Our History

Our Story: Reaching out to expectant and new families in big and small ways

Healthy Start’s journey began in 1994, born from a critical need identified by Health Canada: 60% of low birthweight babies in Manitoba were born in Winnipeg, and existing prenatal services were fragmented and lacked crucial community-based nutrition education. The Manitoba Association of Registered Dietitians (MARD) stepped up to sponsor and facilitate the creation of a new, community-based prenatal nutrition program in Winnipeg under the Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program (CPNP). We are indebted to Ellen Vogel, the chair of the board at MARD (and City of Winnipeg). She was instrumental in thoughtfully guiding the program’s development, recruiting the right people, and steering Healthy Start into the successful program it became.

A Foundation Built on Community

From the very beginning, Healthy Start was designed with and for the community it aimed to serve. The process of developing the program was marked by extensive and inclusive community consultations, a critical component that ensured the program truly met the needs of Winnipeg families. Gail Wylie was the founding director (and Executive Director until 2015) and had the experience to bring people and groups together.

June 1995: The first community consultation brought together 50 representatives from 30 diverse groups, including individuals with lived experience, public health professionals, community organizers, and federal funders. The goal was to understand what the Winnipeg community truly needed.
Working Groups: Following this, dedicated working groups met to discuss common goals and values, striving for consensus on existing gaps in service delivery.
October 1995: A second consultation affirmed the proposed program model, goals, and objectives, leading to the formation of a steering committee of 20 people, importantly including mothers with lived experience.
March 1996: A third community consultation involved nearly 40 people in a process of critiquing materials, highlighting the need for practical, easy-to-read resources that would be assessed by women with lived experience.
October 1996: A fourth community consultation with 75 representatives focused on determining the locations of the neighbourhood sites, ensuring the program would reach people where they lived.

This meticulous and inclusive consultation process laid the groundwork for Healthy Start, emphasizing a model of outreach via neighbourhood sites and leveraging the expertise of public health nurses and dietitians.

Our Name

A testament to this collaborative spirit, the name “Healthy Start for Mom & Me” was thoughtfully chosen by a small group of mothers, all with lived experience of the issues facing the program’s focus population, who were deeply involved in the initial planning.

Growth and Evolution

With a strong foundation in place, Healthy Start began to take shape:

1996-1997: A significant partnership with Red River College and Taking Charge led to the development of a peer outreach training program, which produced Healthy Start’s first three dedicated outreach workers.
January 1997: Prenatal groups were gradually introduced at eight neighborhood locations, bringing vital support directly to expectant mothers.
Dietitians providing practical nutrition services in the community in teams. Lauranne Matheson was Healthy Start’s first intrepid dietitian and laid the foundation for dietitians working directly with families in various community settings throughout Winnipeg.
1999: Thanks to funding from the province of Manitoba, Healthy Start was able to expand its services, launching postnatal “Baby Steps” groups. This allowed the program to offer both pregnancy and separate parent and baby programs, providing continuous support from pregnancy through a child’s first year.
Early Sponsorship: The Dietitians of Canada (DC) provided crucial early sponsorship, further supporting Healthy Start’s mission. Corinne Eisenbraun, as the Manitoba representative of DC, provided guidance through the early years and later joined our board.
2004-2005: Healthy Start officially incorporated in 2004 and achieved registered charity status in 2005, solidifying its commitment to supporting Winnipeg families. We owe a debt of gratitude to our inaugural chair, Ruth Diamant. As the first to lead the board, she helped establish a framework and spirit that continues to guide our organization today.
2020: To be more inclusive of all families, the operating name was streamlined to simply “Healthy Start,” although the legal name remains Healthy Start for Mom & Me.

Our Impact Today

Today, Healthy Start continues to thrive, now in its 28th year of supporting families and babies across Winnipeg. Our unique model, where staff travel to participants in different neighbourhoods, remains a key to our success.

Each team consists of a registered dietitian, outreach staff, and a public health nurse, providing informal, interactive, and welcoming group information sessions.

Healthy Start’s story is one of community collaboration, dedication, and a deep commitment to ensuring every mom and baby in Winnipeg has the opportunity for a healthy start.

Dr. Ellen Vogel completed her Ph.D. with a thorough examination of the development of the Healthy Start program model, titled “A Case Study of a Prenatal Nutrition Program (2001).” As part of her research, Dr. Vogel interviewed participants, staff and collaborative partners.

A former outreach staff member enclosed a hand-written note to Dr. Vogel. Her note poignantly read:

I am so thankful that HSMM has been part of my journey. I have learned so much through my experiences and my learning and growing continues. I know that I have touched others, and I have been a part of other’s journeys. What a gift to have given and received.

(Vogel, E.M. 2001)

The writing of Healthy Start’s history is from the collective memory of staff and founding executive director, Gail Wylie (thank you!). We also referenced the PhD thesis of Dr. Ellen Vogel “A Case Study of a Prenatal Nutrition Program Based on Education, Community Participation, and Capacity Building. 2001. University of Alberta, Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Sciences, Edmonton Alberta.

We are grateful to all who thoughtfully contributed to the creation of Healthy Start.