The Fédération des parents francophones de Colombie-Britannique was particularly active during the current school year, and the results are very positive!

Here's an overview of the achievements of your Fédération des parents during this time. 

Leadership and Representing Parents

• The lawsuit in collaboration with the Conseil scolaire francophone (CSF) and parents reached an important milestone, with the trial ending in the Supreme Court of British Columbia in February. We are now awaiting Justice Russell's judgment.
  
  
• Members of the Fédération des parents team made several presentations on television and radio with Radio-Canada, as well as with CILS-FM community radio. These presentations have addressed, among other things, news affecting parents, the lawsuit, and the Fédération's activities, such as its annual conference. In addition, the Executive Director of the Fédération des parents participated in a national forum on the future of French in Canada, as part of a special episode of the 24 minutes en 60 secondes show hosted by Anne-Marie Dussault on the RDI national television channel.
  
  
• The Fédération des parents was invited to participate in consultations or serve on several important committees. Notably, the Fédération took part in a consultation conducted by the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages regarding early childhood, participated in a working group for the Fédération nationale des conseils scolaires francophones regarding “L’école communautaire citoyenne” (about the civic engagement of community schools), and also took part in some of the CSF’s advisory committees.

New Strategic Plan

The Strategic Plan of the Fédération des parents for 2015-2020 was adopted by its members at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in November 2015. For the next five years, we will focus our direction along two strategic paths:

1.  Welcome and support services for parents; and
2.  Leadership and the representation of the interests and rights of parents.

The desired outcomes are support and services to members in order to foster a dynamic and effective parents' association network; to equip parents by offering them a range of quality services from the prenatal stage to the post-secondary level; and to continue to take a leadership role in current issues that affect parents, by representing parents and advocating for them.

Support for Parents' Associations

• Contact with our members is a priority for the Fédération des parents. In this regard, we have been in direct contact with 41 of our 45 members during the past year.
  
  
• What's more, over the past months, the Fédération des parents has responded to over 50 requests by member parents' associations, whether it was to provide assistance, information, or support for a particular purpose.
  
  
• The Fédération des parents also travelled to various regions to meet its members, and to address the needs that they expressed. Six workshops were offered to members in those regions regarding the role and operation of a parents' association, the holding of an AGM, etc. These meetings always offer a wealth of sharing!
  
  
• Our conference is always a highlight of the year, for both our members and our team. Again this year, the event was a great success, with a presentation by Christine McLeod, a trainer in organizational leadership as well as the President of the APÉ de l’école Les Aiglons in Squamish. The presentation and workshop that she led (see the article on this subject in this issue of Parenthèse) focused on the mobilization of parents in their school community -- a crucial subject for parents who are involved in Francophone schools and preschool centres!

Direct Services to Parents Made Possible Through Partnerships

• Some activities of the Fédération des parents reach parents and their families directly in their daily lives. The programming of the Centre d’appui à la famille et à l’enfance (CAFE) is a good example. In Vancouver alone, a total of 112 children and 103 adults participated in the various activities offered by the CAFE. It should be noted that this programming is carried out in partnership with about ten Francophone organizations in the community, including Réseau-Femmes Colombie-Britannique and the Conseil scolaire francophone.
  
  
• The earlier that we reach parents, the better they are informed, and the better the chances that their children grow up in French. It's with this perspective that the Fédération des parents distributed this year 170 welcome kits for parents who are expecting a baby, or already have a baby less than a year old. The increase in the number of Bébé francophone kits distributed is the result of an extensive visibility campaign and the modernization of promotional tools related to the kit, made possible through the financial support of the BC Francophone Affairs Program and RésoSanté Colombie-Britannique.
  
  
• The network of Francophone preschool centres is doing well in British Columbia: 23 preschool services are currently in operation in the province, of which 19 are located in a Francophone school. More than 75 employees work in this network, and the vast majority possess a certificate in Early Childhood Education (ECE).
  
  
• The Franc départ centres continue to welcome children and adults living in six areas of the province (Delta, Port Coquitlam, Vancouver, Nelson, Penticton, and Campbell River). In all, that's more than 500 children, accompanied by their parent, guardian, or grandparent, who will have visited our experienced educators and enjoyed quality early childhood programming in French.
  
  
• Our website continues to be a source of relevant and targeted information for both parents and member associations of the Fédération. For example, the presentations, webinars, and vignettes found in the Vidéos section of the website have been viewed more than 250 times during the past year.
  
  
• As in other years, the Fédération des parents is pleased to highlight the efforts and work of high school students by awarding scholarships to Grade 12 graduates in the Francophone program. For the 2015-2016 academic year, 11 scholarships worth $200 each have been awarded to graduates (see the article on this subject in this issue of Parenthèse). In addition, a scholarship was awarded to a graduate of the Early Childhood Education Program at Collège Éducacentre, to highlight their academic performance.

The entire Fédération des parents team thanks you for your renewed support, and wishes you an excellent school year end and a great summer with your family!