Re-open Callis Grange Sure Start Centre!

We, Cllrs Joanne Bright and Jenny Matterface, call on Linden Kemkaran, Leader of Kent County Council, to re-open Callis Grange Sure Start Centre as a family hub using government funding allocated to revive Sure Start.

Sure Start Centres changed lives. They brought parents and children together in a safe and secure environment helping all to benefit from the facilities and services offered there free to all.

Access to a Sure Start centre between birth and age five significantly improved the educational achievement of children, with benefits lasting at least until GCSEs.

Parents became more confident, all learned vital socialising skills. Some gained qualifications that enabled them to progress and gain employment. Others became more confident and better parents because they learned skills to help them in their role.

Children learned to socialise, to share, to learn essential skills, to bond with their parents.

Core Services Provided

·         Infant Feeding: Guidance and practical support

·         Mental Health: Support for parents' mental wellbeing

·         Baby Bonding: Relationship and attachment building

.         Clinical Access: Health visits and midwifery care 

All these made a difference to those coping with caring for young children. We need these services back on Beacon Road in a venue that is easily accessible to all.