Who We Are 

Early Years is a Public Health program offered by Nova Scotia Health, which provides services for pregnant people and families with young children. They are a multidisciplinary team of professionals, including Public Health Nurses, Community Home Visitors, infant feeding support and other experienced and compassionate allied health professionals.

What We Do 

Public Health Nurses connect with families either prenatally or when they welcome a new baby. Through screening and discussion, families are offered services based on the type of support they need and participate in building a plan that works for them. This client-centered approach provides the family an opportunity to communicate their needs, and the level and frequency of support they prefer.  

Early Years stream of services includes three foundational programs designed to ensure anyone who is pregnant or raising a child will have access to the right service for their needs. Some services vary by zone; check out our Early Years Toolkit for Providers to find out what’s available in your region.

You can find a more in-depth look at how our services are distinct and collaborative in this document.

How to Refer to Early Years

Healthcare providers are encouraged to refer anyone who is pregnant or families with young children to Early Years. Prenatal referral is recommended as early as possible — ideally before 16 weeks of pregnancy — however, referrals are accepted at any point during pregnancy or after a baby is born.

Public Health Early Years now offers a new electronic referral option for providers. The Early Years referral is available in Med Access and Accuro, reducing administrative burden and helping clients connect with Early Years services at the right time.

If you are accessing the forms using these systems, they will show up as the following:

• Med Access: Public Health Early Years - NSHA (NS)
• Accuro: NS - Public Health Early Years Client Referral Form

Providers who do not have access to the EMR referral can continue to use the Early Years Client Referral Form. Families may also self-refer by calling Public Health directly. Referrals are supported by Public Health Nurses, who assess and work with clients to determine the best service for their needs.

Through this referral, you are helping to create a consistent health care touchpoint for a family whose questions or concerns can be answered and supported by a member of the Early Years multidisciplinary team. This helps streamline our healthcare system, reduces pressures on your practice, and improves patient access to the right resources, at the right time. 

Healthy Beginnings

Healthy Beginnings often serves as a family’s first touchpoint with Early Years. Public Health Nurses meet one-on-one with families to find out which Early Years service would best suit their needs. They continue to support families during pregnancy and after the baby is born.

Public Health Nurses can offer support and guidance on issues like:

• Infant feeding
• Mental health
• Parent-child relationships
• Growth and development
• Immunizations
• Nutrition
• Sleep
• Social supports, and more

Nurses work together with multidisciplinary colleagues and community organizations to ensure people have access to the best information and services to meet their needs.

Learn more: www.nshealth.ca/Healthy-Beginnings

Enhanced Home Visiting

Enhanced Home Visiting is a long-standing, family-focused home visiting program. Trained professionals called Community Home Visitors follow an evidence-based curriculum to support parenting skills and child development, help clients identify and meet goals, and explore and build upon their strengths.

Community Home Visitors can provide guidance on:

• Parent-child relationships
• Child growth and development
• Social supports, and more

Community Home Visitors work with multidisciplinary colleagues in Healthy Beginnings to support families’ unique needs. Support can start during pregnancy and continue for up to three years after a baby is born.

Learn more: www.nshealth.ca/Enhanced-Home-Visiting

Nurse-Family Partnership

Nurse-Family Partnership is an evidence-based, family-centered, responsive home visiting program that pairs a specially trained Public Health Nurse with a person who is pregnant and would benefit from additional support. The partnership starts as early as possible in pregnancy, no later than 28 weeks, and lasts until the child’s second birthday.

Providers can learn more about the Nurse-Family Partnership at https://physicians.nshealth.ca/NFP. This page has information that is important for providers to know, including program benefits, and referral details.

Information tailored for clients and patients can be found at www.nshealth.ca/NFP.