By Cheryl Jahn

French Immersion Growing In SD57

Apr 13, 2018 | 2:51 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – “Each year, families line up when it comes to kindergarten registration and, indeed, sit on waiting lists. We accommodate every way we can.” 

That’s District 57 Superintendent Marilyn Marquis-Forster describing a phenomenon in Prince George every Fall. French immersion is a growing choice in District 57. There is one school that is single-track French and that is Ecole Lac de Bois. But this city has no shortage of dual-track French immersion. Duchess Park being one of them. Others are Heather Park and College Heights Elementary. But what there is a shortage of in the District is teachers to accommodate that growing demand.

“We have seen strong support and, indeed, growth in our French Immersion programming over the last number of years,” says Marquis-Forster  It is a good problem in that’s it’s a popular program but a question for how we accommodate programs.”

The federal government recently announced $31 million in funding to recruit French teachers across the country.