Best start in life

Our commitment to children and families in Cheshire East

Every child in Cheshire East deserves the very best start in life. Our vision is simple: to ensure that every child grows up safe, happy, healthy, and able to thrive, regardless of their background or circumstances. Our Best Start in Life Local Plan sets out how we, alongside families and partners, will work together to create the strong foundations children need from conception through to the early years.

The importance of early years

The first few years of a child’s life shape everything that follows. Research shows that children’s experiences from conception to age five have a profound impact on their health, learning, relationships, and long-term wellbeing. By supporting families at the right time and in the right way, we can reduce inequalities, improve lifelong opportunities, and help strengthen communities.

Our shared ambition

The Best Start in Life Local Plan brings together Cheshire East Council, health services, early years providers, voluntary organisations, and local communities around a shared ambition:

To give every child in Cheshire East the best possible start, by supporting families early, strengthening communities, and creating high-quality services that meet local needs.

Our vision commits us to:

Giving every child the best possible start in life, reducing inequalities and promoting lifelong health and wellbeing. This is central to Cheshire East’s public health ambitions for early years and starting well.
Ensuring every child and young person has access to excellent education and training, beginning with high‑quality early childhood experiences that support cognitive, emotional and social development.
Providing integrated, joined‑up support for families, strengthening early help and ensuring seamless access to services that nurture health, learning, communication and family wellbeing.
Making Cheshire East a great place to be young, embedding the principles of the 2025–2028 SEND and Alternative Provision Strategy so that all children and young people with SEND receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time.
Empowering communities and families, building resilience, reducing disadvantage and tackling the factors that create gaps in school readiness, health outcomes and life chances.
Creating safe, nurturing environments, ensuring children are protected from harm and supported through effective safeguarding, early intervention and care services.
Promoting healthy development from conception, with a focus on maternal health, breastfeeding, emotional wellbeing and reducing early‑years health inequalities.