THE first of three nurseries, aimed at helping parents in disadvantaged areas get back to work, has been opened in Darlington.

Kids & Co, a £59,000 nursery at a heritage site in North Road, near the Darlington Railway Centre and Museum, will provide 41 daycare nursery places.

Facilities include a separate baby area for under-twos, a self-contained kitchen and a large open-plan learning and activities area for children aged two to five.

An outdoor landscaped play area is also nearing completion.

By April next year, two more neighbourhood nurseries will open in the town, each costing about £100,000 to build and offering 52 child care places.

One will be based near to Firthmoor Primary School and will be run by Darlington Borough Council, in partnership with the school and St Teresa's RC Primary School.

The other will be at Skerne Park, situated alongside the school building and run in partnership with SureStart.

A Darlington Borough Council spokeswoman said: "These are the first dedicated neighbourhood nurseries in Darlington and they are very much for the local community and aimed at reaching parents who want to get back into employment or education. We are offering childcare specifically to support parents in certain areas."

The nurseries are funded by the New Opportunities Building Neighbourhood Nurseries Lottery Fund. The project is being run by Darlington Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership .

The North Road nursery forms part of a £1m Surestart building, which will provide services including health visiting, midwifery, adult learning, family support services and childcare, as well as a wide range of other health and family related services.

For information on place availability at the nursery call (01325) 363413.