Children's minister Beverly Hughes outlined new plans as she confirmed that there were now 1,000 children's centres 'up and running' ahead of the Government's target.
Other measures are a requirement for children's centres to run outreach programmes for new parents, and to evaluate their services to make sure they are accessible and meet the needs of the most disadvantaged families.
Ms Hughes acknowledged that more needed to be done to reach the poorest families.
'We know that some families don't feel comfortable walking through the door, even though they could use the help most,' she said. 'This doesn't mean Sure Start has failed or that it is just for the poorest, most excluded families, but it does mean that we must all work harder.'
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