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22 Aug 07Doors Open At New Children's Centre
Poole's first ever children's centre has opened in Hamworthy, offering families a 'one-stop shop' for advice and support.
Parents and children were invited to celebrate the launch of Hamworthy Children's Centre at a special party and open day on Wednesday, August 22, from 11am to 3pm.
The new centre, at Carter Community College 
in Blandford Close, will offer families with young children access to professional support, from advice on health and childcare to guidance on getting back to work.
Borough of Poole plans to open a network of six children's centre over the next year, providing valuable support to families across the town.
Hamworthy Children's Centre will be open five days a week, bringing together a wide range of services and support for parents with young children, provided by professionals such as health visitors, midwives, Job Centreplus advisors and family support workers, as well as specialist providers including speech and language therapists.
The open day provided families an opportunity to learn about and sample the services and activities that will be regularly available at Hamworthy Children's Centre.
Amanda Boclet, Hamworthy Children's Centre Manager, said: "We are very excited to be the first Children's Centre to open in Poole. We have an excellent team working hard to ensure that we deliver a service that will make an enormous difference to families with young children in the Hamworthy area.
"We want families to try out the activities, meet our friendly team and tell us what else they want from their children's centre. We will be offering lots of scheduled activities and sessions, such as play activities, learning groups, under-ones' sessions, breastfeeding support and parents groups."
The open day featured a host of fun children's activities, including the Baby Bounce interactive musical session for children aged under 18 months, and story time with dressing up, drama and music for children aged between two and seven years old. Face painting and hand printing activities gave children a chance to leave their mark on the new children's centre. Free refreshments and healthy snacks were also be available.
Councillor Tony Woodcock, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Children's Services, said: "We are proud to open Poole's first children's centre which will offer tremendous opportunities for young children and their families, providing lots of help and advice under one roof. In Poole, we are committed to ensuring children get the best possible start and parents and carers feel supported, and children's centres are key to achieving this objective."
A further five children centre's are scheduled to open in 2008 at Old Town First School and Nursery, Rossmore Community College , Creekmoor, Canford Heath, and the Ted Webster Centre in Parkstone.
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