November 13, 2012
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Best Start Planning in Simcoe County
Child, Youth &
Family Services
Coalition
Simcoe County
Childcare
Committee
Secretariat
Infrastructure Table
Early
Intervention
Council
Raising the
Bar Advisory
Children's
Planning
Planning Table
.
Best Start
Network
Early
Identification
Enhancement
Committee
Best Start
Professional
Development
Committee
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Best Start Network Members 2012-2013
 Aboriginal Early Years - Tina Ohlman
 La Cl'e d'la Baie - Melissa Villella
 BANAC - Brenda Jackson, Pat Shaver
 SCCC Chair – Jackie Dubeau
 Barrie Public Library- Jane Salmon
 MCYS – Abigail Lim/ Liane Proulx
 SCS- Early Intervention- Kim Ing and Sue Neilon
 Metis Nation of Ontario - Mary Mackie
 Borden Resource Centre- Sherry Patey
 Ministry of Education - Ana Prokopich, Maria
 SEEDS Childcare-Enhancement- - Deb Bell
Saunders
 Centres de la petite enfance - Christine VanderByl
 RVH - Mary Riggin-Springstead
 Children's Aid Society - Lorraine Anderson
 SCDSB - Kathleen Corrigan, Sandy Clee
 College Boreal- Frederic Boulanger
 Simcoe-Grey Ont.Early Years - Sue Rawn/Tanya
 CAPC/CPNP- Lesley Watts-Robinson (Co-Chair)
Bedard DAC
 Conseil scolaire de district due Centre-Sud-Quest
 Simcoe-North OEYC - Angela Artelt-Evans
 County of Simcoe - Carol Ann Harkness
 SMCDSB – Tania Dawson
 County of Simcoe- Lora D’Ambrosio (Co-Chair)
 SMDHU - Peggy Govers
 Georgian College - Kath Gradwell
 YMCA of Simcoe Muskoka - Fiona Cascagnette
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Simcoe County Best Start Network Vision
Best Start is designed to give Simcoe County’s children
the best possible start in life and help them achieve
success in school.
The Best Start Network is dedicated to creating a
comprehensive integrated system of services that support
families with children from birth through the transition into
school.
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Major Accomplishments in the past year
Streamline and integrate services between agencies
• Best Start Child and Family Hub in Innisfil at Sunnybrae Elementary School
• Best Start Child and Family Hub Services in Penetanguishene to address
Francophone, Aboriginal and Anglophone needs (Virtual model, physical model,
outreach)
• Early Intervention Services in Simcoe County- Parent Handbook
• Early Intervention Services in Simcoe County- Web site for families seeking
information or on waitlists for special needs resourcing services in Simcoe County
• “We are Stronger Together” Annual Conference- Celebrating the Early Years
• Keynote for April 13, 2013- Margaret McCain- The Early Years Study
• “Change Management” November 30, 2012 for Early Intervention system
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Major Accomplishments…
Increase sensitivity and equality of service access for culturally diverse communities
• French Language Translation of resources supporting network agencies and Central East
Region
• Best Start Planning Funding to support FNMI activities and partnerships (Resources,
Language Conference, Committees, Training)
• Local Immigrant Partnerships Council participation and support
Encourage use of best practices, evidence-based approaches, and improved program
evaluation
• Community Integration Leader Grant awarded to Simcoe County $200,000 Supports
integration of child and family services. The project will focus on children with developmental
needs by expanding the capacity for early screening and enhancing transition to school by
building on the Single Plan of Care model of integrated services planning. (Early Intervention
Council, Children’s Treatment Network, Best Start Network)
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Major Accomplishments…
• Innovation Funding- $25,000 to BANAC- Continued roll out of the shared intake process that
will collect and share information from parents effectively across native service providers
• Innovation Funding- $20,000 to county of Simcoe- Development of a Community Map with
location and service boundary areas of community service providers on a publically
accessible website. (County GIS and Community Connections/211)
Connect to the health care and other relevant planning processes in the County
• Provincial Early Learning Program- Ministry of Education
• Working Together for Kids Mental Health
Improve services to more effectively meet basic needs
• Best Start Child and Family Hubs- Guidelines inclusive of meeting Basic Needs
• Bridges out of Poverty – Working with community partners
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Evaluation
• Benefits of Participating on the Best Start Network
• Early Child Development (ECD) Planning Funding- MCYS
Review from 2005 to date
• Early Learning Professional Development Survey 2012for Early Childhood Educators, Teachers and Community
partners
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For information about the Simcoe
County Best Start Network please
contact the Co-Chairs:
• Lora D’Ambrosio lora.dambrosio@simcoe.ca
• Lesley Watts
lwattsrobinson@catulpa.on.ca
www.simcoe.ca/dpt/ss/ccs/services/beststart/index.htm
www.simcoecountycoalition.ca/en/Sub_Pages/beststart.aspx
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