Child Care News
Tehan confirms applications now open for new “Top-Up” payment for services disadvantaged by ECEC Relief Package
The Sector - Jason Roberts - April 12, 2020Dan Tehan, Federal Minister for Education has confirmed that the new ‘top-up’ special circumstances payment is available to services that have seen their revenues cut due to the application of the ECEC relief package but have seen occupancy levels maintained or increased since the...
QLD and NSW follow Victoria and confirm free Kindergarten for Term 2
The Sector - Jason Roberts - April 12, 2020Following on from Victoria’s commitment to provide free sessional kindergarten for Term 2, both Queensland and New South Wales have made similar commitments with QLD also committing to a fee free Term 2 and NSW going one step further and committing to a six month...
NSW parents are being offered six months of free preschool in bid to save the childcare sector
SBS News - April 10, 2020The NSW government has pledged more than $130 million to save childcare sector jobs by providing parents with free care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Thursday announced a $51 million funding package to cover the cost of preschool fees for ...
Family daycare educators concerned over issues surrounding free childcare
Mercury - Kasey Wilkins - April 10, 2020Not everyone has found free day care to be a positive. An experienced Hobart-based family day care educator, who wished to remain anonymous, said many in her profession were in a difficult position following the Federal Government announcement that families would receive...
How ASX childcare shares plan to survive coronavirus
The Motley Fool - Michael Tonon - April 9, 2020It’s no surprise that the ASX childcare sector is experiencing a tough market dynamic created by the coronavirus crisis. Think Childcare Ltd (ASX: TNK) and G8 Education Ltd (ASX: GEM) have seen their share prices plummet in March. In fact, the G8 Education share price...
State refuses to prop up childcare centres facing cash crisis
The Age - Bianca Hall - April 9, 2020The Victorian government has ruled out propping up the struggling childcare sector, as NSW and the federal government move to extend childcare funding payments to council-run centres. On Thursday morning NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the government would spend...
Early childhood study wins Katanning prize
The West Australian - Shannon Smith, Great Southern Herald - April 9, 2020Excelling in her early childhood studies, Katanning’s Monica Gagiano has been named the Katanning Campus student of the year by South Regional TAFE. Ms Gagiano undertook a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care in 2019 and was nominated for her adaptability...
Exceptional Circumstance Supplementary Payment – new information released
The Sector - Freya Lucas - April 9, 2020Information has been released, designed to support early childhood education and care (ECEC) services to apply for the Early Childhood Education and Care Relief Package – Exceptional Circumstance Supplementary Payment. It is available for providers/services who need a ‘top up’...
$82m to keep NSW childcare centres open through coronavirus pandemic
Sydney Morning Herald - Lisa Visentin - April 9, 2020The government will spend $82 million on childcare to support the 260 council childcare centres not eligible for the federal government's JobKeeper payments. The state government will also make preschool free for parents over the next six months - a policy that will cost $50 million...
NSW govt to announce $133m childcare package
News.com.au - April 9, 2020The New South Wales government will announce $133 million to prevent the mass closure of council childcare centres and make preschool free for half-a-year. The rescue package will reportedly include $82 million to save centres left out of the Federal Government's JobKeeper plan, while $51-million will go to preschools, so they can waive charges...
What the shutdown means for property investors
Financial Review - Robert Harley - April 9, 2020They predict valuation declines of 5 per cent for neighbourhood shopping centres, properties with long, secure lease terms, and industrial assets; 15 per cent falls for self-storage and childcare centres, 15-25 per cent for office properties and 30 per cent for retail malls...
G8 Education launches $301m raising; RBC, UBS on ticket
Financial Review - Sarah Thompson, Anthony Macdonald and Tim Boyd - April 9, 2020After a week not trading on the ASX, child care centre operator G8 Education has kicked off a $301 million equity raising to improve its liquidity. The fully underwritten offer was split between a $134 million institutional placement and a one-for-2.2 pro-rata accelerated non-renounceable...
'Unintended consequences': Mass childcare closures loom as rescue package falls short
The Age - Bianca Hall - April 8, 2020To qualify for JobKeeper, non-profits must suffer a 15 per cent drop in revenue. But those drops are calculated at an organisational level, rather than at a childcare centre level. Childcare accounts for a fraction of Uniting Vic and Tas' operations...
Coronavirus Australia: How do I apply for free childcare?
News.com.au - Stephanie Bedo - April 8, 2020About one million families are set to receive free childcare during the coronavirus pandemic. But who exactly is in that one million and how do you apply? Under the new plan announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week, the Government will pay half the reasonable...
The commercial properties being snapped up during the coronavirus crisis
Commercial Real Estate - Ray Sparvell - April 8, 2020Michael Vanstone, of Burgess Rawson Sydney, said the sale showed that investors were attracted by the security and returns of childcare centres. “Well-managed childcare centres located in areas of high demand are extremely attractive to investors, offering healthy yields and long-term security,” he said...
