Children's Ministers Ed Balls and Beverley Hughes today celebrated news that Labour's target for 2,500 Children's Centres to be open by the start of this month has been exceeded.

Visiting a Sure Start Children's Centre in Stockwell, south London they revealed that 2,906 Children's Centres were opened across England by 31 March 2008 - beating the 2,500 target.

Sure Start Children's Centres are a one-stop shop for families and children under five. They offer easy access to a range of services including early years learning, childcare, family health services, and advice and support for parents. A recent independent evaluation report found that Sure Start was having a positive impact on the lives of children and families.

Ed Balls, Labour's Children's Secretary, said:

"While ten years ago there were no Children's Centres, today there are over 2,900 offering services to more than two million families across the country. We have beaten our target and are well on track to meet our manifesto commitment for 3,500 Children's Centres - one for every community in England - by 2010.

"But while Labour will continue investing in Sure Start, the Tories will cut its funding by £200 million each year. Under Labour Sure Start will soon be a permanent and universal service for all families and children under five in every community in England, but that would be put at risk if the Tories get their way.

"We want to see the services Sure Start offers develop and expand rather than be cut back. Many Children's Centres are now offering parents advice about training or employment opportunities. Under a new pilot programme, tax credit advisers will be placed in Children's Centres to ensure parents receive the tax credits and support towards childcare costs they're entitled to. And I want to see Children's Centres doing more to get dads - as well as mums - engaged and involved."

Beverley Hughes, Labour's Minister for Children and Families, said:

"This is a fantastic achievement and I want to thank everybody who has helped to get all the new Children's Centres off the ground, including Sure Start staff and our delivery partners.

"As every parent knows, the earliest years of a child's life are critical to their future development. It's also a time when parents need advice and support. That's why this Labour Government has made investing in Sure Start, high quality childcare and nursery education a big priority. We are extending the entitlement to free nursery places for every three and four year old from twelve and a half hours to fifteen hours by 2010 - and to 20,000 disadvantaged two year olds.

"And we will make sure that all families can benefit from Sure Start by investing in new outreach workers - a vital service which the Tories would cut, hitting the poorest families hardest."

David Cameron has said he will cut £200 million per year from Sure Start in order to employ more health visitors instead. They claim the savings can be made by axing the additional outreach workers to be recruited from this year. However, the Government is spending an extra £79 million per year on outreach workers - not £200 million as the Tories say. This will mean a further £121 million of cuts to Sure Start each year - on top of the cuts to outreach workers.