Enriched francophone preschool programming begins in Banff this September after the local Association Canadienne Française de l’Alberta (ACFA) established a location to operate after a long search for the right space.
The ACFA will support a local day home, which will be called Deux par deux, in implementing Alberta’s francophone programming for children aged three and four.
The ACFA will move the day home towards enhancing daily activities and learning opportunities for the children through support with resources, materials, professional development opportunities and access to professionals to enhance the French learning experience.
Local ACFA president Geneviéve Poulin said this is a very exciting moment for the community and she would like to see programming run two to three days weekly. She hopes parental feedback from now until September, and at a July 15 information session in Banff that is open to everyone, will offer a better understanding of the needs and schedules of the mountain town families.
“It will be in a daycare setting, the provider will have her program that she will follow and it will be the same that we are offering in Canmore for that age group,” said Poulin, adding they would like to combine activities between kids in Canmore and Banff monthly.
Poulin said because it is a day home setting, space will be limited, but they are hoping to accommodate up to 12 children in the program.
The biggest hurdle to establish ACFA in Banff was finding a suitable space to function out of, Poulin said.
“It was a little bit of a challenge because the accessibility in space in Banff is different than in Canmore, so there was nothing we could afford to have an exact program (space) like we’re doing in Canmore ... so we had to think and figure a way to provide preschool age programming (in a smaller area),” she said.
“Locally, our community has managed francophone preschool age programming for more than 13 years.
That expertise in Early Childhood Francophone Education will be readily available and on hand to assist any program development for that age group in the valley.”
Anyone interested in learning more about the ACFA preschool programming in Banff can attend an information session on Wednesday, (July 15) at 7 p.m. in the boardroom at the Banff Library. For information, email [email protected].
