FRENCH-LANGUAGE SERVICES PLAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT NOVA SCOTIA

Transcription

1 FRENCH-LANGUAGE SERVICES PLAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT NOVA SCOTIA

2 Message from the Deputy Minister I am pleased to present the French-language services plan for the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD). This report is presented in the context of the requirements of the French-language Services Act (2004) and the regulations (2006). The regulations stipulate that designated public institutions must develop annual French-language services plans and specify the required contents of these plans. These plans are aligned with the three strategic objectives of the Nova Scotia Strategic Plan for Frenchlanguage Services for , developed by Acadian Affairs and the French-language Services Coordinating Committee. This strategic plan was used to negotiate the Canada Nova Scotia Agreement on French-language Services for , which will provide Nova Scotia with federal funding to cover some costs related to the development and delivery of French-language services by the Government of Nova Scotia. For the past few years, the emphasis in this department has been on the involvement of Frenchlanguage services in all functions of the department. For instance, the Acadian and French Language Services Branch (AFLS Branch) has worked with IT and with the Data and Statistics Division to ensure the timely posting of French-language materials on PowerSchool. This French-language Services Plan also reports on some activities of the new Early Years Branch with respect to the latter s contribution to the preservation and growth of the Acadian and francophone community. As an integral part of the department, the AFLS Branch will continue to play a leadership role in the evolution of education in this province. This role includes, but is not limited to, coordinating a growing number of translations and working with other stakeholders inside and outside of government. 2

3 Introduction The structure of this plan is determined by Sections 5, 6 and 7 of the French-language Services Regulations (2006). Section 5 states that such a plan must describe how the designated public institution s staff have been instructed to respond to verbal and written requests from the public to communicate in French; the French-language services offered by the designated public institution; the steps the institution will take to preserve or improve its French-language services in the next fiscal year; the specific goals and objectives for doing so; the specific activities that it will undertake to achieve those goals and objectives; and, finally, how the plan will contribute to the preservation or growth of the Acadian and francophone community. Section 6 states that the plan must describe how the institution will address the priorities of the Acadian and francophone community that have been expressed during consultations or in communications between the institution and the community. Section 7 requires the French-language services plan to describe the institution s progress in reaching any specific goals and objectives set for the previous fiscal year. While those three sections define the structure of this plan, it is the Nova Scotia Strategic Plan for French-language Services for which provides a way of organizing activities and goals. The Strategic Plan identifies three specific objectives: Objective 1 Leadership and policy direction: Champion and support the planning, administration, and policy development frameworks for the implementation of the French-language Services Act and Regulations. Objective 2 Availability and accessibility of French-language services: Increase the prevalence and awareness of French-language services through active offer, communications, printed and electronic material, and by increasing the capacity of the public service to offer services in French. Objective 3 Community engagement and outreach: Encourage the participation of the Acadian and francophone community in the development of government policies with a view to improving the delivery of services in French. Responses to French Requests (Written and Oral) The department has a policy in place with respect to written and verbal communication in French. This policy, first created in 2009, was revised in 2011 to make it clearer. The policy stipulates that all correspondence (paper or electronic) received in French must be replied to in French. Verbal requests to communicate in French from the public are, to the extent possible, handled by bilingual staff. French-language Services Inventory 3

4 Any information material intended for the public must be translated if it meets any of the following conditions: 1) the information material is of particular relevance to the Acadian and Francophone community; 2) the information material pertains to French-language service delivery by the Department; 3) failure to provide the information in French may compromise the health, safety or security of members of the public. In case of any doubt, the preferred approach shall be to translate the document. For the purpose of determining the order in which documents are to be translated, priority is given to materials that meet any of the above-mentioned conditions. In such cases, the English and French versions of the document are released simultaneously. All documents originating in English that will be used by the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial (CSAP), whether in the classroom or at the administrative level, are also provided in French. The same applies to public documents such as the School Review Process discussion paper. Communications Nova Scotia produces news releases about activities or initiatives of the department, and decisions about issuing them in French follow the guidelines of CNS and the FLS Regulations. Any exceptions must be approved by the Deputy Minister in consultation with the Executive Director of the AFLS Branch. The department has a full-time French-language Services Coordinator (FLSC) who is situated in the AFLS Branch. The FLSC coordinates all translations for the department, and assists other branches and divisions in their dealing with French-speaking stakeholders. The FLSC actively promotes French courses and the Acadie at a Glance training in order to improve the department s ability to serve the Acadian and francophone community. The FLSC also works with coordinators from other departments on projects of joint concern. Progress in Reaching Goals and Objectives for The following highlights serve to illustrate the activities of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development in support of French-language services in This year brought a new challenge: the creation of the Early Years Branch. Previously, that branch had accounted for a large share of the translations at the Department of Community Services. As expected, with its move to our department, the new branch generated demands for translation services here (along with a name change to the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development). Through both formal meetings and informal contacts with individual employees of the branch, the FLSC worked with the new branch to explain procedures and, in cooperation with Acadian Affairs, to provide some of the translation support that would be needed. Previously, translations for services relating to early childhood had been handled exclusively through Acadian Affairs, and, in the case of larger documents, this will continue to be the case. However, after the new branch was created, a number of its documents were handled by DEECD translators. 4

