Early Years Programs & Services

EarlyON Child and Family Centres provide opportunities for children from birth to 6 years of age to participate in play and inquiry-based programs, and support parents and caregivers in their roles. These centres offer safe and welcoming environments open to all families across Hamilton, with qualified professionals and quality programs. Families and caregivers can find support, advice, make personal connections and access a network of resources at these centres.

View a map and listing of EarlyON Child and Family Centres in Hamilton

Many parents have questions about how their child is developing. In the past, Check It Out Drop Ins provided families with opportunities to drop in and speak with clinicians regarding their child’s growth and development.

During COVID, Check It Out Drop Ins were paused and underwent a review.  The findings indicated that these supports to families continue to be offered but in a different way.

As a result, a pilot program “Ask the SLP and RC” is taking place at four EarlyON sites across Hamilton. The pilot offers families with children ages 0-6 access to speech and language and resource consultant professionals and is running from September to December on the third Thursday morning of each month.

Drop in with your child (ages 0 to 6) and talk to a Speech and Language Pathologist and/or Resource Consultant for free.  No pre-registration required.

• September 15 St. David EarlyON, 9 to 11 am
• October 20 Ellis EarlyON, 9 to 11 am
• November 17 Helen Detweiler EarlyON, 9:30 to 11:30 am
• December 15 Queen Street EarlyON, 9 to 11 am

Feedback will be gathered to help inform the evaluation of the pilot in the coming months.  More information and additional session dates will be shared when available.

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.

Hamilton Parent Charter of Rights

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 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.

Guidebook to the New Parent & Family Engagement Framework

In May 2011, after extensive consultation, the Parent & Family Engagement Committee released Hamilton’s Parent Charter, enumerating the rights that parents should expect to have respected in their dealings with service providers and with all organizations that they come in contact with. The Vision and the Charter set out our values. But what should those look like in practice? That is the purpose of the Parent & Family Engagement Framework.