Sudbury's College Boreal studying Franco-Ontarian training program for early childhood educators

College Boreal is launching a new mining skills readiness program at its Sudbury and Timmins campuses to help women, youth and newcomers break into the industry. (File photo)

Sudbury — A new research project designed by a Francophone early childhood education group will evaluate a training program designed to help young Franco-Ontarians learn language and culture.

College Boreal's child and family innovation centre (CISEF) in Sudbury is leading the study.

"By providing early childhood educators with tools to support identity building, transmit culture and welcome Anglophone parents from mixed-language families, the project aims to evaluate the impact of the FrancoFUN training program on professional practices in early childhood education," said College Boreal in a news release Thursday.

The project is supported by the college's applied research centre and funded by a $238,560 grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

"Identity building is vital because studies show that it is a key mechanism to ensure the vitality of minority-language communities and prepare young children to be educated in French when they enter elementary school," said Josée Latulippe, manager of the CISEF.

Martine St-Onge, the executive director of Association francophone à l’éducation des services à l’enfance de l’Ontario, said the study will measure the FrancoFUN's impact on educational environments and help improve training for educators.

"It’s especially important because demographic trends in our province tend to lower the proportion of Francophones, even in communities where the number of Francophone households is holding steady. Access to high-quality French-language services, including early childhood education, and the parents’ will and ability to transmit cultural identity to their children are crucial for the future of Ontario’s Francophone community. Our project will provide early childhood educators and other professionals with tools they can use to support families to that end," said Latulippe.