Ed Balls and I were delighted to announce on 16 March that the Government's target to establish 3,500 Sure Start Children's Centres had been met. In fact we met it early, thanks to the hard work, dedication and commitment of staff on the frontline. This is a fantastic example of partnership and communities coming together to make a real difference for families.
Children's centres are now a universal service, an additional pillar of the welfare state, and one that all families can benefit from, not just the poorest or most disadvantaged. This has been more than ten years in the making, from the early days of the original Sure Start Local Programmes to the fantastic new centres we have today.
This Government has made transforming early years services a top priority. Alongside Sure Start, we have seen a huge improvements in early years services for families, including free childcare and early learning for every family, more support throughout pregnancy, and improved information and advice for all parents.
I know from visiting so many fantastic centres across the country, that they are having a real impact on people's lives. Recent research showed that nine out of ten parents using children's centres are happy with the services they receive.
In addition, children's centres are helping to drive up standards. Recent results from the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile show that 44,000 more young children are achieving a good level of development in 2009 compared with 2007 results. And they are helping to narrow the gap in achievement, with the gap narrowing between the lowest 20 per cent achievers and their peers. These improvements are a real credit to the commitment of the early years workforce as a whole.
We know that what happens during pregnancy and the early years has a huge impact on a child's future health, wellbeing and achievement. New plans announced this month will mean all expectant parents will now be guaranteed a personal Sure Start contact they can call on throughout pregnancy and the early years of the child's life. They will also be invited into their local children's centre to see all the services on offer.
We know that there is more work to do to make sure all families are getting the best services. A new document on breaking the link between disadvantage and low achievement in the early years gives examples of the excellent practice that already exists. I want all early years settings to follow this example to help us reach the families who most need help.
It's good to see that there is a growing consensus on the value of the Sure Start programme. The recent publication from the Children, Schools and Families Select Committee recognises that the Sure Start programme is innovative and ambitious. I'm pleased that it also recognises that the Government's approach to ensuring that children's centres provide universal coverage serving all communities is the right one. In addition, the report helpfully identifies some key priorities for future development, which we will consider carefully in responding to the select committee's report in due course.
Sure Start Children's Centres are now part of the fabric of everyday life, like GPs and schools. They are enshrined in legislation, and local authorities now have a duty to ensure there are sufficient numbers of centres available. Looking forward, I firmly believe that the investment we have put in place will continue to benefit millions of families in the years to come and will be looked on as one of the key successes of this Government.