By the time he was around two and a half to three years old, we noticed he wasn’t speaking much, says Clara Drolet, who had to send her six-month-old son to an English-speaking daycare center in the mid-2000s.
The family turned to a speech therapist. The specialist’s finding was cruel to her. Communicating with the child was difficult because they thought and developed in the language they heard in daycare: English.
“Since he spent most of his day in an English environment, he basically thought in English. »
— A quote from Clara Drolet
We are two francophones, pure francophones, says Clara Drolet about her spouse and her. When trying to communicate with [notre fils]it was more difficult, it was like he was trying to understand what we were trying to tell him.
Francising of the French speakers
The speech therapist suggests that the parents send the boy to a franking program, generally aimed at helping allophone and anglophone children.
Clara Drolet does, but she tells of her dizziness in the face of this observation.
“It’s a bit embarrassing to share. We are two francophones, we shouldn’t have to go through these problems. »
— A quote from Clara Drolet
She says that her son’s French quietly returned from the age of 5 at school.
He was accompanied in the first two school years. Being in a completely French environment, it gradually came back.
English can be caught
Although he’s 16 now, she says the English influence is still noticeable. He tells me that his French is much better than before. It remains that it is a challenge for him. He needs to try harder to speak French. It is difficult to understand because we are French at home.
It’s this kind of story that makes him say that English can be trapped in a Franco-minority environment.
Clara Drolet says she wants to share her story to raise awareness of the importance of having early childhood spaces in French-speaking daycares.
Photo: Zoom
Clara Drolet wants to share her story to show how important she thinks it is to provide French language childcare services in the community when the need is crying.
The goal for us to share this situation is to sensitize the community and people to the impact that having a very early onset of our early childhood in our mother tongue. It has an impact, it makes a difference.
assimilation
This type of testimony is consistent with what Sylvie Blain, a professor in the Faculty of Education at the Université de Moncton, explains.
According to the expert, the consequences of the lack of French-speaking daycare places are clear. The influence of the day care center is really decisive for the school career.
Sylvie Blain is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the Université de Moncton.
Photo: Zoom
Sylvie Blain goes further: Being in an English-speaking environment in early childhood lays the foundation for assimilation, as language learning begins at an early age.
“It will certainly be more difficult for him to learn to read in his mother tongue afterwards. The research is clear. »
— A quote from Sylvie Blain, professor at the Université de Moncton
According to the professor, parents who previously had no choice but to send their children to an English-speaking daycare center can now do so.
You have to immerse your child in their native language in order to quit, she says. Reading books in French, asking to watch TV or YouTube in Molière’s language will help him develop his early childhood skills.
If the child starts talking to you in English – because that might happen – then reply in French. Don’t tell him, “No, no, no, speak French to me,” she advises. That’s not the right approach.
Daycare, a linguistic right?
Unlike in education, there is no language right that guarantees access to places in French in day-care centers.
Whether the province of New Brunswick is required to provide childcare services in both official languages is a gray area, says constitutional expert Michel Doucet.
Attorney Michel Doucet believes the province should be required to provide childcare services in both official languages.
Photo: Radio Canada
According to this language rights expert, day-care centers should fall under the definition of educational services and therefore become a right that would force the province to offer this service in French.
Since daycares in New Brunswick are considered kindergartens? It’s arguable that the province has a duty to ensure that all regions of New Brunswick have adequate access to French-language kindergartens, says Michel Doucet.
“In my opinion there is a right, but that right has not been upheld by courts. »
— A quote from Michel Doucet, constitutional expert and language law expert
In his opinion, the province should be obliged to offer childcare places in both languages in order to curb the Anglicization of young Francophones. We know that the impact of assimilation could be detrimental to the francophone community.
According to the SANB, the political route is easier
In the coming year, the New Brunswick government plans to open around 1,900 new child care places on its territory.
Of these, 1,600 will be Anglophones and only 300 Francophones.
The province plans to create more childcare places in English than in French.
Photo: Radio Canada / Alix Villeneuve
This shocked the Société de l’Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick (SANB). What it will do at the end of the day is assimilation, launches its President Alexandre Cédric Doucet.
“In Saint-Jean or Fredericton, where we’re really in the minority, it’s vital to the progress of those communities. »
— A quote from Alexandre Cédric Doucet, President of the SANB
He is demanding that governments ensure access to these services, he says, without going to court. Because we know that the legal way costs a lot of money and takes a lot of time.
Alexandre Cédric Doucet, President of the Société de l’Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick, is concerned about the lack of early childhood education in French.
Photo: Radio Canada
He also believes that since Ottawa pays money to Fredericton to create new day care centers, the federal government must ensure the creation of French language places.
The federal government cannot hide behind state competences that have language obligations in money transfers and in the contracts with the states.
In fact, Canada’s Department of Employment and Social Development says the agreement with Fredericton contains clauses aimed at protecting and respecting the rights of minority communities with official languages.
Reached four times in the last two weeks, the team of the State Minister for Education and Early Childhood Development did not want to grant an interview on this topic.