Core Offer of Children's Centres
Sure Start Children’s Centres in disadvantaged areas offer the following services:
- Good quality early learning combined with full day care provision for children (minimum 10 hours a day, 5 days a week, 48 weeks a year)
- Good quality teacher input to lead the development of learning within the centre
- Child and family health services, including ante-natal services
- Outreach services to families in the area
- Family support services
- Support for registered childminders
- Identification of, and provision for, support for children and parents with special educational needs and disabilities
- Effective links with Jobcentre Plus to support parents/carers who wish to consider training or employment.
In more advantaged areas, although local authorities will have flexibility in which services they provide to meet local need, all Sure Start Children’s Centres will have to provide a minimum range of services including:
- appropriate support and outreach services to parents/carers and children who have been identified as in need of them
- information and advice to parents/carers on a range of subjects, including: local childcare, looking after babies and young children, local early years provision (childcare and early learning) education services for 3 and 4 year olds
- support to childminders
- drop-in sessions and other activities for children and carers at the centre
- links to Jobcentre Plus services.
