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250 Sure Start children's centres at risk of closure

Around 250 children's centres are at risk of closing this year and up to a thousand have warned staff that they are at risk of redundancy, new research has found.

An online survey by 4Children and the Daycare Trust has found that around 7 per cent of children's centres are expected to close, 56 per cent expect to offer a reduced service and 86 per cent will face cuts to their funding.

A total of 917 children's centre managers took part in the online survey and the results were extrapolated to give an estimate of the situation across the UK. Children's centre managers were asked how many families used the setting, whether staff have been issued with redundancy warnings, if they had had any indications about their 2011/2012 budget, and what they expected to happen this time next year.

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