Details of those parts of the country which will be invited to participate in the programme were unveiled in London by the Education Secretary, David Blunkett, and the Public Health Minister, Tessa Jowell.

The areas will pilot 250 programmes offering advice and support on education, health and child development over the next three years.

Within three months of the birth of a child, a representative of the Sure Start programme will visit a family to assess their needs.

Services will be available to all families within the catchment area, but those not on low incomes will have to pay for them.

They will include:

• Primary healthcare advice on breastfeeding and caring for children.

• Support for children with learning, emotional and behavioural difficulties.

• Literacy and numeracy classes for parents, who will also be encouraged to attend nursery classes with their children.

• A range of childcare, including stimulating play facilities for children.

Ministers believe the scheme will help youngsters in disadvantaged areas to have an equal start in life with children from better-off backgrounds, by developing a "one-stop-shop" approach to local family support services.

Ms Jowell said: "Within a few months our £452m Sure Start strategy will be making a real difference in communities throughout England.

"In the years ahead, children who are healthier and more ready to learn, stronger families and communities, less crime and fewer school-age pregnancies will benefit us all."

The 60 chosen areas are: Barrow-in-Furness, Birmingham, Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Bradford, Brent, Brighton and Hove, Hastings, Kingston-upon-Hull, Kirklees, Knowsley, Lambeth, Leeds, Leicester, Penwith, Plymouth, Redcar and Cleveland, Rotherham, Salford, Sandwell, Sedgemoor, Bristol, Camden, Copeland, Corby, Derby, Doncaster, Enfield, Fenland, Great Yarmouth, Greenwich, Hackney, Halton, Haringey, Liverpool, Luton, Manchester, Mansfield, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Newham, North East Lincolnshire, North Tyneside, Norwich, Nottingham, Oldham, Oxford, Sheffield, Southampton, Southwark, St Helens, Stoke-on-Trent, Sunderland, Telford and Wrekin, Thanet, Thurrock, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wealden, and Wolverhampton.