Child Care News
Little Zebra Childcare Centre mini-van stolen, taken on 350km joy ride
Townsville Bulletin - Shayla Bulloch - March 9, 2020Two teenagers have been arrested after allegedly stealing a childcare van and taking it on a dangerous 350km joy ride on a major highway. The 14-year-old boys were caught running from the burning wreck of the stolen car near Bowen on Sunday after they allegedly stole it from...
Call for more ‘father figures’ in schools and kindy
The Courier Mail - Natasha Bita - March 8, 2020More men should work in schools and daycare centres as “father figures’’ for kids with single mothers, the National Children’s Commissioner declared yesterday. Megan Mitchell said good blokes are needed as role models for a generation of stressed-out kids. “Boys need role models...
Diving in together – babies (and parents) reap rewards of swimming
The Sydney Morning Herald - Gabriella Payne - March 8, 2020She doesn't know it now, but baby Piya is giving herself a potential head start on literacy and numeracy by taking her first underwater plunge at just six months old. Exposure to swimming has been found to give children starting school an advantage in cognitive, as well as physical skills...
Celebrating Inspiring Women: International Women’s Day with Melita Pendergast
Riot ACT - Communities@Work - March 8, 2020Today, on International Women’s Day, we celebrate the ACT Child Care Director of the Year, Melita Pendergast. Melita took top honours at the 2019 ACT Pedagogical Leadership Network’s Education and Care Awards. In the first of our ‘Inspiring People’ series, we speak with Melita...
Ground zero in the fight against COVID-19
Australian Financial Review - Aaron Patrick, Bo Seo and Elouise Fowler - March 7, 2020The 17 children rushed into Dorothy Henderson Lodge like tiny, germ-carrying missiles. The visit, on February 24, from the Banksia Cottage Childcare was so routine – a treat for the elderly residents, and an adventure for the children – that the nursery's young charges were able to walk the...
Parents’ new plea as childcare costs soar above housing costs
Herald Sun - Matt Johnston and James Campbell - March 7, 2020Parents with more than one child in paid care are pleading for fee relief, as a single mum says her childcare costs have soared to more than her rent. Inner Melbourne centres now charge as much as $154 for a day for subsidised childcare, with families saying it is a disincentive for some...
Robust ECEC debate held during NSW Legislative Assembly – first in 8 years
The Sector - Freya Lucas - March 5, 2020A public interest debate on the topic of early childhood education and care (ECEC), concerning both outside school hours care (OSHC) and early childhood education, was held as part of the New South Wales Parliament Legislative Assembly earlier this week. The debate opened...
Childcare centre closed over fears staff contracted coronavirus
News.com.au - March 5, 2020A childcare centre has been closed in Sydney’s northern suburbs over fears staff at the centre have been infected with coronavirus. The childcare centre in Macquarie Park was closed after multiple members of staff became unwell. The staff are now undergoing testing to determine...
These asylum seeker families are being given free childcare in Sydney
SBS - March 5, 2020For children who are not even of school age, their education can cost more than $25,000 a year. With high fees impacting one of Australia’s most vulnerable groups, a Sydney council and charity has stepped in. After five years in Australia, Salbiah Mohd can finally take English classes...
Early Doors
Financial Review - Rebecca Holland - March 4, 2020A childcare landlord has bought a childcare centre yet to be built in Wanneroo, near Perth, on a fund-through basis for $3,875,000. National childcare operator Green Leaves has a 20-year lease plus options on the property at 813-815 Wanneroo Road and 4 Santa Rosa Road...
Childcare fee hikes hit Logan families
The Courier Mail - Judith Kerr - March 4, 2020Yesterday’s interest rate cut will bring some relief to families in Logan, where child care fees have been on the rise since 2013. Statistics released from the Federal Department of Education last month showed the national average hourly fee for Centre Based Day Care in the September...
Sydney childcare centre fined $14,000 after toddler went missing
9News.com.au - Kelly Fedor - March 4, 2020One of the nation's biggest childcare operators has been fined $14,000 after a child was found wandering alone and in distress next to a major western Sydney road. The two-and-a-half-year-old was missing for up to 10 minutes...
Two Medical Experts Explain the Right Way to Talk About Coronavirus With Your Kids
Pop Sugar - Tarah Chieffi - March 4, 2020With confirmed cases of coronavirus spreading in the U.S., it's likely that your kids have been hearing about it on the news, from friends at school, or (as has definitely happened in my house) in conversations you have with other grown ups. They may be feeling scared or confused...
Childcare limits stop professional women returning to work: report
Mirage News - Australian Institute of Project Management - March 4, 2020A report prepared by the Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM), to coincide with International Women’s Day, identifies eight imperatives for improving gender equity in senior industry levels. It found that reforming federal government childcare policy would encourage...
Court scraps $238,000 payout to childcare worker over defamatory email
The Sydney Morning Herald - Michaela Whitbourn - March 3, 2020The state's highest court has overturned a District Court decision awarding a childcare worker almost $238,000 for a defamatory email sent to 35 people and pointed to a potential need to clarify the law to rein in payouts in future cases. In a judgment on Tuesday, the Court of Appeal...
