The government are making cuts this means they're closing down Children's Centres. They're making a huge mistake as so many parents visit theirs for early years support. I have written a letter to my local councillors and thought I would share it with you.
Dear Councillor,
I am a local Parent. I am writing to urge you to oppose the proposed cuts to Lambeth’s children’s centres.I believe strongly that the consultation has been flawed from the outset. It provided no opportunity for respondents to argue wholesale against the cuts, instead seeking to pit users of certain centres against others, trying to make us fight over scraps.
But even taking the consultation on its own terms, you are set to decide the council’s budget only 3 days after the end of the consultation period. It is clear that the findings of the consultation will not feed into this decision. For this reason, I believed it necessary to write to you now to express my views.
My local children’s centre is St. Stephen’s . This centre is very close to my heart as it was once my nursery when I was little. The staff and other parents/children have become family to me and my son; we are all close knit and it would be a shame to break communities up. A few months ago, a group of us parents had a meeting with Jennifer Braithwaite (Labour Gipsy Hill Councillor, Deputy Leader of Lambeth and Cabinet Member for Children & Young People. Landlord & Tenant solicitor) and we each spoke about our personal experiences with our local Children Centre and how important they are.
We each came up with many reasons we enjoy visiting out local centres and so I decided to write a few reasons down…
1. Socialising. There is a huge social aspect. Being around babies and children gave my son the opportunity to learn how to play with others and we’ve both made friends which was a bonus.
2. Structure. As one of the dads pointed out at the meeting, attending specific events each week at the same time really helped our schedules and gave my life some structure whilst giving my son something to look forward to.
3. Activities. Messy Play. Music and Rhymes. Graduation. Zoo. Easter egg hunts. Family BBQ’s, to name a few. All of which were free and my son and I enjoyed each and every one of them. Each children centre offers different things so it would be a shame to close any of them.
4. Courses and training. I've done a Parent Champion course, Parent Representative training and Domestic Violence Training. I’ve also taken cooking, yoga, mosaic making and arts and crafts workshops.
5. Opportunities. Spending time at my local children's centre opened doors for me. I briefly volunteered for LEAP (Lambeth Early Action Partnership) and was a Digital Brand Ambassador for Incredible Edible all whilst blogging, working part time and being a full time mum. Opportunities are endless!
6. Family unit. I'd like to say I have a great relationship with all the staff at my local children's centre. My local children centre is at my old primary school and some of the staff are the same so it put me at ease knowing we were in safe hands. I started going when my son was just 6 months and we are one big family. My son feels so comfortable there and many families feel the same; it's a safe place for us all. I'm so grateful to all the staff for giving me advice; whether it was Housing, Nursery or personal, there’s always someone ready to help.
7. Community. Taking part in community events has given me a sense of belonging and pride. I feel as though I've been a part of positive change and that is the greatest reward that our children will receive.
My Local Children’s centre gave me the confidence I needed to go back to work and start University, I would be the woman I am today without the help and guidance from my local Children’s Centre.
Not only would these cuts have an immeasurable social cost, it is well-known that they will cost the Council more money in the long-run.
For these reasons, I urge you, please, to do the following:
1. Submit or support an amendment to the budget, which mitigates the proposed cuts to children’s centres by increasing reserves by marginally less than is currently proposed.
2. To commit to funding our children’s centres for at least one more year, and open the books.
3. To support a national campaign to stop cuts to children’s centres and other early years services.
Please if you can, copy and paste the weblink into your browser
and sign the petition.
Thanks