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 2025, presenters included UK FCS Specialist Dr. Luecking who spoke on nutrition from prenatal to toddler ages, Tabatha Addison with Murray Head Start to discuss developmental milestones, and Emily McGee from LOTUS to discuss parent and caregiver self-care, therapy, and restorative services. Services/Resource Partners from Kentucky Early Intervention Services and Passport by Molina Healthcare set up tables for families to learn more about local resources.

There was a total of 21 families present, which is a 76% increase from last year’s event. There was representation from all four river counties within the collaborative, along with families from Graves County and Henry County, Tennessee. 62% of participants were first time attendees to the event, 38% of participants were returning. 96% of all families reported having a greater understanding of the developmental milestones. 95% of all families have increased knowledge of parent/caregiver resources available for self-care and other outreach services. 86% of all families had a greater understanding of parenting skills. 95% of all families reported a greater understanding of child’s nutrition at any stage.