Early Childhood Development | Healthy Child Manitoba

	Parent-Child Centred Approach
	FASD Strategy
	Healthy Baby
	Families First
	Triple P - Positive Parenting Program
	Healthy Schools
	Healthy Adolescent Development Strategy

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Early Childhood Development

Manitoba's Ongoing Commitment to Early Childhood Development

Manitoba's children deserve the best possible start in life. Recent research shows that children's early years are an important time in brain development and a key factor in determining success later in life. The Government of Manitoba is committed to supporting early childhood development. As a result, new and expanded early years programming has been introduced.

Components of Manitoba's Early Childhood Development Continuum

Pregnancy, Birth and Infancy

	Healthy Baby

	Launched in July 2001, the Healthy Baby Program supports mothers during pregnancy and the early years through financial assistance and nutrition education. The Healthy Baby Manitoba Prenatal Benefit assists income eligible pregnant women to meet their extra nutritional needs during pregnancy. Additional resources have been invested to expand the network of Healthy Baby Community Support Programs to provide practical information related to prenatal development, the benefits of breastfeeding and strategies to support the healthy physical, cognitive and emotional development of children.

	Families First

	Families First offers home visiting supports to eligible families with children, from pregnancy to school entry. Delivered across the province by community public health, home visitors support families in building a strong relationship with their child and family while sharing information and suggesting activities to ensure children’s physical health and safety; support parenting and secure attachment; promote healthy growth, development and learning; and build connections to community resources.

	FASD Prevention Strategy

	STOP FASD is a three-year mentoring program for women at risk of having a child with Fetal Alcohol spectrum Disorder (FASD). Other components of the FASD Prevention Strategy include Healthy Child Manitoba's collaboration with the Prairie Northern Pacific FASD Partnership and support to community organizations. HCM provides consultation regarding FAS prevention including supporting the Manitoba Liquor Control Commission in the design of a province-wide prevention campaign.

Parenting and Family Supports

	Triple P - Positive Parenting Program

	Triple P - Positive Parenting Program is a province-wide initiative that provides parents with access to parenting supports, information and strategies. Service providers from various sectors are being trained to offer the program.

	Manitoba Family Services and Housing - Children's Programs

	The Children's Special Services Program provides services and supports to birth, adoptive or extended families raising children with developmental and/or physical disabilities. The Children with Disabilities Program supports licensed child care facilities and homes to include children with disabilities.

	Manitoba Health - Early Childhood Health Promotion

	Manitoba Health and Healthy Living supports regional healthy authorities and community partners in providing maternal health, prenatal, newborn and early childhood services. Early childhood health promotion efforts emphasize prenatal and infant nutrition, physical activity promotion and injury prevention.

	Manitoba Family Services and Housing - National Child Benefit (NCB) Restoration

	The National Child Benefit (NCB), once deducted from provincial income assistance benefits, has been restored for all families. The NCB restoration was completed in stages between 2001 and 2004.

Early Childhood Development, Learning and Care

	Manitoba Family Services and Housing - Manitoba Child Care Program

	The Manitoba Child Care Program oversees the operation of licensed child care facilities in the province. It ensures high quality early learning and child care for children aged 3 months to 12 years.

	Manitoba Education Citizenship & Youth - ECD Initiative

	The Early Childhood Development Initiative (ECDI) of Manitoba Education Citizenship and Youth assists school divisions to provide pre-school services, such as family literacy, toy lending and health education.

Community Supports

	Parent-Child Centred Approach

	The Parent Child Centred approach brings together community strengths and resources within a geographic boundary through partnerships or coalitions of groups from different sectors. This approach promotes and supports community-based programs and activities for children and families, with a focus on positive parenting, nutrition and physical health, literacy and learning and community capacity. The parent child coalitions support existing activities and initiate new activities that reflect each community’s diversity and unique needs.

	Other Healthy Child Manitoba - ECD Initiatives

	In addition to the core ECD programs listed above, Healthy Child Manitoba (HCM) provides financial assistance to a number of community organizations supporting ECD activities. HCM also receives funding to conduct research and evaluation to determine the most effective approaches to ECD and to ensure that such information is shared with parents and community organizations.

Healthy Child Manitoba Office
219 - 114 Garry Street
Winnipeg, MB R3C 4V6
Phone: (204) 945-2266
Toll Free: 1-888-848-0140
Email: healthychild@gov.mb.ca