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Born in St. Martin de Beauce, Hélène Baillargeon-Côté (1916-1997) began her career as a folk singer and actress. A mother of three, she was best known as the main character on the CBC television show "Chez Hélène."

Produced in the national broadcaster's Montreal studios, the program was the first children's show devoted to teaching the French language to English-speaking preschoolers. It was inspired by the work of renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Wilder Penfield, who believed that the ideal time to begin learning a second language was between the ages of three and seven. The content and pedagogical approach of "Chez Hélène" was based on the "Tan-Gau" method, which encourages comprehension rather than simple repetition, through exposure to simple conversations where the dialogue alternates between French and English.

For 14 years, from 1959 to 1973, Hélène and her friends Peter, Louise, Suzie the mouse and Compère L'Heureux were very popular. However, the show was cancelled in 1973 because CBC executives felt that it had been on the air long enough and that "Sesame Street," which included five minutes of French content, could adequately meet this pedagogical mandate.

From 1973 to 1985, Hélène Baillargeon-Côté worked as a Canadian Court of Citizenship judge in Montreal. She was also involved in numerous causes, notably as Executive Director of the Quebec Federation of Volunteer Bureaus (Fédération des centres d'action bénévole du Québec).