5 The new branch was not the only source of increased demand for translation services. Indeed, a steady increase in such a demand became apparent over the past two years, as a result of such government initiatives as the creation of the CyberSCAN investigative unit and the conference on cyberbullying in the summer of Our branch continued to update a number of large curricular documents, which required both translation (for French immersion) and editing (for the CSAP). In the 2013 calendar year, the department translated almost 877,000 words, compared with 580,000 words in As a point of comparison, Acadian Affairs estimated in its 2013 Progress Report ( that its translation services had translated over 1.85 million words in for 51 government institutions, including some for the then Department of Education. It is safe to assume that our department may have the highest volume of translation for any one single provincial department As a result of this increasing demand, the AFLS Branch hired a second translator so as to maintain translation as a timely, and quality, service. The AFLS Branch began discussions with IT about new tools that could make our internal website more user-friendly, especially for teachers. As these discussions continued, it became apparent that technical staff who update PowerSchool for the CSAP also needed our support. 1 The net result has been that employees of both the CSAP and of the department s IT services are more aware of the need to translate material for PowerSchool (such as instructions to teachers), and have a better idea of whom to contact if it is found that English-language files have not been translated. Ultimately, this benefits students and teachers in the classroom by permitting faster and more timely availability of guides and documents in PowerSchool and TIENET. In the area of consultation, a French-language session was held at École du Sommet on January 30, in the context of public meetings of the School Review Process Committee, chaired by Bob Fowler. Videoconferencing allowed parents and elected CSAP representatives to participate from sites outside of Halifax. Gilles Le Blanc, former executive director of the AFLS Branch, attended as community representative. The discussion paper was also translated into French, and a French-language version of the webpage was also created for public input. Je parle français avec mon enfant was another new project in It was originally supported by federal funding through the Department of Labour and Advanced Education, and run by L Équipe d alphabétisation Nouvelle-Écosse (ÉANÉ).When that previous funding ceased, the AFLS Branch undertook to keep the project going. The project was supported by equal contributions from DEECD, the CSAP and Acadian Affairs. 1 Nova Scotia has two student information systems. PowerSchool manages core student information such as demographics, attendance, schedules and achievement for all students enrolled in public schools in Nova Scotia. TIENET manages information for students who have been identified by the program planning team as requiring programming and services above that of the classroom teacher, such as speech-language pathology, psychology, behavioral specialist, or guidance. 5

6 ÉANÉ normally reaches about 100 adults, on average, per year, through eight or nine community literacy programs. With the addition of the activity Je parle français avec mon enfant, ÉANÉ added another 140 adults to its clientele, and filled a specific need for ayant-droit parents. These workshops help parents help their children to achieve success at school. Informal means of contact, such as the monthly ing of useful words for the workplace, continued to be used to alert employees to improve service in French and to provide information about the Acadian and francophone community. Once again, the FLSC worked with Citizenship and Immigration and the provincial department of Communities, Culture and Heritage to ensure distribution of French-language materials for African History Month in In addition, there were two new activities involving First Nations. A bilingual French/Mi kmaq poster for Mi kmaq History Month was created and distributed to both CSAP schools and French immersion schools. The AFLS Branch also collaborated with a First Nations author in order to provide French First Language and French Second Language students with a book which reflects the First Nations experience. Positive feedback from school staff and CSAP coordinators about the availability of African Heritage Month information in French suggests that these types of French-language materials have been integrated into the regular school year cycle. For the third year in a row, the FLSC participated in choosing winning entries for the Bonjour!Prix d excéllence, a yearly award that highlights the provincial government s commitment to provide French-language services. Once again, the FLSC s participation provided an excellent opportunity to stay informed about French-language service initiatives in other departments. And once again, because there were Acadian representatives on the committee who were not provincial employees, this process of selection also added to other ongoing informal consultation with the Acadian and francophone community. In February, the FLSC was asked to start attending meetings of the Table de concertation organized by Halifax Regional Municipality, as one of two provincial representatives. Since the CSAP is also represented on this Table de concertation, and since much of the discussion involves municipal recreation services, this opened up new avenues of communication for our department. Objectives to improve French-language services in and measures planned to reach those objectives These objectives are taken directly from the Nova Scotia Strategic Plan for French-language Services for , produced by Acadian Affairs. Objective 1 Leadership and policy direction The FLSC will continue to represent the department on the French-language Services Coordinating Committee, on the organizing committee of La semaine de promotion de l éducation acadienne et francophone en Nouvelle-Écosse and on the Table de concertation of Halifax Regional Municipality.. 6

