Nursery World - Breaking point for children's centres

The scale of cuts to Sure Start centres over the past five years has been truly frightening, says Dave Prentis

In 2015 alone, more than 30 councils reviewed their children’s centres, resulting in closures or cuts to services in every case.

Taken individually, these reductions could be seen as unfortunate. As a whole though, cuts and closures across all types of authority represent a systematic reduction in the number of centres and the range of services available to children and families.

The argument about the future of Sure Start should not just focus on the number of building closures and how many children are reached. Sure Start centres have always been much more than just buildings. The most important part has always been the staff and the children they support.

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