Parlez-vous français?
Official stats from the Government of Canada from the 2016 census puts 75% of Canadians with English as their first language, 23% with French as their first language and almost 18% of Canadians consider themselves bilingual. On PEI, those numbers skew to 96% English, 3% French, and almost 13% bilingual.
Language Stats Infographic - also, this infographic doesn’t actually know where PEI is so, good job Gov’t of Canada
Specific to Charlottetown, because it is a provincial capital, we have all the federal services required of a provincial capital and many of the workers for the federal government and the provincial government must be bilingual. On PEI, having a federal or provincial career is a strong career path based upon benefits provided and financial earnings of the workers. Plus, there is a good amount of flexibility when it comes to sick kids and now hybrid work environments (mix between home and office).
What this has done has put a strong emphasis on having a school program that adequately prepares our population for a bilingual career. With regards to learning in French within the school system, we have several different paths that can be taken that, ultimately, end with the student being bilingual by graduation.
French School - offered by La Commission scolaire
de langue françaiseEarly Immersion - Offered within the Public School Board of PEI
Mid-French Immersion - Offered within the Public School Board of PEI
Late French Immersion - Offered within the Public School Board of PEI
La Commission scolaire de langue française runs parallel to the Public School Board of PEI. They have their own buses, their own board, they are a separate school board.
There are also daycares that operate en francais for those families that are primarily French speaking that would also feed right into the schools. I am not super well versed on this system, but I do know I had nephews who did French daycare and then into Kindergarten at François-Buote School in Charlottetown.
As our French population is much smaller, the more common route is through French Immersion within the Public School board. However, one thing that is quite unique to PEI, is that you can start your French immersion education at Kindergarten (early), Grade 4 (mid), or Grade 7 (late), depending on where you live.
Early French Immersion is available in:
Up West: Tignish, St. Louis, Bloomfield
Summerside: Elm Street, Parkside, Greenfield,
Cornwall: Westwood, Eliot River,
Charlottetown: Sherwood, Spring Park, West Kent,
Stratford: Glen Stewart, Stratford
Montague Consolidated.
Mid French Immersion is only available at Gulf Shore in North Rustico.
Late French Immersion is available in:
Kensington Intermediate-Senior High school
Charlottetown Area: Queen Charlotte, Stonepark, East Wiltshire and Birchwood
I know from experience as a mother that it can seem very overwhelming when it comes to making the decision to put your child in French Immersion from the get-go of Kindergarten. However, I appreciate that living in PEI, we are able to put off the decision of Yes or No to French Immersion for each child until Grade 7, when we can be more certain of their desire and success.
So one more positive side to raising our kids in PEI.