Child Care News
Hume Council creates online preschool activity program for children at home
Herald Sun - Courtney Beaumont, Hume Leader - April 26, 2020Parents faced with the task of preparing their young children for school due to coronavirus can now get help from a new Preschool at Home program. While preschools in Hume remain open, many parents are choosing to keep their children at home due to social distancing measures...
Childcare centres face closure despite government help
The Canberra Times - Sally Whyte - April 24, 2020Not-for-profit childcare centres say that despite the government's new childcare funding model and JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme, they still face the prospect of closing within months. Australia's childcare sector faced collapse just a month ago due to the coronavirus, with falling enrolments...
Australian charity childcare services fear 'falling through the cracks' of coronavirus funding
The Guardian - Daniel Hurst - April 24, 2020Charity-run childcare services fear they may have to close their doors as they “fall through the cracks” of government funding to get them through the coronavirus crisis. The warning comes amid broader concerns about the Morrison government’s “free childcare” package, with some families...
Construction on the new integrated early learning centre in Mooroopna underway
The Sector - Freya Lucas - April 24, 2020An $20.5 million integrated early learning centre which will bring together a host of services, including a three- and four-year-old kindergarten, long day care, community spaces, maternal and child health rooms, and paediatrician and welfare rooms, has been described by ...
Researchers work on ‘unplugged’ coding activities for preschoolers recognised
The Sector - Freya Lucas - April 24, 2020Dr Joohi Lee, a professor in the College of Education at the University of Texas, Arlington, has been recognised for her work on coding activities for children that do not involve computers or computer programming in early childhood settings, with her research recently being published...
Classroom confusion as teachers defy advice on school safety
The Australian - Stephen Lunn and David Penberthy - April 23, 2020Teachers’ unions are defying explicit advice from the nation’s most senior health officials that attending school is safe as they resist students returning to classrooms, sparking confusion among parents. With more than a million primary and secondary students beginning...
A Rising Share Price Has Us Looking Closely At Think Childcare Limited’s (ASX:TNK) P/E Ratio
Simply Wall St - April 23, 2020Those holding Think Childcare (ASX:TNK) shares must be pleased that the share price has rebounded 33% in the last thirty days. But unfortunately, the stock is still down by 36% over a quarter. But shareholders may not all be feeling jubilant, since the share price is still down...
South Australian parents encouraged by Education Department to return children to school amid coronavirus pandemic
ABC News - Kathryn Bermingham - April 23, 2020South Australian parents will be urged to send their children to school next week after the state's Education Department revised its stance on the coronavirus threat. In a letter sent to principals and pre-school directors on Wednesday, Education Department chief Rick Persse said...
'I will continue to open to keep some normality in the lives of the children'
Nine.com.au - Jo Abi - April 23, 2020Renata Stipanovic has been running Renata's Family Day Care in Sydney's Sylvania for 23 years — a successful, award-winning small business that has allowed her to provide for her family and fulfil her passion for early childhood care and education. Until now, the impact of coronavirus...
School and preschool maintenance package to deliver local economic stimulus
Mirage News - April 23, 2020Almost 500 schools and preschools in South Australia will receive grants to undertake priority maintenance work, as part of a $32 million State Government economic stimulus package to be rolled out this year. The investment will see school and preschool sites across...
New ATO rules see ECEC services eligible for JobKeeper, regardless of revenue
The Sector - Jason Roberts - April 23, 2020The Australian Tax Office has confirmed a new ruling that will enable nearly all early childhood education and care services that received the ECEC Relief Package to now be automatically eligible for the JobKeeper package. This breakthrough will be particularly important to ...
NSW sets out COVID-19 free preschool funding rules: community and mobile preschools
The Sector - Freya Lucas - April 23, 2020Following an announcement earlier in April, the New South Wales Government has released detailed information about the objectives, process, funding conditions and spending rules for the COVID-19 Free Preschool Funding program for community and mobile preschools...
Ex-premier urges states to take over childcare system in 'crisis'
The Sydney Morning Herald - Adam Carey - April 22, 2020Former South Australian premier Jay Weatherill has called for the states to take over control of early learning from the Commonwealth, arguing Australia’s under-fives are being failed by a fractured childcare system dominated by private interests. Preschools should be run like schools...
From the moment they enter preschool, young South Australians will be connected to high-speed internet
The Advertiser - Miles Kemp - April 22, 2020Government preschool and children’s centres will have high-speed broadband by mid next year. The project for 380 campuses means internet speeds 1000 per cent faster than currently available, with Telstra chosen as the business partner. The scheme mirrors that for ...
Tehan announces new helpline to support essential workers find local care
The Sector - Freya Lucas - April 22, 2020Families seeking early childhood education and care (ECEC) services in their local area during the COVID-19 pandemic will be supported to do so through the introduction of a new helpline, announced yesterday by Federal Minister for Education Dan Tehan. The helpline, which will...
