Claudine Vallerand

Claudine Vallerand (née Simard; 8 October 1908 – 16 September 2001)^[1] was a Canadian radio and television host. Considered a pioneer in preschool education and educational television, she opened the first private nursery school in Quebec.^[2][3]

Claudine Simard was born in Montreal on 8 October, 1908, to Marie-Antoinette Boyer (1876–1936) and Georges-Aimé Simard (1869–1953).^[4] Her father was a pharmacist and businessman who was elected to the Legislative Council of Quebec for the Repentigny division from 1913 to 1921 and again from 1923 until his death.^[5]

Simard married René D. Vallerand in 1930. They had four children: Claude, Suzanne, Lucie, and Louis.^[4]

Claudine Vallerand died 16 September, 2001, following a long illness.^[4]

Vallerand opened the first nursery school in Quebec in 1938. The following year, she established École des Parents, an association formed to spread a family-orientated approach to childhood learning. Early supporters included Thérèse Gouin Décarie, André Laurendeau, Réginald Boisvert, and Michel Chartrand.^[2] École des Parents advocated for families to abandon the church-run boarding schools in favour of raising and educating their children themselves. Vallerand believed that the parent should be the primary educator for children and that families could do a better job in terms of education than a school could.^[6] As a resource for parents, École des Parents focused on educating parents in how to teach their young children as opposed to disciplining them and inundating them with complex topics like philosophy.^[7] Vallerand's beliefs towards education – promoting natural interests rather than formal instruction – were influenced by the Montessori education method. Vallerand spread her teachings through public speaking appearances, letters to magazines,^[8] and through a daily advice column hosted in Le Devoir between 1948 and 1955.^[9]

Vallerand hosted Le Courrier de Radio-Parents for Radio-Canada^[1]. From 1955 to 1962, Vallerand played the titular character Madame Fon Fon on the show Fon Fon.^[2] As Madame Fon Fon, Vallerand also appeared in segments for Nursery School Time for CBC Television in 1958.^[10]

Vallerand recorded several renditions of children's songs for Radio-Canada in the 1950s with pianist Pierre Brabant and fellow children's performer Tante Lucille.^[11] The songs were published in six albums collected together as Contes de Maman Fon Fon.^[12][13]