Early Years Services

Early Years Community Plan

Contact Us

For additional information contact

Daniel Ridsdale
Senior Project Manager, Community Strategies
Call 289-556-7650
Email [email protected]

Hamilton’s Early Years Community Plan Update (2023)(PDF, 2.36 MB) is a multi-year plan designed to move our local Early Years System towards integration, transformation and seamless transitions for children and their families from birth to young adulthood. Together with Hamilton’s Early Years Community Plan 2023 Environmental Scan(PDF, 3.65 MB), the plan, developed with input from Hamilton’s early years community and system partners, provides a snapshot of Hamilton’s children and families, current early years services and programs, and challenges faced locally affecting children, families and the Early Years System.

Building off the success of Hamilton’s Early Years Community Plan 2016-2020(PDF, 1.06 MB) Hamilton’s Early Years Community Plan acts as a local roadmap, outlining five emerging priority areas and focal activities for Hamilton’s Early Years System over the next four years, including:

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (EDIB) and Access and Inclusion: A strategy to ensure children and families are reflected in and best supported in Hamilton’s the Early Years System.
HR Workforce: A local commitment and strategy to continue to grow, attract, retain and enhance a high-quality, diverse early years workforce.
Child care accessibility, affordability and expansion: The full implementation of the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care agreement in Hamilton.
Middle years system and supports: Work with community partners to explore the best way to support children in their middle years, ages 6-12 years, and improve coordination across all sectors serving this age demographic.
System-wide coordination and partnerships: Increase coordination and collaboration with community partners to ensure seamless service experiences for local children and families.

As we work to implement the Early Years Community Plan, we look forward to the continued support and commitment from our early years community and system partners to ensure progress and ongoing success of this plan and the system.

Early Years Community Plans & Reports

Early Years Community Plan 2024 Community Sessions - Report (PDF, 1.56 MB)Early Years Community Plan 2024 Community Sessions - Executive Summary (PDF, 102.23 KB)Early Years Community Plan - Update March 2023 (PDF, 64.22 KB)Early Years Community Plan - Update - March 2022 (PDF, 125.61 KB)Early Years Community Plan 2016-2020 (PDF, 1.21 MB)Early Years Community Plan 2012-2015 (PDF, 1.21 MB)

Hamilton’s Parent Charters of Rights

Pathway to Connect for the Early Years

Financial Supports Catalogue

The Charters are not only about supporting the City of Hamilton’s vision to be the best place to raise a child and age successfully, but also about making Hamilton the best place to be a child.

Learn more about Hamilton’s Charters of Rights of Children and Youth

Hamilton Parent Charter of Rights

The Hamilton Early Years system is about supporting parents and families to provide children with the best possible opportunities early in their lives. Parents are the first, most important and most lasting teachers in a child’s life.

In 2010, a Hamilton Parent Charter of Rights was created. The Charter:

sets out shared principles and beliefs for providers to guide them around planning and delivering services that make parents feel valued, respected, and supported in their roles at each stage of their children’s lives
reflects the voice of the community, developed through extensive public consultation and feedback
provides a strong foundation for the future of families, service providers, and organizations that serve parents in Hamilton

Hamilton Parent Charter - English/French (PDF, 1.28 MB)Hamilton Parent Charter - Spanish (PDF, 329.63 KB)Hamilton Parent Charter - Chinese (PDF, 460.86 KB)Hamilton Parent Charter - Arabic (PDF, 1.16 MB)

Hamilton Charter of Rights of Children and Youth

The Hamilton Early Years system supports the belief that all children and youth have rights. The Hamilton Charter of Rights of Children and Youth was created with the input of over 2000 children and youth from Hamilton, in their words, through extensive community engagement. Participatory responsibilities were added to open conversations between adults and children.

The Charter was released in 2015. A tour of the children’s artwork and celebrations of the charter occurred throughout the City of Hamilton with the hope of engaging the community in discussions about rights and building awareness.

The Charter is not only about making Hamilton the best place to raise a child, but also about making Hamilton the best place to be a child

Hamilton Children and Youth Charter Booklet (PDF, 35.81 MB)Charte des Droits des Enfants et des Jeunes de Hamilton Brochure (PDF, 35.85 MB)Hamilton Children and Youth Charter Poster (PDF, 3.84 MB)Charte des Droits des Enfants et des Jeunes de Hamilton Affiche (PDF, 3.88 MB)

Key access points to services for families and their children.

The Pathway to Connect(PDF, 1.03 MB) showcases key access points to services for families and their children. The pathway provides information on both universal and specialized services.

Financial resources available to help low-income families

The Basic Needs Financial Supports Catalogue(PDF, 4.57 MB) offers a variety of information about benefits, tax credits and programs which provide some form of financial assistance to those who need it.

Intended to provide a collection of financial resources to help low-income families access and apply for local, provincial and federal income support, this catalogue enables families to take advantage of programs that have been established to be a great benefit to them.

Date modified

May 01, 2025