7 The FLSC has discussed with hiring managers the new Public Service Commission guidelines with respect to recruitment and testing of bilingual candidates, and will continue to work with HR staff on the implementation of these guidelines. The AFLS Branch will continue to support the activity Je parle français avec mon enfant. Objective 2 Availability and accessibility of French-language services Promotion of French-language services, courses in French and explanatory sessions for front-line staff will continue. It is expected that public service employees will become more knowledgeable about the approach being taken by the government to provide French-language services and more sensitive to cultural issues pertaining to the Acadian and francophone community. This will be the second year that the department will work with the Mi kmaq Services Division and with the federal Department of Aboriginal Affairs to produce a French version of the annual Mi kmaq History Month poster, aimed at CSAP and French immersion schools. Objective 3 Community Engagement and Outreach The Executive Council has the primary responsibility for recruiting members of the public to government agencies, boards and commissions, and regularly advertises these opportunities in both French and English (see However, the executive director of the AFLS Branch and the FLSC have also assisted in such activities as ensuring the presence of Acadian youth and mental health professionals at a cyberbullying conference in July A certain percentage of the work of the FLSC is dedicated to the federal-provincial programs such as Explore, Odyssey and Destination Clic. As in past years, the coordinator will continue to assist with interviews and other activities relating to the selection and training of monitors. These programs benefit the Acadian and francophone community in a number of ways, including support for Université Sainte-Anne (students in the French immersion program), support for the CSAP (placement of language monitors, many of them young Acadian students, in the classroom) and support for youth in the community in general (through Destination Clic, which enables francophone youth to further appreciate their French language and culture through placement in other francophone communities). Priorities of the Acadian and Francophone Community Nova Scotia is proud to have a provincial school board dedicated to the education and culture of French first- language students. The CSAP aims to offer a quality education to students while also helping them develop pride in and commitment to the French language, their culture, and their community. Students ability to communicate fluently in both official languages also enhances their employability and contributes to the cultural diversity of the province. Through direct communication, the CSAP identified a need for greater attention to documents on PowerSchool and for curricular documents. As in past years, the FLSC attended the AGM of the Fédération acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse, another occasion to maintain good working relations with the Acadian and francophone community. The FLSC will continue to attend meetings of the Table de concertation organized by Halifax Regional Municipality. This is consistent with Objectives 2 and 3 of the Nova Scotia Strategic Plan for French- Language Services for Objective 2 mentions collaboration with municipalities to develop, 7

8 deliver, increase or promote services offered in French, and Objective 3 mentions engagement of the community through relationship building and consultation. Contribution to the Preservation and Growth of the Acadian and Francophone Community The actions and initiatives identified in the department s French-language services plan will result in increased recruitment and retention for CSAP schools. In this respect, enrollment in CSAP schools went from 4,771 in the school year to 4,934 in the school year, an increase of 3.4%. Vigilance with respect to information material produced by other departments for use by Acadian and francophone students, teachers and administrative staff continues to benefit our key constituency by ensuring consistency and equity in educational resources in both languages. The Early Years Branch has contributed to the preservation and growth of the Acadian and francophone community for a number of years, originally as part of the Department of Community Services. It has done so by making important information, forms and protocols available in French to Acadian and francophone child care facilities and agencies. These resources help keep the child care facilities and agencies informed about changes to the regulatory environment in which they operate. Under the Day Care Act and Regulations, trained staff working directly with children in a licensed child care facility must have received the appropriate classification. The information on the new requirements for child care staff classification, including the relevant forms and a guide to the classification system, is now being integrated into the website of DEECD. Developing and making training materials available in French was another facet of the work of that branch. Among the materials it made available previously is the Orientation for Staff Working in Licensed Child Care Facilities. The orientation is a series of informational modules and activities for child care staff working directly with children who do not meet the regulated training requirements. The AFLS Branch is currently working with the Early Years Branch to ensure that the needs of the Acadian and francophone community are met as this training moves to an e-learning platform. Other support for early childhood education in French may be found in the funding that helped to reestablish the province s only French-language early childhood education program at Université Sainte- Anne. The program prepares its graduates for work in preschool and school environments, including child care facilities, preschools and the CSAP s Grandir en français program. Support is also being given to the annual Child Care Conference and Trade Show, sponsored by the Nova Scotia Child Care Association, Certification Council of Early Childhood Educations of Nova Scotia and the Centre provincial de ressources préscolaires. This conference will include a workshop in French for Acadian and francophone professionals. In a predominantly English province like Nova Scotia, many ayant-droit parents who choose to enroll their child in a French first-language school need support in terms of the use of French. Moreover, with the incorporation of Early Childhood Development, our department has taken on a new responsibility to parents of preschool children. Je parle français avec mon enfant aims to provide some basic French training to parents whose mother tongue is not French or to those who need literacy teaching. These 8

9 workshops help them support their children s academic progress. This project will help us to support these parents before children enter school. The AFLS Branch, under the Official Languages in Education Program, supports the building of schoolbased community centres, in partnership with the Department of Canadian Heritage and the CSAP. In this way, the department has, over the years, helped Acadian and francophone community organizations realize objectives expressed in the community s previous development plans. Acadian and francophone school community centres offer services and programs to the Acadian and francophone community. For more information about this plan, please contact: Harold Rennie Coordinateur des services en français/ French-language Services Coordinator Ministère de l'éducation et du Développement de la petite enfance/ Department of Education and Early Childhood Development 2021 rue Brunswick Street, Halifax, N.S./N-É B3J 2S renniehd@gov.ns.ca 9