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"Whatever you are, be a good one." - Abraham Lincoln

OFF TO A SURE START IN BRITAIN

The Labour government in Britain has made a strong commitment to supporting families in their child rearing responsibilities.  It has increased public spending on financial support to children by 64%, to $41 billion, since it came to power in 1997.  Recently, it announced an extra $1.7 billion for child care, advice for parents, and cash benefits.

The program introduced to channel these investments is called Sure Start.  This program has several strands.  One, aimed at 400,000 children in the poorest fifth of the country, provides free spaces in high-quality nurseries and creches, coupled with considerable parenting support.  A second strand aims at providing free "nursery education" for 2 1/2 hours a day first for all four-year-olds and this year for three-year-olds as well.  The third strand is aimed at ending poverty by 2020 by increasing family benefits and tax credits for the poorest 20% of families.  

For more information on Sure Start, go to: http://www.surestart.gov.uk/

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