Parenting Programs and Supports

HaltonParents provides information and resources on pregnancy and parenting, including access to Public Health Nurses (PHNs) and Dietitians. Connect with HaltonParents.

Healthy Babies, Healthy Children (HBHC) is a voluntary and free home visiting program designed to give children the best start in life by providing parents with health information and support.

The HBHC program provides home visits by public health nurses and family visitors to expectant parents and parents with children birth to start of school, who need more support.

HBHC goals:

• Promote healthy child growth and development
• Strengthen relationships between parent and child
• Ensure families living in difficult or stressful situations get the support and services they need

Home visits help you learn about:

• Having a healthy pregnancy and birth
• Connecting with your baby and child
• How children grow and develop and what you can do to help
• Breastfeeding, food and healthy nutrition
• Taking good care of yourself and your family
• Other services available to you and your child

When you are pregnant:

• You will be offered information and support for a healthy pregnancy and birth.
• This will help you learn about how your baby grows and develops and help prepare you for your baby’s arrival.

After your baby is born:

• Hospital staff or your midwife will talk to you about HBHC.
• A Public health nurse is available to speak to you about your parenting needs.
• Home visits may be offered as extra support.

As your child grows:

• There is a lot to learn as your child grows and develops.
• The HBHC team can help you enjoy these important years.
• The HBHC program is designed to support you until your child(ren) transition to school.

For more information, connect with a HaltonParents public health nurse by calling 311. You can also visit the Ministry of Children and Youth Services for more details.

A free online program designed to help expecting parents prepare for labour and birth, breastfeeding and the transition to parenthood. Includes audio, video, printable pages, games and puzzles. Work through the 4 chapters at your own pace!

Do you want to learn how to improve your health and the health of your baby? Halton's Prenatal Nutrition Program (HPNP) is free and runs year round. Come out weekly and enjoy a healthy meal in a friendly environment, surrounded by other pregnant and new parents looking to learn and meet new friends.

The Halton Breastfeeding Connection is a volunteer program that provides free mother to-mother telephone support for expectant and breastfeeding mothers.

Visit an Adjusting to Parenthood (A2P) group if you are:

• A parent of a child under the age of two years
• Surprised about how you are feeling now that you are a parent
• Struggling with being exhausted, overwhelmed or unsure of how to relate to your baby or child

Attend the Nobody's Perfect Parenting Program if you are a parent of a child under 6 years of age and would you like to get support and information on:

• Why kids act the way they do
• Positive discipline
• How to keep your kids safe and healthy
• How to feel good about yourself and your kids

The Triple P parenting support program helps parents:

• Create a stable, supportive, nurturing family environment
• Teach their children the skills they need to get along with others
• Deal positively, consistently and decisively with problem behaviour
• Encourage positive behaviour
• Develop realistic expectations of children and themselves
• Take care of themselves as parents

Calling All Parents - Parent Support Group provides parents of children 0 – 18 years of age with support and information on:

• Why kids act the way they do
• How to set limits and expectations
• How to keep your kids safe and healthy
• How to feel good about yourself and your kids

Parenting with Love is a free-eight week parenting program for families working with the Children's Aid Society (external link). The program provides:

• Free child minding
• Free transportation
• Light refreshments

Parenting with Love is appropriate for all families, including prenatal families and parents with limited or no access to their children. The program emphasizes the importance of parent self-care as the primary means to building a positive and responsive parent-child relationship. The parental self-care approach is used to teach calming techniques and problem solving using the acronyms STOP and LOVE.

S - Step back
T - Take a breath
O - Observe your needs
P - Proceed with LOVE

L - Listen
O - Observe
V - Validate
E - Enjoy

You will learn:

• Parenting skills
• Positive thinking
• Calming techniques
• Understanding child behaviour
• Building positive relationships
• A letter stating course attendance (if requested)

Speak to your worker or call 905-333-4441 for information about upcoming groups.

This interactive parent workshop covers topics such as:

• How to prepare your child emotionally and physically for school
• The importance of play
• Packing healthy lunches
• Checklist for starting school

Webinar information to be posted as events are ready.

Is your child born in 2014 or later? Do you have questions about your child’s growth and development? You can attend a free ASK program in Halton Region to meet with professionals that will answer your questions and connect you with resources in the community that might be able to help.