Nursery World - Umbrellagroups

As the Government's diverse goals for childcare are invited to come under the Sure Start banner, how many of them are expected to be achieved? Julian Grenier considers the issues facing the new unit There were no Neighbourhood Nurseries graphics, no Early Excellence houses nor DfES multicoloured hands on display at last Wednesday's launch of the Sure Start Unit in Westminster. Instead, everything was branded with the new Sure Start orange triangle, signalling a more streamlined approach to childcare services policy.

There were no Neighbourhood Nurseries graphics, no Early Excellence houses nor DfES multicoloured hands on display at last Wednesday's launch of the Sure Start Unit in Westminster. Instead, everything was branded with the new Sure Start orange triangle, signalling a more streamlined approach to childcare services policy.

The new Sure Start Unit, headed by Naomi Eisenstadt, has taken responsibility for all the Government's various initiatives for children and families. At least this has the virtue of simplifying an overcrowded and overcomplex field. The mixed bag of logos, plans, delivery targets and different units at the DfES has gone. In its place is a single giant, with billions of pounds in the bank.

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