Alpha Letter
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2 Carlton Street, Suite 1306 Toronto, Ontario M5B 1J3 Tel: (416) 595-0006 Fax: (416) 595-0030 E-mail: [email protected] Hon. Laurel Broten 11/07/2012 Minister of Education nd alPHa’s members are 22 Floor, Mowat Block the public health units 900 Bay Street in Ontario. Toronto, Ontario M7A 1L2 alPHa Sections: Dear Minister Broten, Boards of Health Re. Modern izing Child Care in Ontario Section Council of Ontario On behalf of member Medical Officers of Health, Boards of Health and Affiliate organizations Medical Officers of of the Association of Local Public Health Agencies (alPHa) I am writing to congratulate the Health (COMOH) government of Ontario for taking the next step in creating a comprehensive, continuous and integrated system for ensuring the best start for Ontario’s children. Affiliate Organizations: With the release of the discussion paper, Modernizing Child Care in Ontario, we have no doubt ANDSOOHA - Public that you will receive excellent advice from the sector and from families on the best approach Health Nursing to improving funding and accountability for an affordable, accessible and high quality child Management care system in our province. Association of Ontario Public Health Business Although the questions contained in the paper do not call upon our particular expertise as Administrators public health professionals, we do know the value of any initiative aimed at improving early Association of learning and care. The Ontario Public Health Standards make it very clear that children’s Public Health earliest experiences, growth and development are critically important factors in health later in Epidemiologists in Ontario life, which are in part dependent on reaching accepted milestones in their ability to learn, understand and communicate. I have attached alPHa’s Resolution, Public Health Supporting Association of Supervisors of Public Early Learning and Care to demonstrate our commitment. Health Inspectors of Ontario Improving our child care system will be a key component of the systemic change that is called Health Promotion for to serve the province’s goal of enabling all children to attain and sustain optimal health Ontario and developmental potential. It will in turn contribute to the transformative social and economic effects of positive impacts on health, behavior, and opportunity throughout the Ontario Association of Public Health Dentistry lifespan and across the population. Ontario Society of We are eager to learn more about your Government’s plans to respond to the feedback you Nutrition Professionals in Public Health receive, and look forward to providing our input where it is needed, as we strongly believe that returns on our investment into a high-quality early years system for our children will be considerable. www.alphaweb.org Providing Leadership in Public Health Management It is “with our best future in mind” that we offer our support and assistance in establishing and building upon a strong foundation for the early years in Ontario that will become a respected and inspirational model for others to follow. Sincerely, Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, President Copy: Hon. Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario Dr. Arlene King, Chief Medical Officer of Health (Ontario) Encl. alPHa RESOLUTION A11-8 TITLE: Public Health Supporting Early Learning and Care SPONSOR: alPHa Board of Directors WHEREAS the report “With our Best Future in Mind” (Charles E. Pascal, 2009) has been provided to the Premier of Ontario and provides recommendations on early childhood development in Ontario; and WHEREAS supporting families and healthy early childhood development is a core part of the mandate of public health; and WHEREAS public health work is driven by the population health approach; and WHEREAS the evidence supports investing in early childhood development as a strategy to enable health and resilience throughout life; and WHEREAS high quality early childhood interventions are extremely cost effective with significant societal returns on investment; and WHEREAS achieving a politically sustainable system to support early childhood development will require support from decision-makers and the general public across the political spectrum; and WHEREAS local public health has a unique role in early childhood development as a community agency that can take early learning and development beyond the walls of centres to reach the most vulnerable children and their families in their preferred setting; and WHEREAS both local and provincial public health agencies have a key role to play in guiding the overall approach to supporting early childhood development; and WHEREAS a comprehensive approach to early childhood development needs to include core services for all children and families, locally adapted services to address community context and intensive services to address the individual needs of the most vulnerable children and families; and WHEREAS local and provincial public health agencies should continue to work with partners to clearly define better outcome measures and disseminate information about progress toward early childhood development goals more broadly; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that alPHa will actively engage in advocacy to strengthen public health programs to support families and healthy early childhood development; AND FURTHER that alPHa will forward this resolution to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Ministry of Children and Youth Services, Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport, Ministry of Education, the Chief Medical Officer of Health and the Early Learning Advisor and in addition alPHa encourages all member agencies to transfer knowledge and information to decision-makers and the general public about the value of supporting early childhood development and the importance of adequate investment in early childhood development; alPHa Resolution A11-8 continued AND FURTHER that alPHa and both local and provincial public health agencies should work with partners to more clearly define, better measure and more broadly disseminate information about progress toward early childhood goals; AND FURTHER that alPHa will advocate for the inclusion of early childhood development in political platforms; AND FURTHER that alPHa commits to helping health units to share examples of best practices, useful approaches for local integration and examples of achieving seamless and integrated services. ACTION FROM CONFERENCE: Resolution CARRIED AS AMENDED .