- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- iparenting canada articles
- iparenting canada q&a
- community & groups
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
From Our Sponsors
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Bilingualism in Canada
Making the Right Education Choice for Your Child By Alina Kelly
In addition to English language instruction, school boards across Canada offer a variety of French programs. Core French – also known as basic French or French as a second language – is taught as a subject within a school's curriculum and may be offered from kindergarten to grade 12. In French immersion, more than 50 percent of the curriculum must be taught in French. Early French immersion begins in either kindergarten or grade one, middle French immersion begins by grade four or five and late French immersion begins by grade six or seven.
It is important to note that French immersion programs must follow the same curriculum guidelines set out by the respective provincial or territorial governments for English-speaking programs. Children are taught the same curriculum – they just learn it in a different language.
Parental concern regarding learning English later and having, consequently, less facility in English than students in core English programs are the most common apprehensions with respect to French immersion education, according to Maureen McEvoy, director of communications for Canadian Parents for French.
"There is a potential for delay in the recognition of a potential linguistic barrier," says Wood. "Introduction of French language learning before grade four has the potential to mask a possible learning difficulty. A teacher may be unable to determine if a problem is a developmental delay or attributable to the second language." 
But not all difficulties in the early years of French immersion are the result of a learning issue. Sara Miller of Toronto, Ontario, is a graduate of Ontario's first early French immersion class. "I faced some challenges when I was younger," says Miller. "I was below average in my class for the first several years and found French immersion a struggle. Then, suddenly, in about grade four or five, I just 'got it.' I eventually completed high school in French, graduating near the top of my class." While Miller's story has a happy ending, presumably, there are others for whom this is not the case.