Council pushing best start for kids

GIVING children a great start to life will improve their chances of success in the future.
That’s the philosophy behind an initiative driven by the State Government and being delivered by the City of Greater Dandenong.
Called Best Start, the council’s adoption will mean it will focus on developing and improving services for children up to the age of eight years.
Greater Dandenong mayor Youhorn Chea said in a statement that the key to developing local solutions to local issues was for the council, community, and service providers to work together.
“The Best Start approach is to strengthen the local capacity of parents, families, communities and early years services through partnership and collaboration to better provide for the needs of all young children and their families,” Cr Chea said.
“Best Start supports families, care-givers and communities to provide the best possible environment, experiences and care for young children in the important formative years of their lives. It is during this time that skills affecting learning, behaviour and health throughout life are developed.
“To produce better outcomes for children and families, we need an integrated system of services that can respond to the emerging needs of children and families in local community settings. Best Start works to achieve this goal.”
For more information on the program, visit www.beststart.vic.gov.au or phone the council’s Best Start community facilitator Jan McCaffrey on 9767 0816.