Today’s children – Chatham-Kent’s future. That was the poignant and critical message being delivered by the Best Start Network of Chatham-Kent to members of the business community during the release of their 2009 Report to the Community.

At the event, Chatham-Kent business people were approached by children dressed as doctors, electricians, hockey players, engineers and business owners. The children declared, “When I grow up, I want to be…,” and went on to express their hopes for their future careers.

The children represented thousands of children across Chatham-Kent participating in a wide variety of early learning and care programs and made their presentations as part of the Best Start Network’s Report to the Community event, held on Tuesday March 31, at Club Lentina. The event was co-hosted by the Chatham-Kent Best Start Committee and the Chatham-Kent Chamber of Commerce.

Best Start is a community initiative that brings local government, business, service agencies, school boards, and agencies serving children 0 – 6 years together with parents to plan and deliver early learning and care services.

Intended to provide business and service clubs with an update on Best Start investments and achievements to date, the function was co-hosted by the Chamber to increase collaboration with business and service groups concerned about child development and interested in the role Best Start can play in future workforce development.

The event was held to increase awareness of the importance of investing in children early in life, highlighting the fact that the best return on investment occurs between the ages of 0 and 6. Notably, while 90% of the brain develops in the first 3 years of life, only 5% of public investments in children occur during these years.

Greetings were delivered from the Members of Provincial Parliament and the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services. Chatham-Kent Mayor Randy Hope urged the business community to build a more prosperous Chatham-Kent by investing in the talents of its children: “Best Start might be the best immunization strategy we have against poverty.

We know that building the infrastructure of a society is not just about roads, bridges and buildings… it includes a social infrastructure that supports the future productivity of our citizens and our business community. Investing in our children from the time of their birth is not only the right thing to do, it is an effective economic development strategy.”

“Best Start helps children to be ready and eager to achieve success in school by Grade 1,” added Lucy Brown, the Municipality of Chatham-Kent’s General Manager of Health and Family Services. “They become healthy, educated, confident and productive adults… and from an economic point of view, this is the ultimate workforce development plan.”

The Best Start initiative’s programs and services include:

• Licensed Child Care

• Developmental Screenings

• Early Learning Program for 2.5 – 4 year olds

• Ontario Early Years Programs

• Pre-school Speech & Language Program

• Infant Hearing & Blind-Low Vision Programs

• Occupational and Physiotherapy

• Recreation & Library Programs

• Child developmental & mental health services

• Junior & Senior Kindergarten

• Parent/caregiver educational workshops

Services are typically delivered from convenient and easily accessed locations throughout the municipality called Best Start Hubs. Hubs currently exist in Blenheim, Chatham, Dresden, Ridgetown, Thamesville, Tilbury, Pain Court, Wallaceburg and Wheatley.

Daryl Dawson, Chair of the Chatham-Kent Chamber of Commerce, concluded, “This community should be very proud of its accomplishments…and we are delighted to be here today forging new partnerships with the Best Start Network.

The event has served to increase awareness of ways in which the business community can support Best Start evolution and how Best Start efforts will continue to contribute to local workforce development. I urge business to look beyond immediate workforce needs and join in the growing movement to build a more prosperous Chatham-Kent by investing in its children now and into the future.”

For information about the Best Start program and/or a copy of the Best Start Report to the Community (2009), residents can telephone: 1-866-720-7975 or visit www.chatham-kent.ca