Nursery World - An uphill struggle

The sector is wondering how children's centres goals are to be reached. Simon Vevers reports

Simon Vevers reports

Responses like 'challenging' and 'an uphill struggle' are often what you get from early years professionals faced with Government initiatives. At times such phrases may be overused, but surely not when applied to the funding provided for the second wave of children's centres, announced by outgoing children's minister Margaret Hodge in April.

The DfES has apportioned 947m to local authorities to ensure that there are 2,500 centres providing the core offer of integrated early learning and daycare and joined-up services for children and families by 2008.

The 2006-08 tranche of funds follows the 435m assigned to the programme for 2003-06. So far, more than 200 centres have been designated.

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