Slough’s first children’s centres, Penn Road and Chalvey Grove Children’s Centres, were opened in April 2004 with Britwell and Romsey Close Centres following later that year.
On Saturday 13 July the team held a lunch event to celebrate at Chalvey Grove Children’s Centre.
More than 130 staff past and present came together for the celebration, and some of the very first children who used the centres attended, who are now 21! Staff spoke about not only the positive impact for families when the children’s centres opened, but for them also, for professional development and for lifelong relationships with co-workers and their managers.
The event was also attended by Jean Cameron who designed and developed the first children’s centre for Slough in 2004.
As well as a buffet lunch including celebratory cupcakes, there was plenty of time for everyone to catch up with old colleagues and families who had previously attended the centres.
The centres are currently being developed into family hubs to offer a wider range of services to families 0-19 years (0-25 years with SEND).
Marie-Claire Avis, interim group manager children’s centres/family hubs, said: “20 years of working with children and families in the heart of the communities of Slough has only been achieved in such challenging times through the dedication of our children’s centre staff, it is a testament to how passionate you all are about the success of our children’s centres by so many of you taking the time on a Saturday to mark this occasion. It’s a great honour that Jean Cameron who had the vision for these centres some 20 years ago has come today. I thank you all for the last 20 years and look forward to the next stage of your journey expanding our offer to the families of Slough.”
Councillor Puja Bedi, cabinet member responsible for education and children’s services said: “We are extremely proud of our hardworking children’s centre staff. It’s amazing to see how many of the existing staff were also working here in 2004 right from the very start. Thank you to all staff past and present whose dedication and professionalism towards supporting children and families in Slough has improved many lives over the last 20 years. We look forward to seeing the centres develop into family hubs enabling the teams to reach more residents, with more services.”