The Fédération des parents has recently welcomed a new employee as part of its team

Nezha Saffaf, Franc départ* Educator in Port Coquitlam

As a new recruit of the Fédération des parents francophones, I am honoured to be part of the team that has served the Francophone community in British Columbia for many years.

As an educator at the Franc départ centre located in École des Pionniers-de-Maillardville in Port Coquitlam, it's a great pleasure to share my experience and enthusiasm for French with families attending the program.

I immigrated to British Columbia eight years ago with my husband and two children, who are attending a Francophone school. The beauty and the diversity of the Vancouver area allowed me to experience new culinary, artistic, and cultural ideas.

Since moving here, I've had the opportunity to meet people from all over the world, and I consider myself very lucky to live in this beautiful region. I appreciate the fact that I can work with families while communicating in French. 

It's very exciting for me to have a career as an educator. With children, every day holds a new opportunity to learn something. It's also a career where there are many moments of sharing and moments of joy. At the same time, I realize that there can be difficult days, but in the end, it's a career that brings great rewards.

I'll finish with this quote that is dear to my heart: "play is the child's work, it's their job, it's their life". As an educator, my philosophy is to give every child the opportunity to practice their “work” by creating a suitable environment, and by facilitating their learning through play, songs, music, stories, exploration, etc.

* To find out more about the Franc départ program, and obtain the addresses and schedules of the 6 Franc départ centres in the province, visit www.fpfcb.bc.ca/franc-départ.