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Sharing the vision

The director of the children's centre leadership course, Dr Margy Whalley, outlines its vision and goals These are exciting times to be working in children's centres. Currently we have 800, and by 2010 there should be 3,500, representing one in every community. Tony Blair described children's centres as the new frontier for the welfare state and the education system. I think children's centres can be much more than a frontier. They can be a whole new territory.

These are exciting times to be working in children's centres. Currently we have 800, and by 2010 there should be 3,500, representing one in every community. Tony Blair described children's centres as the new frontier for the welfare state and the education system. I think children's centres can be much more than a frontier. They can be a whole new territory.

Staff in children's centres are working towards equality of opportunity and social justice, they are developing social and cultural capital in areas where families are experiencing poverty and they are developing their centres as learning communities.

Some of us may still feel that we are not going far enough, that we are not working fast enough and that the investment is insufficient. But with children's centres we are going in the right direction.

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