Child Care News
Yes, we’ve seen schools close. But the evidence still shows kids are unlikely to catch or spread coronavirus
The Conversation - Allen Cheng - June 25, 2020A childcare centre in the Melbourne suburb of Essendon has also closed for cleaning after a child tested positive. These cases, and others in young children, follow a handful of positive cases in teenage students in Sydney and Melbourne and may be prompting some to wonder...
What is family day care? And how is it different to long day care in a child care centre?
The Conversation - Wendy Boyd, Southern Cross University - June 25, 2020Choosing care for your child when returning to paid work can be challenging, and to the uninitiated the terms can be confusing. One alternative to long day care in a larger child care centre is known as family day care. Family day care is where a child is educated in a small group in a family style...
Victorian coronavirus cases rise by 33, testing blitz to target 10 hotspot suburbs
ABC News - June 25, 2020It comes as the Connie Benn Early Learning Centre in Fitzroy was closed after a parent of a child who attended the centre tested positive to COVID-19. The parent only entered the foyer and the child has now been tested and is waiting the result. The centre has been closed indefinitely for cleaning...
New provider for Monash kindergarten services
Mirage News - Public Release - June 25, 2020Council is pleased to announce that Ballarat YMCA has been identified as the new provider for the 18 community based kindergartens in Monash from 2021. This appointment follows an extensive process. Ballarat YMCA is a highly experienced Early Years Manager currently operating a number...
Childcare fees to ruin small business re-opening plans ahead of September JobKeeper cliff, Kate Carnell warns
SmartCompany - Matthew Elmas - June 25, 2020Many business owners relying on free childcare will be unable to re-open in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic when support measures they’re relying on expire, small business ombudsman Kate Carnell has warned. The Morrison government brought in free childcare for parents...
Number of Australian families experiencing homelessness continues to rise
The Sector - Freya Lucas - June 25, 2020Australian early childhood education and care (ECEC) services are becoming increasingly more likely to be working with children and families who are experiencing homelessness due to poverty or adverse events, or who are living with the consequences of domestic and family violence...
Nursing, parenting and health professionals to receive training in safe sleep and settling
The Sector - Freya Lucas - June 25, 2020Early Parenting Centre Tweddle and the Centre For Excellence in Child and Family Welfare (CFECFW) have been announced as the partnership that will see over 2,000 of Victoria’s nursing, parenting and health professionals trained in the latest evidence based approaches to sleep and settling...
Extending free childcare could fuel huge boost to economy, report says
The Guardian - Daniel Hurst and Paul Karp - June 25, 2020Australia could unlock huge economic gains by continuing to offer free childcare after the pandemic is over, a new report argues. The release of the report comes a day after Australia’s small business ombudsman and employer groups warned of the coming cliff in economic supports...
Australian business groups warn of coming cliff when free childcare and jobkeeper end
The Guardian - Daniel Hurst and Paul Karp - June 24, 2020The small business ombudsman and employer groups have warned of the coming cliff in economic supports including free childcare ending and called on the government not to reduce jobseeker unemployment benefits to $40 a day. The ombudsman, Kate Carnell, told the Senate...
Plumbers, skydivers among buyers at strong commercial auction
Financial Review - Larry Schlesinger - June 24, 2020Private investors including plumbers and skydivers showed strong appetite for fast food outlets, childcare centres, government buildings and petrol stations with a portfolio auction held in Melbourne on Wednesday generating almost $47 million in sales and a high 87 per cent...
Free child care end to hurt small business
9News.com.au - June 24, 2020The Small Business Ombudsman has warned scrapping free child care will stop businesses reopening during Australia's coronavirus recovery. Kate Carnell told the Senate's coronavirus response committee the federal government's decision to end the measure on July 12 would...
Stanmore OHSC: Inner West Council and childcare face charges
The Daily Telegraph - Anton Rose- June 24, 2020Inner West Council and a childcare co-ordinator are facing criminal charges over the treatment of children at an after school hours care facility. The Department of Education has laid five charges each against the council and the co-ordinator alleging they exposed children to harm...
Cockburn council opts against approving Beeliar childcare centre application
Perth Now - Ben Smith - June 24, 2020PLANS to build a child care centre in Beeliar without a single onsite parking bay have been rejected by Cockburn council, despite the council’s own planning officers suggesting it wouldn’t create parking problems in the area. Councillor Chontelle Stone’s alternative motion for council...
Bi-partisan inquiry agrees to action to prevent, cure and manage children’s food allergies
The Sector - Freya Lucas - June 24, 2020A bi-partisan Federal parliamentary inquiry has accepted all recommendations put forward by the Centre for Food and Allergy Research (CFAR), hosted at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), to help prevent, cure and manage food allergies. Last November, CFAR researchers...
SA Government delivers on high-speed internet promise for the State’s preschoolers
The Sector - Freya Lucas - June 24, 2020The $80 million first stage of the SWiFT internet program has seen hundreds of kilometres of fibre optic cable laid out across South Australia to reach around 500 education sites, giving them access to some of the fastest internet speeds in the country, SA Education Minister John Gardner...
