Best Start Local Plan for Kent
Our Best Start Local Plan sets out our approach to improve outcomes for babies, children and families from pregnancy through to school age. It reflects our ambition to make sure every child, regardless of background or circumstance, has the foundations they need to thrive, be ready to start Reception and be ready for learning.
The early years, particularly the first 1,001 days, are a critical period for children’s development, with long term implications for health, learning, emotional wellbeing and life chances.
The plan aligns with the Government’s Best Start in Life Strategy and statutory Good Level of Development (GLD) targets. It recognises that improving early outcomes requires coordinated action across health, education, childcare, family support and community services.
We will deliver our Best Start ambitions through our Best Start Family Hubs, which act as the central delivery mechanism for the plan. Family Hubs provide a single, welcoming point of access where health, education, childcare and community services work together to support families from pregnancy through to age five (and up to 19 years, or 25 years for young people with SEND), helping families receive the right support at the right time.
The Best Start Local Plan focuses on 3 interconnected priorities, which are to:
- raise ambition and reduce inequality by improving readiness to start Reception and narrowing attainment gaps, particularly for children facing disadvantage
- enable curiosity, communication and learning by strengthening early language, play and home learning environments
- build family resilience and wellbeing by supporting parental mental health, infant feeding, parent–infant relationships and community connection.
This plan provides a shared framework for improving outcomes, strengthening system working and narrowing inequalities across Kent. We developed this plan across:
- early years
- education
- health services
- children's services.