InfoPEIHOME / HEALTH / FAMILY, PARENTING AND SUPPORT / Building on Success: Best Start Program Where can I find information about the Building on Success: Best Start Program?All children deserve the best possible start in life. The "Building on Success: Best Start Program," sponsored by C.H.A.N.C.E.S. (Caring, Helping, And Nurturing Children Every Step), is helping to ensure that children and their families on Prince Edward Island are given the support and resources they need to start off on the right foot. The "Building on Success: Best Start Program" seeks to maximize the development of young children and their parents, in order to increase the children's opportunities for success later in life. It fosters the development of protective factors such as positive family support, access to information on effective parenting, training and employment options, referral to existing programs and services, and strengthening the network of support around the infant and parents. The program offers integrated universal early screening and assessment in partnership with Public Health Nursing. Nurses trained for "Best Start" screen every newborn infant and their families, and those who are determined to have challenges are subsequently referred to the in-home visiting component of the program. Home visits provide an opportunity to work with families in their own environment, enabling the worker to learn first-hand about the life conditions of the parent(s) and children and to respond to them effectively and appropriately. Ensuring that parents have accurate information and develop appropriate skills is essential to promoting healthy growth and development. The "Building on Success: Best Start Program" works in partnership with federal and provincial government and community-based organizations to effectively incorporate the program into becoming a key component in a network of support for families on PEI. The National Crime Prevention Strategy The "National Crime Prevention Strategy" supports innovative community-based solutions to promoting safer communities with initiatives that range from efforts to foster the development of healthy children and families to promoting safer school environments by addressing factors that may prevent them, such as school problems, poor social skills, and substance abuse. Prince Edward Island Healthy Child Development Strategy The purpose of the "PEI Healthy Child Development Strategy" is to improve outcomes for Island children from the prenatal period to eight years of age. The Strategy advocates government and community partnerships to improve child health and well-being based on established indicators, using a community development approach. Contact Charlottetown | ||||||
