Sure Start campaign to raise profile of children's centres and protect services

By Ravi Chandiramani Tuesday, 09 February 2010

CYP Now has signed up to support the Shout Out for a Sure Start campaign, launched this week by charity 4Children.

Children's Secretary Ed Balls at launch of campaign

The campaign aims to rally support among parents, grandparents and the sector for Sure Start children's centres, and to raise their profile among families with young children not using them.

It comes as the Sure Start programme reaches its completion target of 3,500 centres next month, but also amid mounting concerns that many centres and services will fall victim to spending cuts. "We are just coming to the end of the set-up period," said 4Children chief executive Anne Longfield. "The big challenge now is to ensure they become part of everyday life. We want to hear from families about how they are benefiting day-to-day from children's centres."

A website - www.shoutoutforasurestart.org.uk - invites parents to sign a pledge and share their Sure Start experiences, and a new Sure Start All Party Parliamentary Group will aim to keep it high on politicians' agenda. According to a survey by nursery chain Busy Bees, 94 per cent of parents say childcare policies will affect how they vote.

CYP Now will champion the campaign in our ongoing coverage of Sure Start, in the magazine and on the website, and you can use our online forums to flag up potential cuts in your area.

Read the editor's view: Sure Start is worth shouting about