Best Start Network Meeting
Notes
February 13, 2014
UCDSB Office
1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Present:
Maxine Weber (co-chair), Harold Hess (co-chair), Marg Fancy (EKIOC), Jessica
DeChamp-Baird (UCLG), Linda Chadwick (L&G Libraries), Gillian Jackson (DSLG),
Susan Turnbull (CRCHC), Alexis Green (Health Unit), Beth Steele (YMCA), Dixie
O’Reilly (ICOP), Janice Deacon (The Learning Partnership), Kim Little (UCLG),
Donna Vanderkloet (BDACI), Jacqueline Hoogwerf (UCDSB), Roxanne Harrington
(UCDSB), Kathy Jordoin (MTJB Child CC), Cindy Goodfellow (Language Express),
Gwendy Lapp (Triple P-Health Unit), Lynda Earl (Recorder-Health Unit)
Regrets:
Shannon Brown (UCLG)
1.0
Welcome and Introductions (co-chairs)
2.0
Approval of Agenda – approved.
3.0
Actions Arising
a) Margaret will email link for feedback regarding Proposed Changes to Day Nurseries
Act Section 262. (Completed)
b) Shannon to inform the BSN of date for meeting held by CMSM to garner feedback
on DNA. (Completed)
c) Margaret to forward updated policy workgroup membership to group leads.
Completed)
4.0
Business Arising
a) Priority Areas and Guiding Principles - confirming our actions (priority workgroups)
 Service Integration – Review of Service Coordination Guidelines (Gillian)
 The workgroup has identified that the guidelines should be reviewed at Best
Start to keep them current.
 Gillian reviewed the guidelines.
 Look at where the barriers exist.
 HBHC is good at documentation and calling meetings.
 There is no service involved to do case management.
 Very time consuming; it is hard to do if you already have a busy job.
 Received grant to do the training, Jessica did develop some tools to using the
guidelines and what support they might need. It might be time to revisit this
with our agencies partners, what are the challenges, what is working okay.
Sending out reminders on our website and type in service coordination and
all the training modules, all the forms are located there.
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We may need to have a conversation to see what needs to be changed.
Survey has been developed and Jessica will put it into Survey Monkey.
Need to review the survey before Jessica puts it into Survey Monkey.
Feedback through Gillian before the survey goes out.

Transition to Kindergarten Update (Tom Jordan)
 Welcome to K will be posted on the website.
 Large group met in Kemptville on January 24th
 Small group met on January 24th to discuss West Leeds Pilot Project
expansion. Concerns about money, university and sustainability were
flagged.
 Have a “go forward” plan for the expansion of WTK into the summer.
 WTK training is happening on March 4th in the pm at CDSBEO Kemptville
office. Interested community partners are invited and encouraged to
attend this as well.
 UCDSB has generously offered to order through Learning to Play and
Playing to Learn booklets for families in both boards in L and G Look for
ideas around the best way to distribute. Perhaps through BSN rep at
WKS events.

Early Literacy (Linda Chadwick)
We received funding for 3 or 4 program resource bins to pilot among
selected libraries and/or service providers.
Through the Early Learning Specialist, 100 literacy kits for infants are being
prepared for distribution to at-risk families through selected L&G providers.
Cindy reported that they have done a pre-post survey with the agencies;
Gillian suggested that the survey should also be done with the libraries to see
how the bins are working.
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b) Parent Engagement – updated and next steps
Update under Coordinator’s Report.
Budget – approximate $2,000 is left to be distributed to the planning groups.
Marg will email out ahead of the next meeting, so that a final decision can be made.
c) Proposed Changes to Day Nurseries Act Section 262 – endorsement by BSN
Kim to email Marg to post on the website, and members can respond, yes or no, or if
they have any questions.
5.0
New Business
a) Welcome to Kindergarten – video and planning
Agencies can view the video with their staff that will be going out to the schools for
kindergarten registration. Video captures the parent contribution to the welcome to
kindergarten
Gillian reported that there are 5 schools still to confirm dates
As last year, we will be putting together resources that can be shared.
Document on learning partnership site – planning for welcome kindergarten – share
with agency staff; link for video; do a preliminary check in with principal
School principal should be setting you up at the event beside the snack table
Resources Triple P tear-off sheets/resources for children, learning to play booklet
will be at the community table to be handed out. Nippissing information is included
the Learning to Play book.
Alexis will check to see if the Health Unit has the Nippissing info cards. Alexis asked
how many cards would be need, and Gillian suggested approximately 800.
Alexis stated that the Nippissing info cards are available on the website,
http://www.endds.ca/
Discussion about the BSN brochure or the one page information sheet and the cost
associated with the brochure. When asked in the past the parents preferred the
information sheet to the brochure. The information sheets are on the BSN website
under tools, where to turn. The link is listed below.
http://everykid.on.ca/members/priorities-being-worked-on/best-start/startmeeting-notes-materials/
Marg would like a couple of members to review the information before the
information sheets are printed to be sure there are no changes. Kathy volunteered
to review the information. Marg will email Kathy the link.
Language Express
Cindy reported that the Baby Time Manual for Facilitators that was developed as
part of the Lanark County Baby Time Project last year has resources available on
their website, http://www.babytimelanark.ca/
Gillian suggested that if there are other resources about the community that can be
helpful to parents, should be included on the resource table.
