Families and children in Erith and Thamesmead will be able to access early years support such as pregnancy support, infant feeding advice, parenting classes and other support to give their child the best start in life, following a £126 million Government funding boost – delivering on the Labour’s Plan for Change.
Greenwich is expected to receive at least £1,472,500 as part of the wider investment increase.
Children’s early years are crucial to their development, health and life chances. Antenatal classes, health visitors, parenting support, baby and toddler groups and access to affordable, high-quality early education and childcare – all are vital to guiding parents and supporting child development. Yet over 80% of parents have said they struggled to access services.
As part of our Plan for Change we’re committed to strengthening and joining up family services to improve support through pregnancy and early childhood and improve long term outcomes for children – including through today’s investment in Family Hubs and the Start for Life programme.
Abena Oppong-Asare, Member of Parliament for Erith and Thamesmead said:
“I am absolutely delighted that families and children in Erith and Thamesmead will be able to access early years support through this funding boost from the Government.
“Families in Erith and Thamesmead elected a Labour government to give every child the best possible start in life, and that is what we’re delivering.
“This will make such a huge difference for so many families in our community and I know that the impact will be felt for years to come.”
Andrew Gwynne, Minister for Public Health and Prevention, said:
“This crucial investment provides a strong foundation to deliver our commitment to raise the healthiest generation of children ever, by giving parents the support they need to ensure their baby has the best start in life.
“The first two years of a child’s life lay the building blocks for their physical and emotional wellbeing into adulthood. That’s why we are investing in early years, as part of our Plan for Change, to improve access to services in deprived areas to ensure no-one is left behind.”
