Created by and

Since French is the second official language of Canada and about 30 percent of the population speaks it as their first language, it?s a little surprising that less than 18 percent of Canadians are bilingual. 
For Eric Corej, French?s similarities to other latin-derived languages, such as Italian, have helped his career by enabling him to conduct business around the world. Because of the professional doors French has opened, sending his two daughters, aged six and seven, to elementary school at Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir didn?t need a second thought. 
Corej and his wife grew up in Quebec and speak French in their home in Markham, Ontario. They knew that teaching their daughters speak it fluently would raise the bar for better jobs, help with travel and encourage a closer relationship with their grandparents. ?We view an extra language as a gift to give our kids, so we want to provide that opportunity,? Corej says. ?French has helped our careers significantly and we?re fortunate to live in a country that provides access to a second language.?  Conseil scolaire catholique Providence and Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir are a collection of public Catholic French-language schools spaced out between the GTA and Southwestern Ontario, respectively, with 70 elementary and 18 secondary schools between them. Community is at their core and smaller school sizes allow them to be an ally in education and better support students in becoming franc...