Dingle Lane - A SureStart Children Centre

Services at Dingle Lane Children Centre

Dingle Lane Children Centre brings together a wide range of services for children from birth to 5 years of age and their families, and pregnant women and their partners. The Centre is a one-stop shop within the community for parents, providing childcare, education, health and family support. We also provide advice on employment and training.

These services are for everyone within the Riverside and St Michaels ward and beyond. We hope to make it easier for parents to obtain the range of services they need for themselves and their families in the early years of their children's lives. You can use this Children Centre, or one that is more convenient for you. Just register at the centre and you can use all the services. Most services are free, except for a small contribution to a couple of our services, and for the daycare. Help for the daycare can be gained through the Working Families Tax Credits.

It is our aim to be a centre of excellence where children and adults are successfully supported and encouraged to discover new horizons and develop their true potential.


As you now know, following on from the consultation of children centres,  we are a stand alone centre and it is planned that will remain open, there will be a reduction to our budget, which will effect services and staff. Like all centres our budget has had a significant cut from previous years, but we continue to run and serve the children and families of our community to the best of our ability. Some of our services may be reduced, including the stopping again of the free fruit in our reception after all our sessions. We are now funded until the end of March 14, and hopefully beyond that date!.  We will await news from the City Council re funding from that date onwards. We will let you know when we have any news re future funding.


Our current programme is now out and available at the bottom of this page, with some ammendments to some session. We publish new programmes in September, January and around Easter. We hope that you will continue to support us, both now and in the future.


Please use this website to gather any information about the services we offer and don't hesitate to contact us for any further information.


For your own security, if you are visited at home by a member of the children centre team, they will carry appropriate identity. Please do not let anyone into your home unless you are sure who they are and that they are clearly children centre staff. If in doubt do not let them in. If you are unsure you can always check with the centre on this or any other issues.


Parents and carers are responsible for the care and supervision of their children at all times within the centre, and we request that no food is consumed during those sessions.


The centre and nursey opens for 50 weeks of the year, but closes down for  two weeks over the Christmas period. For December 2013 this is likely to be Monday 23rd December 13, opening on Monday 6th January 2014, although these dates will need to be confirmed.  The centre is usually open Monday to Friday between 8.00am to 6.00pm, with late night opening on most Wednesdays until 8.00pm (January to November only). We are also open usually the first Saturday of the month (February to December) 9.30-11.30am for Dingle Dads.


We hope to hear from you soon, from all the children centre team: Beth, Clare, Corrine, Den, Gemma, Hannah, Kate, Michelle, Nicola and Steve.