The Coalition's Child Care Plan
In late breaking news, the Federal Opposition has released its plans for child care.
The proposed policies were announced by Leader of the Opposition Tony Abbott and Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education and Child Care Dr Sharman Stone.
The main points are summarised below:
- If elected the Coalition will reintroduce indexation of the child care rebate and will pay the rebate weekly and directly to child care providers.
- If elected the Coalition will reintroduce $12.6 million of occasional care funding to increase access to part time care and emergency care.
- If elected the Coalition will not proceed with the new rating system for child care, claiming it would not add value and does not accurately portray the quality of care provided.
- If elected the Coalition will consult with the early childhood sector about the costs and workforce impacts of the National Quality Agenda for Early Childhood Education and Care before proceeding with significant reform of the sector.
- If elected the Coalition will re-establish the Federal Planning and Advisory Committee to assess whether establishment or expansion of child care centres is necessary subject to the unmet need in catchment areas.
The Government hasn't announced its plans for the child care sector yet but as soon as information becomes available we'll ensure you are kept up-to-date. In the meantime go to CareforKids Social to tell us what you think about the opposition's plans for child care and how you will be affected.
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Safely Administering Medications
A guide for child care service providers
With the increase in contagious infections and diseases to be seen in most child care services at this time of year, it's only natural that more child care workers will be administering medication.
However, it is a service that requires meticulous attention to detail, good record keeping and communication amongst team members and strict adherence to policy guidelines.
Furthermore, staff should be kept aware of your service's policy at all times even if they aren't actually responsible for administering any medication themselves.
In Staying Healthy in Child Care the National Health and Medical Research Council recommends the following guidelines for child care services willing to administer medication to children:
» Read the full article… |
Child Care Rebate
To be paid fortnightly from 1 July 2011
The Government has announced that from 1 July 2011 families will be able to receive child care rebate payments fortnightly in an effort to ease cost-of-living pressures.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard made the announcement in Perth and said that for the first time parents would have access to the 50 per cent rebate at the time when they need the money to pay child care fees.
According to Ms Gillard the change would help "those families who find it hard to balance the budget while waiting for a rebate."
Another change will allow families to choose whether or not they have their rebate paid directly to their child care service provider and receive an immediate fortnightly fee reduction, or continue to receive the rebate directly.
Under the current system a family earning $80,000 with one child in full-time care would typically pay around $220 per week in out-of-pocket expenses until the rebate is paid at the end of each quarter.
According to the Government changing the frequency of payments will see the same family's out-of-pocket costs fall to just over $110 per week.
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Confident teachers
Key to improving preschooler's language and literacy skills
A new report published in American journal Teaching and Teacher Education suggests that preschool children may gain better language and literacy skills if they have teachers with high levels of confidence in their abilities.
However, in some cases students only saw gains when their teachers also had classrooms that emphasised emotional support for the children.
The study, which was co-authored by Ying Guo, a postdoctoral researcher in education at Ohio State University, examined how teacher confidence in their teaching abilities, what the researchers call self-efficacy, affected children's progression in language and literacy.
The research followed 67 teachers and 328 students over 30 weeks and was conducted across a variety of states in the USA.
Teachers were given a short questionnaire that measured their self-efficacy on a scale from one to five. The survey asked questions like "How much can you do to get through to the most difficult students?" and "How much can you do to keep students on task on difficult assignments?"
The level of emotional support in the classrooms was measured by trained coders who coded how teachers and students interact with each other from videotapes collected during a two-hour standardised classroom observation. The coders rated the quality as low, mid, or high based on a numbering scale from one to seven.
» Read the full article…
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Interview
Bev Book and Karen Broomfield
Co-Directors Bulimba Child Care Centre QLD
 Child care professionals share a commitment to improving society by creating dynamic and nurturing care environments for Australia's youngest learners.
Read this month's Child Care People in the spotlight Bev Book and Karen Broomfield
Co-Directors Bulimba Child Care Centre QLD
The Bulimba Child Care Centre in Brisbane recently won an award for work place innovation and best practice in the Workforce Innovation Awards, an initiative of the Queensland Health and Community Services Workforce Council.
» Read the full article…
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 If you or someone you know deserves to be featured in this section drop us a line at editor@careforkids.com.au.
Each child care person we profile will receive a copy of Play School Collection (3 DVD set) for their service.
Courtesy of ABC Kids and Roadshow Entertainment.
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The Importance of Music
Increasing opportunities for music in child care
According to the NCAC child care programs should provide plenty of opportunities for children to spontaneously engage in music and environments should be rich in musical and rhythmic activities.
The NCAC suggests that child care providers should mix stimulating music activities such as group time instrument playing, singing and circle games with relaxing experiences which encourage peaceful reflection and self expression such as classical music while painting and ambient music during yoga or tai chi classes.
The NCAC makes the following suggestions for helping child care providers offer a wide range of musical experiences:
» Read the full article…
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Rainy Day Boredom busters
Ideas for Cooped Up Kids
With the cold weather and short days of winter upon us, it's worthwhile developing a grab bag of interesting activities to keep the children in your centre happily occupied when rainy days strike.
Undeniably the fresh air and physical nature of outdoor activities are extremely beneficial for children and an important part of their daily routine. When children are given the opportunity to play in sand, use climbing frames and run around they have the chance to socialise, burn lots of energy and exercise their large muscles.
Physical activity can also increase children's concentration abilities and will make it easier for them to sit still and listen to instructions when they are back inside. On days where there is a break in the rain let them out for a run, even if it is just for a short time
On those days when it rains non-stop and you are stuck inside for the whole day a little forward planning and some creativity should help you keep the children busy and free of the dreaded indoor-itis!
Given a certain amount of space, it is possible to bring many outdoor activities indoors and it is worthwhile developing a repertoire of physical activities you can encourage the children to do both indoors and outdoors.
» Read the full article…
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National Long Day Care Conference
Combining education & care
The 2010 National Long Day Care Conference - 'Combining Education & Care' will highlight the importance of the early years and embracing the National Quality Agenda reforms.
The conference is expected to attract delegates from all over Australia, including childcare centre owners, licencees, directors, childcare centre staff, prospective owners and other key industry stakeholders.
Friday 30th July to Sunday 1st August 2010
Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa, Gold Coast
» More details…
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