The mission of the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood is to provide leadership and direction for the Commonwealth with the goal of maintaining a comprehensive and sustainable prenatal to age five early childhood educational system that ensures a strong foundation for all children. The Four River Counties Regional Collaborative has provided high quality early childhood education for over 20 years in Ballard, Carlisle, Fulton, and Hickman counties. The Best Start Family Event was created with the intention of helping those families from prenatal to age two, as this has always been an underrepresented audience in the work of the collaborative. The goal of this event is to teach families about health and nutrition, parenting, safety, available area resources, and the importance of being kindergarten ready.

In 2023, presenters included UK FCS Specialist Dr. Weisenhorn who spoke on parenting, Johnna Carter with First Steps— Kentucky’s Early Intervention System, and Alyssa Taylor from the Fulton City Police Department to discuss car seat safety. There was a total of 16 families present, which is a 220% increase from last years event. 81% of participants were first time attendees to the event. 94% of all families reported having a greater understanding of the importance of play-based learning. 88% of all families had a greater understanding of how to safely install a car seat and where to go to check about correct installation and expiration dates. 75% of all families reported feeling more confident in being able to see changes in their child when it comes to being school ready.