The first phase of a national education initiative for under-fives was completed in Barnet last week with the opening of a new children's centre.
Childs Hill Children's Centre, in Dersingham Road, is one of 22 centres due to open in the borough by the end of 2010. Part of the Government's Sure Start initiative, the centres aim to provide a full range of integrated services and information and help families access help from teams of professionals across a range of disciplines.
Childs Hill is the last of 13 centres to be built in the most disadvantaged areas of Barnet in the first phase of the scheme. All but two of the centres - St Margaret's in New Barnet and Fairway in Mill Hill - are located in communities within the 30 per cent most deprived areas nationally, including Grahame Park, West Hendon, East Finchley, Brunswick Park, Burnt Oak, Underhill, Coppetts Wood, Stonegrove and Cricklewood.
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As with the Child's Hill centre, which is linked to Child's Hill School, most have been integrated into local primary schools.
Childs Hill chair of governors Stuart Lester opened the centre last Thursday. He said: "This is a very exciting development for the area because it provides a full service not just for children, but for whole families.
"The idea is to help the children build relationships from an early age and help them in all aspects of their development."
The Government aims to open 3,500 centres across the country by 2010, at a cost of around £20 million.
The centres are a hub for services aimed at children and families from antenatal stage until the child starts school. It is hoped that by 2010 all parents and families will have access to one-stop-shop support at a children's centre so that childcare, education, health, employment and parenting support are in easy reach of every parent.
Councillor Fiona Bulmer, cabinet member for children's services, said: "The Surestart children's centres add to the excellent provision for children and parents in Barnet.
"We are particularly pleased at the range of services that the council has manged to secure for the centres.
"The children's centres are able to offer parents convenient access to high quality childcare, support in finding a job, as well as an increasing range of health care for their children."
At each of the venue, affordable education and childcare is available five days a week, from 8am to 6pm, from qualified childcare workers, teachers and health providers. Services offered include support for childminders, access to baby clinics and immunisation, speech and language therapy, child mental health services, baby and toddler drop-in groups, and access to training and employment advice.
For more information about your nearest centre visit barnet.gov.uk/index/community-living/childcare/children-centres.htm
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