Child Care News

Be You: Supporting early learning educators throughout COVID-19
The Sector - July 1, 2020

Be You is a national mental health initiative established in 2018. Its focus is to provide ongoing support for educators in early learning services and schools as they respond to the needs of children, young people, and families within their learning communities. Support for early...

Think incubator acquires 6 new Nido services, secures funding for future pipeline
The Sector - Jason Roberts - July 1, 2020

Think Childcare Development (TND), the development and incubator arm of Think Childcare Group (TNK), has confirmed that it will be acquiring six new purpose built Nido services and that an independent debt facility has been established to fund future growth. The six services ...

Tax deadline extended for Child Care Subsidy families
Mirage News - June 30, 2020

Families receiving the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) will now have until 31 March 2021 to submit their 2018-19 tax return for CCS purposes. Families will still be required to submit tax documents in accordance with the usual timeframes. Minister for Education Dan Tehan said the new...

New year, new rules: All the financial changes coming in from July 1
9 News - Stuart Marsh - June 30, 2020

While the government's free childcare program will continue tomorrow, its final days are near: the package is funded to July 12. That means from July 13 childcare subsidies will return. A week later on July 20, JobKeeper payments for childcare workers will end...

Coronavirus Victoria: Outbreaks surge as state's latest infections revealed
9 News - Chanel Zagon - June 30, 2020

More than a dozen of Victoria's 64 new coronavirus infections have been linked to existing outbreaks, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has confirmed. Positive cases have been identified at five childcare centres: Guardian Childcare and Education in Pascoe Vale; The ...

Early learning centre planned for Wallan East
The North Central Review - June 30, 2020

Mitchell Shire Council is seeking lease applicants for a new early learning centre in Wallan East. A relocatable, modular facility is currently being manufactured and will be placed adjacent to Our Lady of the Way Catholic Primary School on Newbridge Boulevard later this year...

Stocks to Benefit from Old Child Care Subsidy Coming Back into Action
Kalkine Media - Hina Chowdhary - June 30, 2020

Pandemic situation in several Australian states seems to be under control; however, the recent cases of infections, especially in Victoria, are threatening the economic recovery. Australia restarted the economy much before than anticipated, which currently seems to be faring well...

Grattan Institute recommends 95% CCS subsidy ceiling in new “The Recovery Book” report
The Sector - Jason Roberts - June 30, 2020

Grattan Institute, a leading public policy think tank, has released its latest report titled “The Recovery Book – What Australian governments should do now” in which it recommends that the Child Care Subsidy rate should be increased and the taper rate flattened to improve affordability...

Little Scientists Early STEM Award to recognise inquiry based ECEC STEM – Apply now!
The Sector - Freya Lucas - June 30, 2020

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) services who have interesting ideas for a STEM exploration, or who already run a STEM project with the children in their service have been invited to gain recognition for their work, via the biennial Little Scientists Early STEM Award...

Fifty cent investment could yield massive nutritional returns for children, ECU finds
The Sector - Freya Lucas - June 30, 2020

If long day care (LDC) services were to spend fifty cents extra, per child, per day, the nutritional value of the food served to children would be much improved, through the serving of more vegetables, researchers from Edith Cowan University (ECU) have found. After surveying the menu...

Schools, childcare closed, South Australia cancels border reopening
Herald Sun - James Mottershead, Tom Minear, Shannon Deery and Mark Buttler - June 30, 2020

Schools and a childcare centre in Melbourne’s suburbs have been closed after children and workers tested positive overnight. In Melbourne’s inner west, Gowrie Clare Court childcare and kindergarten shut its doors on Monday night after a child tested positive for COVID-19...

ABS reveals which industries (and ASX shares) may rebound hard after COVID-19
The Motley Fool - Tristan Harrison - June 29, 2020

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has revealed which industries (and ASX shares) could see a bounce after COVID-19. According to The Guardian, the ABS is looking at Aussie spending habits during the coronavirus pandemic...“a majority expected to increase their spending on ... childcare (66%) ...

Families urged to stay home for school holidays as cases surge
The Age - Adam Carey - June 29, 2020

Nine schools and two childcare centres in Melbourne have been linked to recently confirmed cases of COVID-19, after students became infected through contact with family members. Six of those schools were connected to some of the 75 new coronavirus cases announced ...

Hills families to benefit from two new childcare centres in Hahndorf and Mount Barker
The Advertiser - Lydia Kellner, The Adelaide Hills News - June 29 2020

Two new childcare centres to cater for more than 200 children have been approved by Mount Barker District Council. Construction will start soon on the Montessori Early Leaning Centre, in Hahndorf, after a tender was awarded to Chappell Builders earlier this month...

‘Uproar’: backlash grows over plans to turn north shore kinder into a men’s shed
The Daily Telegraph - David Barwell, North Shore Times - June 29, 2020

Concerns are growing over the pending closure of a popular kindergarten on Sydney’s north shore under a council plan to repurpose the site into a men’s shed. Parents have launched a petition opposing a move by Lane Cove Council to evict the Meeting House Kindergarten ...