It was suggested to have at least 800 copies of the resources, and we will assemble
the packages for each school at the next Best Start meeting. Have the resources
available for the next Best Start meeting in March.
b) Red Flags Document – Alexis
Alexis report that the Health Unit has someone assigned to do the revisions and we
that we can print the document internally.
Alexis asked that we would need to know how many hard copies are required.
Alexis would prefer to have people use the electronic version of the document
rather than printing as we can update the electronic version as required.
Dixie asked if the content information of the sections and the contact information
for contacting agencies are still accurate and is someone checking the information.
Alexis stated that if the content information requires revisions this will impact on the
printing timeline of the document.
6.0
Business Reports
a) Report from MCYS (Lesley Benderavage) no report.
b) Report from Ministry of Education (Nathalie Daoust) no report.
c) Coordinator’s Report
1) Read to Every Kid Every Day Committee (Margaret Williams)
1778 votes were cast this year (most votes ever!) with the winning book
announced on January 25th at the official closing at the new Elizabethtown-Kitley
Library. “Pete the Cat and His 4 Groovy Buttons” topped the polls. The closing
event was attended by 55 plus children, over 40 parents/caregivers, a number of
librarians from other libraries and 2 members of Elizabethtown-Kitley Council.
2) Parent Engagement Symposium and Next Steps - the January 15th symposium
in Frankville was attended by 63 LLG community parents, with 56 in attendance
in Kingston on January 14th. On January 28th representatives from each of the 4
regional tables met to review and discuss the summary report from each of the
sessions. Key components/guiding principles of a Parent Engagement
Framework were identified by each planning table. These will be collated by the
consultant and reviewed/refined by the 4 coordinators for presentation to our
planning tables. Final report is due in March. Funding runs out at the end of
March.
3) Triple P – Meeting January 29th (Claire Farella) –
Meeting notes can be assessed at the link below
http://everykid.on.ca/members/priorities-being-worked-on/every-age/triple-pwork-group/
There is an immediate need to find funding to support the continuation of the
role of Triple P Practitioner. The workgroup will have a draft budget ready for
March Lead Table meeting. The workgroup will form smaller priority
workgroups focused on actions related to specific goals of the Community Plan.
Claire, Tanis, Gwendy and Margaret will meet to discuss the structure and
mandate of these workgroups. Triple P ads will be appearing on local CTV
stations during winter Olympics.
4) Supporting First Nations Population, January 30th, 12 to 3 p.m., North Grenville
Municipal Complex
Nine Leeds-Grenville community partners attended this workshop, sponsored by
UCDSB. Participants were treated to a traditional lunch made by a caterer from
Akwesasne and experienced a workshop which highlighted key aspects of First
Nation traditions. Ewen McIntosh and staff explained the UCDSB approach to
Ministry of Education aboriginal self-identification policy, which focuses first of
all building cultural awareness and pride.
5) Meeting re: Transitions to Kindergarten Models – February 7th – A subgroup of
WTK committee met to discuss how to build on learnings from West Leeds Pilot
and other parent engagement initiatives. Tom Jordan and Val Allen discussed
the possibility of 2 half-day sessions in the summer to maximize capacity and
sustainability. There will be further discussion at the next WTK full meeting.
6) Meeting Dates
February 14th – Making Play Possible, 9:30 a.m., CMHLG
February 18th – Youth Service Providers, 2-3:30 p.m., EEC
February 19th – Triple P, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., Health Unit
February 19th – Webinar on Rural Transportation, 10 to 11:30 a.m.
February 19th – Healthy Kids Grant Workgroup, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., UCLG
February 24th – Meeting to discuss private group homes, 10 a.m. CAS
February 24th – 11 to 12 noon, Data Priority Workgroup, UCLG
February 25th – Developmental Screening Priority Workgroup, 9:30 to 11:30,
UCLG
February 26th – Teleconference with Renfrew BSN
February 28th – Read to Every Kid, 1:30 p.m. UCLG
February 28th – Coordinating and Planning Committee, 1:30 to 3 p.m., Health
Unit
March 5th – Lead Table, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., UCDSB
March 12th – Webinar Rural Transportation, 10 to 11:30 a.m.
March 13th – BSN Meeting, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., UCDSB
d) Report from French Language Network (Cathy Gladu)
e) Sub-committee Reports
i) ECE Recruitment and Retention (Kim) Next Meeting February 10 th
 Hoping to plan another ECE information night EEC in April
 Offers to present to college graduating classes have gone out
 Offers to present to high schools have gone out; one uptake so far
 Work group has prepared an annual plan of recurring activities, and looking
to transition this work to the Child Care Supervisors Network to carry on
forward with.
 Some providers do note they are seeing an increase in qualified candidates
seeking positions in child care.
ii) Special Needs Reference Group (Margaret V) no report – next meeting April, no
date has been set.
iii) West Leeds Transition to School (Margaret V)
Gananoque group meeting on March 28th
iv) Read to Every Kid (see coordinator’s report)
7.0
Roundtable Sharing – opportunities for collaboration
Triple P Positive Parenting Café Nights
Transportation issues from outside of the area. Gwendy will speak to Tanis with regards
to the transportation from outside the Brockville area.
Funding Guide Resources for young families – Dixie will leave with Marg.
8.0
Next Meeting – March 13, 2014, 1:30 p.m., UCDSB