Child Care News

Buy, hold, sell: G8 Education, Nick Scali, Cromwell Property, IOOF
Financial Review - Livewire’s James Marlay - February 5, 2021

G8 Education (ASX:GEM) James Marlay: Peter, I’ll start with you G8 Education, childcare centres, dividend yield a bit above 5 per cent. Buy, hold, or sell? Peter Gardner: It’s a sell for us. They cut their dividends back in August, we expect them to continue to cut their dividend in February...

NSW Regulatory Authority issues compliance update outlining a number of breaches
The Sector - Freya Lucas - February 4, 2021

The New South Wales Department of Education, which serves as the Regulatory Authority for the state, has updated its list of compliance breaches, outlining a number of concerning incidents including a child being left alone while a carer went for a walk, and an incident where a seven year old ...

A team approach is needed to combat “back to school” asthma spike
The Sector - Freya Lucas - February 4, 2021

With children around Australia returning to school, and to early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings, vigilance around asthma has been encouraged by the National Asthma Council Australia, who have warned of “flare ups” in asthma presentations during February, when asthma ...

Can my boss make me get a COVID vaccination? Yes, but it depends on the job
The Conversation - Cecilia Anthony Das and Kenneth Yin - February 4, 2021

The first relevant case is the Fair Work Commission’s ruling in November 2020 on an unfair dismissal claim by child-care worker Nicole Arnold against Goodstart Early Learning, Australia’s largest early learning provider. In April 2020 Goodstart made a flu vaccination a condition of employment...

Coronavirus restrictions stopped the spread of some illnesses, but gastro is not one of them
ABC News - Jean Edwards - February 4, 2021

Highly-infectious bugs are particularly hard to manage at daycare centres because children find it difficult to keep their distance and do not always wash their hands thoroughly. "Certain viruses like norovirus, which are commonly the cause of gastro in childcare centres, can be really...

Childcare fees increase 5.6 per cent between 2019 and 2020
SkyNews.com.au - February 3, 2021

Education Minister Alan Tudge has denied government subsidies are to blame for a 5.6 per cent increase in childcare fees between 2019 and 2020. "Almost a quarter of people are still paying $2 per hour or less for their childcare and almost three-quarters are paying $5 per hour," he said...

WA Family Day Care residences and venues with water features subject to new rules
The Sector - Freya Lucas - February 3, 2021

Family day care (FDC) residences or venues with swimming pools, spas and water features in Western Australia are now subject to a Decision Regulatory Impact Statement, which was developed following a Coronial inquest into the drowning death of a toddler at a FDC residence in 2015...

Vic Chief Health Officer delivers a message for families and ECEC services
The Sector - Freya Lucas - February 3, 2021

Victoria’s Chief Health Officer, Adjunct Clinical Professor Brett Sutton, has issued a message for the families who use early learning services, and the educators who care for them, thanking the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector for its continued support of Victorian children...

Here’s how much it costs to raise a child in Australia
New Daily - Matt Johnson - February 3, 2021

Though higher than many might expect, the expenses covered by UNSW’s research pale in comparison to the cost of child care and schooling. According to the OECD, an average-earning Australian couple rearing two young children spend roughly 17 per cent of their income...

Thousands of Victorian kids injured, suffering trauma at childcare centres
Herald Sun - Natasha Bita - February 2, 2021

A total of 16,632 “serious incidents’’ were reported to state and territory childcare authorities, a new Productivity Commission report reveals today. Just a handful of centres have been prosecuted for breaking the rules – with none in NSW, Tasmania or the Northern Territory last year...

Increasingly divergent trends in LDC and preschool evident in latest ROGS report
The Sector - Jason Roberts - January 2, 2021

The report, which is released annually, is designed to provide information on the equity, effectiveness and efficiency of government services, including ECEC, in Australia. This year’s report confirmed, amongst other things, that childcare funding levels via the Child Care Subsidy...

High childcare costs push 90,000 parents out of workforce
The Age - Adam Carey - February 2, 2021

More than 90,000 Australian parents, including almost 21,000 Victorians, stayed out of the workforce last year because the cost of childcare was too high. The figures, contained in the Productivity Commission’s latest report on government services, reveal a sharp 21.7 per cent rise in the number...

Dundas, Merrylands, Parramatta childcare centres: New centres planned for western Sydney
The Daily Telegraph - Joanne Vella, Parramatta Advertiser - February 2, 2021

A huge influx of childcare centres are on the cards for Parramatta’s residential streets suburbs with more than 12 applications currently under assessment. Parents love them, while neighbours can hate them with a large influx of people coming and going, and plenty of noisy children...

Childcare providers shut down
Wyndham Star Weekly - Alesha Capone - February 2, 2021

More than 20 childcare operators in Wyndham were forced to close between 2018 and 2020 after having their provider approval revoked, according to data from the website of the Department of Education and Training Victoria (DETV). One operator has been prosecuted after two children...

Children 'coped really well' during pandemic: Childcare centre manager
Hawkesbury Gazette - Sarah Falson - February 2, 2021

The manager of a Hawkesbury childcare centre said children aged 0-5 years had been resilient during the Covid-19 pandemic, despite new research suggesting parents around the country were stressed about the impacts of the pandemic on their child's learning. Joanne Ware, Area Manager...