Best Start Overview

Best Start is a prevention and early intervention project that aims to improve the health, development, learning and wellbeing of all Victorian children from pregnancy through transition to school (usually taken to be eight years of age). This will be achieved by supporting communities, parents (including family and other primary carers) and service providers to improve universal early years services so that they are more responsive to local needs. It is anticipated that these improvements will result in:

• better access to child and family support, health services and early education
• an improvement in parent's capacity, confidence and enjoyment of family life
• communities that are more child and family friendly

Best Start is based on the principles of reducing the impact of disadvantage (from any cause) and enhancing the life chances of all children by strengthening the universal, preventative system and making it more robust and effective. Active local community involvement in the design, use and evaluation of these services underpins the project.

Ballarat Best Start works in partnership with a variety of agencies and parents in all aspects of its work, and actively encourages new people to become involved. Some of the Best Start projects include:

• promoting pre-school
• promoting breastfeeding
• early years literacy
• developing information packs
• oral health
• pram walking
• health surveys
• data collection
• playgroup development

A new plan is currently being developed and is expected to be completed by January 2007. Download the Best Start Action Plan 2004 for a copy of the current plan.

Contact Details

To find out more please contact Merran Fleming by phone 03 5320 5773 or email merranfleming@ballarat.vic.gov.au, or visit www.beststart.vic.gov.au.