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Jul 3, 2009

On Friday 8th May, Ed Balls MP, Minister for Children, visited the National Children's Centre in Huddersfield together with local MP Barry Sheerman, to celebrate the opening of more than 3000 Sure Start Children's Centres across the country and he hailed the scheme a success.

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On Friday 8th May, Ed Balls MP, Minister for Children, visited the National Children's Centre in Huddersfield together with local MP Barry Sheerman, to celebrate the opening of more than 3000 Sure Start Children's Centres across the country and he hailed the scheme a success.

Mr Balls said "Ten years ago there were no Sure Start centres at all. Now there are 3000 round the country benefiting more than 2.4 million families.

"Nine out of ten parents using children's centres are happy with the service they receive. But many parents don't know about all the activities and support they can access or assume children's centres are just for parents having problems. This is something we need to change.

"Sure Start Centres are for everyone _ whatever their income, whatever their background and whatever their needs and that of their children. They are one of the genuine universal services of this country - like state schools and the NHS - which are accessible and aimed at all families. We want parents to talk about "my children's centre' very much in the same way that they talk about ‘my doctor' or ‘my school'".
There are now 340 Children's Centres across Yorkshire including 49 in Leeds, 33 in Bradford and 31 in Sheffield and Kirklees.

Children's Centres provide access to childcare, play and early learning for babies and toddlers: medical advice for new mothers; and advice on parenting skills. Some also have services such as mini gym's, vegetable patches, cookery facilities and farther groups, as well as visiting speech therapists and advice sessions run by midwives and health visitors.

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