Best Start: Helping Young Children Get the Best Start in Life
We want the best for Ontario's babies and children. That means making sure they get the best possible start in life.
That's why we've launched Best Start. It's our plan for healthy development, early learning and child care during a child's first years. We want children in Ontario to be ready and eager to learn by the time they start Grade 1.
When fully implemented, Best Start will provide an integrated system of services that seamlessly support families with children from their birth right through their transition into Grade 1. These services include quality child care, public health and parenting programs, as well as newborn and infant screening programs, hearing programs and speech and language therapy programs to help identify supports for children who need extra attention for healthy early development.
Helping your preschooler develop language: Preschool Speech and Language Program
Do you think your child may have a problem with speech and language?
Don't "wait and see." If your child needs help it's never too early to get started. Call your local Preschool Speech and Language Program right away to find out if your child needs an assessment.
The goal of the Ontario Government's Preschool Speech and Language Initiative is to identify children who need help with learning language and to provide services across the province to help them. Children may receive services through this program from birth until October of the year they reach the age at which children start Senior Kindergarten.
There are 32 local Preschool Speech and Language Programs across Ontario. Each provides services through community agencies such as public health units, child development centres, hospitals and children's treatment centres. Services are often provided in community locations where parents and young children go, such as day care centres, community centres and public libraries.
The local agencies all work together to ensure that preschool children are given the best chance to reach their full communication potential. To make the system easy to use there is a toll free phone number in each area.
The Importance of Language
Language is important because we use it to communicate with other people, to read and write and to learn. Without language a person cannot talk to others, cannot understand what they say and cannot learn successfully. Children with language disorders are at risk for learning difficulties and for psychosocial and behavioural problems.
Normal Language Development
Language development begins at birth with a baby's earliest communication with parents. Newborn babies learn to respond to facial expressions, gestures, touch, sounds and words. At first, babies cry to communicate their needs. But during the first few months they learn other ways to get messages across, such as using sounds and gestures. This nonverbal communication is the foundation upon which language develops.
It's Never Too Early
It is never too early to expose your baby to language. Talk and sing to your baby as much as possible during feeding, bathing, changing and play. Look at books together, sing songs, make up rhymes and do finger plays. These are all important for language development and will help your child learn to read when he or she is older.
Over 10 per cent of preschool children in Ontario have speech and language disorders. Early identification is important for these children, because they can be helped.
Research has shown that early development of language is important for success at school -- for understanding the teacher and for learning to read, write and do mathematics. Language is also important for social development.
If you think your child may have a problem with speech and language don't wait. Contact your local Preschool Speech and Language Program right away. It's never too early to identify a problem and start getting help for your child.
See also:
For More Information
Call the INFOline at 1-800-268-1154
(Toll-free in Ontario only)
In Toronto, call 416-314-5518
TTY 1-800-387-5559
Hours of operation: 8:30am - 5:00pm
E-mail: infoline@moh.gov.on.ca
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