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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Sally Weale

‘Gift of hope and confidence’: parents recall how Sure Start was a lifeline

A dance class at at Sure Start centre in Enfield, north London, in 2004.
A dance class at at Sure Start centre in Enfield, north London, in 2004. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian

Baby massage classes, breastfeeding support, early intervention for children with special needs and advice on hair clips for nervous dads were just some of the multiple benefits of Sure Start, according to parents who used the service.

“My Sure Start centre had wings and a halo,” is how one grateful parent puts it. “I would have been lost to postnatal depression if it wasn’t for our local centre,” says another. “Sure Start steadied me, held me, kept me from being lonely,” adds another parent. “It was good for me, my family and the community.”

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