HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : A sure start for all our kids – Tessa Jowell visits Centre of Excellence in Haringey [March 1998]

The press release issued by HM Treasury on 5 March 1998.

Tessa Jowell Visits Centre of Excellence in Haringey

Giving children the start they deserve in life and preventing them from becoming socially excluded is a top priority for the Government, Tessa Jowell said today.

Ms Jowell was speaking during a visit to Woodlands Park Nursery Centre in Haringey. The Centre takes in a wide range of children from the local community from a socially diverse area where there are high levels of poverty and social deprivation.

The visit has been undertaken as part of the Government’s review of the provision of children’s services. The review is looking at whether the multiple causes of social exclusion affecting young children can be more effectively tackled.

Congratulating Woodlands on the work that it does, the Minister said:

“We want to help those young children, who are at present not getting the support and help from services they need in early childhood, who fall behind before they even get to school and never catch up.

“The research we have undertaken so far, suggests centres of excellence like Woodlands can play an important role in promoting effective early child care and development. It has also impressed me with the important work it does with parents and the local community.

“I want to see a national strategy for young children which ensures resources, across Government, are properly targeted and used efficiently and which put the welfare of the child first. They all deserve the best possible start in life.”