Negotiating and appropriating the 'one person, one language' policy within the complex reality of a multilingual crèche in Strasbourg

Eloise Caporal-Ebersold,Andrea Young

doi:10.18546/lre.14.2.09

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyse the early childhood education and care (ECEC) language policy in the city of Strasbourg, focusing on an ethnographic case study of a newly established bilingual English–French crèche in the city. In France, establishing an early childhood education structure – more specifically, a day care centre catering to young children – involves close coordination with national, departmental, and local government entities. Associations that embark on this process go through a long administrative process. Taking this fact into consideration, we maintain that to understand the language policy in ECEC, it is imperative to examine the overlapping participation of different government entities and services from the national, regional, departmental, city, and local levels. Our data reveal that the conceptualization of the language policy at a newly created bilingual crèche structure was highly influenced by top-down language policies and pervading language ideologies. Yet, the crèche personnel needed to interpret, negotiate, and appropriate this policy in order to consider its feasibility and to take into account the children's interests and welfare within the normal functioning of this early years structure.

Highlights

This paper will present and analyse the overt and covert language policies for early childhood education and care (ECEC) in the city of Strasbourg by looking into the case of the first bilingual English–French parental crèche established in the city, which is located in Alsace, close to the border with Germany
We have explored how the language policy of the first bilingual English–French parental crèche in the city of Strasbourg was created, interpreted, implemented, and negotiated
Even though the crèche is outside the traditional school setting, the pervasive notions of language purity, language separation, and the need for native speakers as language referents or educators succeed in influencing the crèche’s language policy

Summary

Introduction

This paper will present and analyse the overt and covert language policies for early childhood education and care (ECEC) in the city of Strasbourg by looking into the case of the first bilingual English–French parental crèche established in the city, which is located in Alsace, close to the border with Germany. In our super-diverse, highly mobile society, the case of this professional is not uncommon She was assigned as an English speaker because it was her ‘native language’ – or more appropriately, her home language, the language her parents spoke with her. The ideal scenario at the crèche was for the two languages to be present at all times throughout the day, this was not possible.There were instances when professionals needed to adopt the role of bilingual speakers to accommodate the bilingual and monolingual children, especially when their safety was at risk

Conclusion

Findings

Notes on the contributors