Buckinghamshire County Council and Aylesbury College are working together to build a new Sure Start Children’s Centre for Southcourt and the Town Centre areas. The Healthy Living Centre currently deliver children’s centre services from temporary locations and will transfer these to this new purpose built centre.

The Sure Start Children’s Centre programme brings together childcare, early education, health and family-support services for families with children under 5 years old. It is the cornerstone of a national drive to tackle child poverty and social exclusion working with parents-to-be, parents, carers and children to promote the physical, intellectual and social development of babies and young children so that they can flourish at home and when they get to school.

Sure Start brings together service providers from thestatutory sector like health, social services and early education, as well as voluntary, private and community organisations and parents themselves, to provide integrated services for young children and their families based on what local children need and parents want.

The new building will also provide space for additional preschool places, in addition to the existing College nursery provision, primarily for early education services.

The new centre will be child-friendly and welcoming, with excellent access and internal circulation, good security and the building will be fully compliant with Disability Discrimination Act standards. Aylesbury College and the County Council are keen to ensure this building is as sustainable as possible and so there are a number of innovative features being added into the designs, including external play areas with recycled rubber “play safe” surfaces. Rainwater harvesting will be an exciting feature to reduce mains water toilet flush usage.

The College is keen to develop a campus to promote life-long learning, and this new facility, initiated as a joint project with key partners, will help to ensure that the College remains at the heart of community improvements.

There are a number of technical issues still to be finalised, but it is envisaged that work will start on the Centre by Spring 2010, subject to the grant of planning permission. Finance is being provided via the Government’s Sure Start scheme.

Pauline Odulinski, the College Principal, said that “this is a really important development for Southcourt and the Town Centre, and we are pleased to be able to work closely with the County Council to make this centre a reality”.

Samantha Hall, Chief Officer of the HealthyLiving Centre said: “We are really excited about the new facilities and can’t wait for the opportunity to welcome families to a brand new, purpose built Children’s Centre. The Healthy Living Centre is pleased to be involved in providing this great facility for local children and families”.

Marion Clayton, Cabinet Member for Achievement and Learning said, 'Finding a suitable location for the Aylesbury (Southcourt) children's centre is the result of a lot of hard work by County officers and the Healthy Living Centre, and I am pleased to see a solution that will bring together 3 local early years providers on the College campus'.

For more information on the Sure Start Scheme, please search for ‘Sure Start’ on www.dcsf.gov.uk