Peel Best Start Network
Ontario’s Vision for Children
An Ontario where children and youth have the best opportunity to succeed and reach their full potential.
The Peel Best Start Network was formed in 2005 to make the vision of seamless and integrated services a reality for families in Peel.
Short-term goals:
- Increase licensed early learning and child care spaces and subsidies.
- Increase quality of early learning and child care by supplementing Early Childhood Educators’ wages.
- Expand child care in schools.
- Increase resources for children with special needs.
Long-term goals:
- Combine preschool, junior kindergarten and senior kindergarten with quality early learning and care and family support services.
- Make supports and services easily available at centrally located early learning and care hubs.
- Provide early identification of developmental delays, infant hearing problems, speech and language concerns and mental health risks in young children through ongoing screening and assessment.
- Connect families to various supports and services like parenting programs, literacy programs and public health programs.
- Link early learning and care hubs with Ontario Early Year Centres.
- Offer mobile early learning hub in rural communities and underserved areas.
- Engage parents in their child’s early learning and development.
Accomplishments
- Increased the number of licensed early learning and child care spaces
- Increased quality of early learning and child care by investing in Early Childhood Educators’ wages to attract and retain staff.
- Increased resources for young children with special needs.
- Created a neighbourhood program in partnership with Brampton Neighbourhood Resource Centre and other community partners at St. John Fisher School to support families with children under six years of age.
- Established Peel Aboriginal Steering Committee and Peel Francophone Steering Committee to plan services for Peel's Aboriginal and Francophone children and families.
- Established an Integrated Programming Committee to plan all aspects of integration.
- Integrated early learning and care with schools by establishing seven child care centres.
Best Start Network Terms of Reference
Best Start Network Members
Revised:
Monday November 16 2009
