Today's Children...Lambton's Future

Best Start is a community initiative that brings local government, school boards, and community agencies serving families with children 0 to 6 years of age together with parents to plan and deliver enhanced early learning and child care services.

Best Start supports families with children from birth through their transition into Grade 1, putting them in touch with the services they need.  Services include:

• Healthy Babies Healthy Children
• Newborn and infant screening
• Infant hearing programs
• Preschool speech and language services
• Added licensed child care spaces Public health programs and parent education
• Nutrition and breakfast programs
• Ontario Early Years and literacy programs
• Post partum mood disorder resources from County of Lambton Community Health Services Department and St. Clair Child & Youth Services
• Early Learning Program
• Best Start Hubs
• Before & After School Programs

Best Start Hubs 
Best Start services are delivered from convenient and easily accessed locations across Lambton County in Early Learning and Care Hubs.  Local hubs are located primarily in select elementary schools and they offer a single integrated, seamless point of access to services and supports based on local needs and available resources.  Hubs offer a range of core programs to enhance the healthy early development of children.  They also offer transportation supports to families who require help getting to hubs to use their services.

Preschool Early Learning Program (PELP)
The Preschool Early Learning Program (PELP) helps prepare young children for school.  Children living in Lambton County who are 31 months to 4 years of age and are not yet eligible to enter junior kindergarten can access PELP.  Children can participate in up to 12.5 hours of free programming delivered by licensed child care operators weekly.  Through play, children work on acquiring age appropriate school readiness skills.  The PELP is available ten months of the year from September to June.  The program is also available in French.

Parents who want additional time at the child care centre, can pay based on the child care operator’s rate.  Financial help may be available.

More Licensed Child Care Spaces
To date, 821 new licensed child care spaces for children 0 to 6 have opened throughout Lambton County.  To ensure child care is more accessible for families, the majority of these new child care spaces are located in elementary schools. These optimally located child care spaces provide quality care for children in a variety of age groups including junior and senior kindergarten aged children when they are not attending school.

Contact the Children’s Services Department or visit www.ourbeststart.ca for more information about:

• Where to find a child care space
• Where to register your child for the PELP program
• The closest Best Start Hub

Children's Services Department
150 North Christina Street
Sarnia, ON N7T 8H3
Telephone:  519 344-2062  ext. 2343 / 2338
Toll-free:  1-800-387-2882 ext. 2343 / 2338
Fax:  519 344-2023
beststart@county-lambton.on.ca