What are Children’s Centres?
Children’s Centres are at the heart of giving every child the best possible start in life and they offer a broad range of services focusing on family health, early years care and education and improved well-being programmes to children aged 0-4.
In Wakefield centres are based in; Airedale, Featherstone, Havercroft, Hemsworth, Lupset, Normanton, Pontefract, Sandal/Portobello and Stanley.
Children’s Centres make available universal and targeted early childhood services either by providing the services at the centre itself or by providing advice and assistance to parents, carers and prospective parents in accessing services provided elsewhere.
Early childhood services include:
- early years provision (early education and childcare);
- social services functions of the local authority relating to young children, parents and prospective parents;
- health services relating to young children, parents and prospective parents;
- training and employment services to assist parents or prospective parents; and
- information and advice services for parents and prospective parents
Headlines
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- In 2018/19 more than 2,300 children were seen in Children’s Centres in the Wakefield district.
- Almost 1,100 children aged under 5 were newly registered with a Children’s Centre in the district in 2018/19.
- 40% of all registered children under 5 years old have attended a stay and play session during 2018/19.
- 33% of all children who have attended a Children’s Centre live in Castleford.
- 17% of children have attended Kendal Drive Children’s Centre in Castleford and 15% have attended the Castle Children’s Centre in Sandal.
Key facts about Children’s Centres in 2018/19
