Who We Are 

Public Health Early Years is comprised of Registered Nurses and a team of allied health professionals who offer a range of services and supports for clients and families during the prenatal, postnatal and early childhood periods. Early Years works with families and the broader community to develop a support plan tailored to their unique needs, using a health equity approach. In doing so, we ensure families have access to the appropriate Public Health services, as well as support offered by other health care and community partners.  

What We Do 

Public Health uses a screening tool with all families to determine the level of support they may need. For families whose screening results indicate a need for support, the Public Health Nurse develops a plan in collaboration with the family. This client-centered approach provides the family an opportunity to communicate their needs, and the level and frequency of support they prefer.  

Types of support may include in-person visits at home or in community settings, or telephone and virtual calls for issues related to infant feeding, adjustment to parenting, healthy child development, facilitating connections to community and social supports. Families who are eligible may also be enrolled in the Enhanced Home Visiting Program, where Community Home Visitors and Public Health Nurses provide support over several in-home visits up to the child’s third birthday (can start pre or postnatally).

Eastern Zone is now accepting referrals for the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP), which pairs a Public Health Nurse with a family who could benefit from additional support due to overlapping challenges they are facing. You can learn more about this program and how to refer on this webpage.

How to Refer to Early Years 

Health care providers and community partners are encouraged to refer families to Public Health, to ensure families are connected with Public Health as soon as possible, ideally prenatally.  For the Nurse-Family Partnership program, prenatal referrals are required.

Through this referral, you are helping to create a consistent health care touchpoint for a family whose questions or concerns can be answered by a Public Health Nurse or another allied health professional. This helps streamline our health care system, reduces pressures on your practice, and improves patient access to the right resources, at the right time. 

To refer patients to Early Years, download the Public Health Early Years Client Referral Form and send the completed version to the Early Years contact in your zone. Families can also self-refer by calling Public Health. A provincial online referral form is being developed and will be shared on this page when it is available.

Refer to Early Years for: 

• Prenatal information and support  

• Curriculum-based Enhanced Home Visiting program, delivered by Community Home Visitors (prenatal to age 3)   

• Healthy development and parenting support 

• Positive parent-child interaction guidance 

• Feeding, lactation and nutritional support 

• Maternal mental health support 

• Connection to mental health resources 

• Connection to community resources and programs 

• Information and support regarding infant and childhood Immunization  

• Nurse-Family Partnership in Eastern Zone

Check the zone-based Early Years poster in the section below for service details.