Child Care News
“Coding Critters” wins top honours in preschool category at “Oscars” of the toy industry
The Sector - Jason Roberts - February 25, 2020A new range of educational resources that introduce preschool children to coding has been awarded the Toy of the Year (TOTY) Award in the preschool category at this year’s US Toy Association industry awards. The resource known as “Coding Critters” consists of a set of interactive...
'Staff are at their wits’ end': After the fires, heavy rain claims Mallacoota's preschool
The Age - Adam Carey - February 25, 2020Three and four-year old children have been forced to spend their first weeks of kindergarten in a makeshift room with no running water or toilets. The nearest toilet is almost 100 metres away and some children have been wetting themselves in class. The town’s ageing kindergarten...
Red tape cut for foster kids in child care
9 News - By AAP - February 26, 2020It will be easier for foster children to attend child care under a Morrison government bid to cut red tape. Education Minister Dan Tehan introduced the underpinning legislation to parliament on Wednesday. "This will reduce unnecessary red tape for providers, families and state and...
Daycare workers on manslaughter charges leave watch-house
Cairns Post - Staff Reporters - February 25, 2020The allegedly “fraudulent” use of a daycare sign-in system and staff negligence has been blamed for why a three-year-old boy was left to die on a minibus. The traumatic triple-0 telephone call made by Goodstart Early Learning Edmonton centre director Michael Glenn Lewis, 45...
Latest Child Care Enforcement Action Register released – 9 cases in Q3 2019
The Sector - Jason Roberts - February 25, 2020A total of nine early childhood education and care services were sanctioned and/or had their licenses to operate immediately suspended in the three months ended September 2019 with family day care services making up the majority of the list. The details were revealed in...
Evidence for Learning launches much anticipated Early Childhood Education Toolkit
The Sector - Jason Roberts - February 25, 2020Evidence for Learning, an organisation that helps educators increase learning by improving the evidence of what works and why, has launched their early childhood education toolkit which will help support educators to make the best decisions about which approaches will have the...
Perth childcare centre sells for record yield
Business News Western Australia - February 24, 2020A new childcare centre in North Coogee has been sold off-market to a syndicate arranged by Perdaman for $7.1 million. The two-level centre is located at 53 Orsino Boulevard, adjacent to the Port Coogee Village Shopping Centre, near the marina. It will include seven separate...
Fee growth boosting childcare revenue but not reducing costs: Labor
Australian Financial Review - Tom McIlroy - February 24, 2020Childcare giant G8 Education's revenue growth of 7.2 per cent has prompted calls from Labor for more action to bring down fees paid by families. G8 — Australia's largest listed childcare operator, which cares for 54,000 children through brands including Pelicans, Jellybeans and...
G8 tries to make sense of virus, bushfire toll
Australian Financial Review - Liam Walsh and Lucas Baird - February 24, 2020G8 Education has hit its reduced occupancy guidance, but chief executive Gary Carroll said the childcare centre operator was still trying to understand the underlying trend amid the coronavirus and bushfire toll. The company's annual results showed like-for-like occupancy increased...
Two charged with manslaughter after death of toddler in Cairns minibus
ABC News - February 24, 2020A man and woman have been charged with manslaughter after the death of a three-year-old boy inside a childcare centre minibus in Cairns last week. Police will allege the boy was collected from a home in Mount Sheridan to attend a Goodstart Early Learning centre last Tuesday morning…
Affinity introduces STEAM program across Papilio Early Learning centres in NSW
The Sector - Jason Roberts - February 24, 2020A new program of introductory lessons in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics, known as STEAM, has commenced at Affinity’s Papilio Early Learning centres in New South Wales. The program is being targeted at three to five year old preschoolers and is aimed...
G8 Education feels bushfires, coronavirus bookings impact
The Sydney Morning Herald - Emma Koehn - February 24, 2020Childcare operator G8 Education has felt the impacts of both the Australian bushfires and coronavirus on daycare bookings, with chief executive Gary Carroll saying many in the sector would also be hurting. "Everyone is feeling it... the specific impact for the bushfires is that if you're...
Child Vaccination Rates Hit Record High
Mirage News - February 24, 2020Vaccination coverage in South Australian kids has hit an all-time high as the Marshall Liberal Government forges ahead with its No Jab, No Play laws. Recent data reveals five-year-old South Australians are leading the State in vaccination rates, with 94.9% being fully immunised...
Over 200 NSW family day care providers closed and license approvals plummet after government crackdown
ABC News - Lily Mayers - February 22, 2020More than 200 family day care providers across NSW have been shut down in the past five years after a government crackdown on dodgy operators. The NSW Government confirmed 211 operators had their license cancelled in the last five years and only three new...
A crackdown on dodgy childcare operators has netted $3 billion
SBS - February 22, 2020The Morrison government has saved $3 billion cracking down on shonky childcare providers, and has warned others trying to rort the system they will be caught. "We are taking tough action against dodgy child care operators who are ripping off hard-working Aussie families," ...
