The program offers province-wide intensive screening, assessment and in-home support targeting children from birth to three years of age and their parents. The program aims, among other things, to help mothers and fathers to parent effectively and interact with their children in a positive way, increasing the likelihood of healthy child development.

"As a province, we have made a strong commitment to children through our provincial Healthy Child Development Strategy which supports children and families, particularly during those important early years," said Premier Binns. "Through the new investments we are announcing today in screening, assessment and early intervention services, Island families who can benefit from additional supports will be much better able to give their children a good start in life."

"I am delighted that the National Crime Prevention Strategy is helping to build projects like this," Minister Easter added. "The Best Start program is a seed that was planted and nurtured through federal, provincial and community partnerships. With results so positive, the idea has successfully grown into a program for all Islanders. And it's clear evidence that the Government of Canada is committed to individuals and entire communities coming together to build a healthier, happier society."

Funding for this program is being provided by the Government of PEI who will invest $2.3 million to expand the Building on Success: Best Start Program to all areas of the province over the next four years, and the Government of Canada's National Crime Prevention Strategy's Crime Prevention Investment Fund.

The Best Start Program was launched in December 1998 as a partnership between CHANCES Inc. Family Resource Centre and the Government of Canada. With similar initiatives in Edmonton, Alberta, and Kwanlin Dun First Nation, Yukon, the CHANCES project was a three-year pilot designed to test an early intervention and home visitation model.

The Government of PEI and the National Crime Prevention Strategy will support the CHANCES Inc. Family Resource Centre to operate the program, which has been piloted successfully in the Queens Health Region. Parents who participated in the pilot project indicate that through in-home visits by public health nurses and Best Start workers, they have a better understanding of their child's development and they have a better relationship with their child.

The Best Start program will continue to be a key component of the PEI Healthy Child Development Strategy, recognizing that early intervention programs have shown excellent results in improving children's readiness to learn, behaviour and health, and reduce the need for child protection interventions.

The National Crime Prevention Strategy is administered by the Solicitor General of Canada and the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, the Honourable Martin Cauchon. The strategy takes an early-intervention approach to building safer communities by dealing with the factors that place Canadians, especially young Canadians, at risk. The National Strategy has identified children, youth, Aboriginal communities and women's personal security as its four principle priorities.

In July of 2001, the Government of Canada announced the investment of a further $145 million over four years, in addition to the $32 million per year the strategy already receives.

Since its launch in 1998, the strategy has supported more than 2,600 projects in over 600 communities across the country. For more information, please consult the attached backgrounder or visit www.prevention.gc.ca or www.gov.pe.ca.

Funding for all of these projects were provided for in the December 2001 budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework.

BACKGROUNDER

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.

For more information on the National Strategy and the PEI Healthy Child Development Strategy, please visit: http://www.prevention.gc.ca or http://www.gov.pe.ca