Best Start

The City and County of Peterborough

Social Services Department

Community Partnerships and Children’s Services

About Best Start

Ontario's Vision for Children: "An Ontario where children and youth have the best opportunity to succeed and reach their full potential."

Best Start is a comprehensive, evidence-based early learning and care strategy designed to help give Ontario's children the best possible start in life and help them achieve success in school.

Best Start is distinct from other initiatives in that it:

• Best Start Documents will help parents and families - regardless of individual economic or social circumstances
• responds to the clear message from communities that Ontario needs more integrated accessible services for young children and families
• focuses primarily on meeting children's and family's needs by strengthening, enhancing, building on and integrating existing programs and services - rather than creating new structures or organizations
• asks all existing organizations that provide services for children from the prenatal stage through to Grade 1 - regardless of which ministry funds them -- to share their expertise, and plan together
• is community driven: the provincial government will set out the types of evidence-based services that should be available to children and families across Ontario and targets/outcomes for those services, but the planning for how those services will be delivered and integrated will be done by the communities based on each community's needs and strengths.

Because Best Start is community driven, it may look different in various communities (e.g., rural, urban, francophone and Aboriginal). With guidance from the province, each community will decide how best to organize and integrate services to meet its population's needs.

• Best Start Transition Plan
• The Goals of the Best Start Program
• Requirements For Developing Best Start Infrastructure Projects
• Appendix A - Roles and Responsabilities
• Appendix B - Business Case Templates
• Appendic C - Schools First Policy and Best Start
• Appendix D - Child Care Provider Selection Checklist
• Appendix E - Infrastructure Plan Agreement
• Appendix F - Infrastructure Project Agreement
• Appendix G - Licensing Requirements
• Appendix H - Infrastructure Project Budget
• Appendix I - Infrastructure Project Checklist for CMSMs/DSSABs
• Best Start Phase I: Laying the Foundation
• Appendices 1-7

Related Links

• Ministry of Children and Youth Services
• Ministry of Education
• Ministry of Health

Child Care Availability * Quality Child Care * Special Needs Children’s Resources * Further Support Services for Ontario Works Families with Children
Financial Assistance * Child Care Community Partnerships * Frequently Asked Questions * Dictionary/Glossary of Terms * Contact Us * Home

---

Developed by:
Five Counties Children’s Centre and the City and County of Peterborough

All contents copyright ©  2003
All rights reserved

Revised: