Sure StartSure Start was a UK Government area-based initiative, announced in 1998 by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, applying primarily in England with slightly different versions in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.]

 The initiative originated from HM Treasury,  with the aim of "giving children the best possible start in life" through improvement of childcare, early education, health and family support, with an emphasis on outreach and community development.

• Launched in 1998 Sure Start had similarities to the much older, and similarly named, Head Start programme in the United States and is also comparable to Australia Head Start and Ontario's Early Years Plan. The initiatives were subsequently bound together to form sure start centres, and responsibility for them was transferred to local government.

• The National Evaluation of Sure Start is ongoing. Initial research findings from NESS, published in 2005, suggested the impact of SSLPs was not as great as had been hoped. However, by 2010, NESS could identify a significant impact on some of the outcomes set for Sure Start. Like the US Head Start programme with which it is similar, whether or not any the programme has any discernable impact continues to be a controversial question.

• History[edit]• Initial arrangement• Initial funding was substantial, with £540 m allocated

for expenditure between 1999 and 2002, £452 m of it within England, to set up 250 Sure Start Local Programmes (SSLPs) reaching up to 150,000 children in areas of deprivation.

• The UK Government initially pledged to fund Sure Start for 10 years, but in 2003, Chancellor Gordon Brown announced the Government's long-term plan to transfer Sure Start into the control of local government by 2005, and create a Sure Start Children's Centre in every community.

• Related to the Government's goal of reducing child poverty, the initial districts for Sure Start development were selected "according to the levels of deprivation within their areas“ the focus being particularly on disadvantaged areas but open to all families living in the catchment area. Such catchment areas were selected locally by the projects.

• Sure Start was overseen by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Work and Pensions. The programme has been described by Tony Blair as "one of New Labour's greatest achievements".

• Each project was allowed to develop in its own way depending on the expressed wishes of parents and the guidance of the various organisations heading up each one. Policy on such matters as choosing volunteers and even the services offered were a local level decision.

• Evidence concerning effectiveness• A 2007 study by researchers from the Universities of Oxford and Wales published in the British Medical Journal looking at parenting interventions within the Sure Start system in Wales examined 153 parents from socially deprived areas and showed that a course teaching improved parenting skills had great benefits in reducing problem behaviour in young children. Parents were taught to:

• Increase positive child behaviour through praise and incentives• Improve parent-child interaction: relationship building• Set clear expectations: limit setting and non-aversive management strategies for non-compliance

• Apply consistent gentle consequences for problem behaviour• The study recommended that this evidence based class, be expanded from Wales to the rest of the UK, making it available for all parents who need it, stating that the Sure Start programme has not yet produced results as good as these in England.

• A lack of effectiveness in England has been suggested by a University of Durham study which suggested that Sure Start was ineffective at improving results in early schooling

• In 2010, robust research conducted by NESS demonstrated significant effects of SSLPs on eight of 21 outcomes: two positive outcomes for children (lower BMIs and better physical health), four positive outcomes for mothers and families (more stimulating and less chaotic home environments, less harsh discipline, and greater life satisfaction), and two negative outcomes (more depressive symptoms reported by mothers, and parents less likely to visit schools for planned meetings)

• In summary, Sure Start staff and administrators believe the following:

• ! All children benefit from early experiences that are supportive of their ages and

• developmental capabilities, individual needs, and cultures.

• ! All children must have a healthy start in life in order to be ready to learn. All children learn best when provided with a safe and nurturing environment at home and at school.

• ! From the earliest age, children need to be exposed to rich experiences in language and literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, the arts, technology, and physical education so that maximum advantage can be made of the “windows of opportunity” for learning, as described by brain research.

• ! All learning for young children is interrelated, and children learn academic skills at the same time that they master social/emotional and physical skills

• All children learn through play and benefit from adults who understand how to build upon children’s natural desire to learn about the world around them.

• ! All children have different learning styles that need to be accommodated, taking into account their individual types of intelligences, including emotional intelligence.

• ! All families must have knowledge of and access to community resources and social services that address their needs if they are to provide their children with a secure and stimulating environment that supports their children’s social and academic success.

• ! Family involvement in children’s educational experiences is crucial to children’s success. Children flourish when their families and schools provide consistent messages about learning and development.

• ! Preschool programs must link content standards, curriculum, instruction, and assessment to those of the later grades to provide children with a seamless transition between preschool and kindergarten.

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