Child Care News
Childcare fees Brisbane: Worst suburbs for hikes
The Courier Mail - Michael Wray & Isabella Magee - July 17, 2020Not only have childcare fees resumed after the COVID-19 relief, but new figures have revealed just how tough some parents are now doing it. Childcare fees spiked up to 14 per cent in Brisbane last year, with large increases recorded across the city, according to new figures...
Thousands of families wait on government childcare payments for 2018-19
Brisbane Times - Fergus Hunter - July 17, 2020Tens of thousands of families have waited more than nine months for payments they are owed by the government under the childcare subsidy scheme introduced in 2018. About 1.28 million families received the childcare subsidy in 2018-19, the first full financial year the system was in effect...
Increasing the childcare subsidy will help struggling families — and the economy
The Conversation - Sarah Pilcher and Kate Noble - July 17, 2020But going back to pre-COVID-19 settings - even with modifications - is risky. Australia’s existing childcare subsidy system is not fit-for-purpose in the context of COVID-19. Our analysis shows many families who have lost income or jobs will be worse off when the subsidy system restarts...
New intergenerational program tackles ageism
Australian Ageing Agenda - Sandy Cheu - July 16, 2020A South Australian aged care provider is exploring the benefits of an intergenerational education program involving aged care residents and pre-school children in a new collaboration. The project, Child Care in Aged Care, aims to promote meaningful community...
ACT Gov working to keep the cold out of ECEC with fast tracked draught proofing
The Sector - Freya Lucas - July 16, 2020Selected early childhood education and care (ECEC) services have been included in the ACT Government’s mission to combat the extremes of climate in the Territory with a fast tracked draught proofing initiative. The initiative aims to improve energy efficiency as well as reducing ongoing...
Seven cases linked to Melbourne childcare centre
The Daily Telegraph - Rachael Dexter - July 15, 2020A childcare centre in Pascoe Vale South in Melbourne's north has recorded seven COVID-19 cases, and will likely remain closed until late next week. Only About Children's Coonans Hill campus first recorded a positive case in a staff member last week, but that number...
Truly family-friendly workplaces are key to economic recovery
Women's Agenda - Emma Walsh - July 15, 2020This current situation has shown the desperate need for more affordable, easily accessible early childhood education and care. 52% of Australian parents used approved care before COVID‑19, but only 26% during, despite the government’s temporary Child Care Relief Package...
Coalition urged to end delays for struggling parents as childcare fees reintroduced
The Guardian - Daniel Hurst - July 15, 2020Nearly a quarter of applications for extra help with childcare fees took more than four weeks to process even before the Covid-19 pandemic unleashed a wave of economic pain in Australia, government data have revealed. The pre-pandemic delays have fuelled fears that the scheme...
Big price for little feet: childcare centre sells
Financial Review - Nick Lenaghan - July 15, 2020Tapping into investor demand for steady income, the Agosta family has sold a childcare centre at Footscray, in Melbourne's west, for $11.5 million, the first such sale to top $10 million this year. Operating under the Nino Early Learning Adventures brand, the multilevel centre...
Xplor and QikKids launch “Space”, a new ECEC service listing platform
The Sector - Jason Roberts - July 14, 2020Leading childcare and early learning software providers Xplor and QikKids have launched a new early childhood education and care (ECEC) listing platform called Space that will enable families to compare services, directly enquire, book a tour or apply to a waitlist online...
NSW Government releases Guide to Child Safe Standards
The Sector - Freya Lucas - July 14, 2020The Office of the Children’s Guardian in New South Wales has created and released a new guide, designed to support organisations, including those in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings, to implement the Child Safe Standards recommended by the...
Inner West Council and Joni Dunn face court over alleged child care bungle at Stanmore Public School
The Daily Telegraph - Anton Rose - July 14, 2020Inner West Council and a childcare worker at the centre of an alleged bungle which saw children wandering off an after school care facility have faced court for the first time. The worker, Joni Dunn, and council are facing charges over a number of incidents at the Stanmore...
Nannies who have coronavirus antibodies are in high demand
Business Insider - Nadine Jolie Courtney - July 14, 2020“There will be a general shift in the marketplace where almost all families will be requiring a negative COVID-19 test prior to beginning a job,” Provinziano said. “If you’re unwilling to get one then you just won’t have access to the majority of jobs that are available.”...
Four-day work week for public service part of Greens’ gender-recovery COVID-plan
The Riot Act - Dominic Giannini - July 14, 2020Childcare for four-year-olds in the Territory is currently free for up to 600 hours per year at a cost of about $35.6 million a year, shared between the ACT and Federal Governments. The ACT Government announced that the scheme would be extended to three-year-olds in 2018...
Free childcare scheme a ‘kick in the guts’ for NT family day care educators
NT News - Sarah Matthews - July 14, 2020NT family day care educators have described the federal government's free childcare scheme as a “kick in the guts” that cost them thousands of dollars in profits and even forced some businesses to close. The $1.6 billion scheme, which was announced in early April...
