-
nerships that have been developed, the
focus by key players on the importance
of early childhood, and provincial gov-
ernment willingness to respond to the
needs of the British Columbia franco-
phone community are other assets on
which we plan to capitalize to ensure
that young francophone children and
their families will have access to a full
range of Francophone programs and
services that satisfy their needs.

L

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