Child Care News
NSW school counsellors to be redeployed in bushfire impacted communities
Education HQ - January 23, 2020School counsellors will be sent to over 100 bushfire-affected schools in NSW, the State Government announced today. Included in the rollout are 113 schools, with 77 identified as needing ‘intensive support’. The Government confirmed that no new school counsellors...
Why FNQ council has banned a certain herbicide in public areas
Cairns Post - Mark Murray - January 23, 2020A Far Northern council says a recent incident motivated it to stop the use of a potentially harmful substance. “The ban extends to 133 parcels of open spaces land including playgrounds, areas near schools or childcare facilities, footpaths in CBD and...
MindChamps’ super-deal for first 10 franchisees
Inside Franchise Business - Sarah Stowe - January 22, 2020A brand new franchise buyers’ offer is putting theatre right at the heart of kid’s education. Hollywood A-lister Hugh Jackman’s former learning space, the Actors Centre Australia, has partnered with early learning group MindChamps to create kids curriculum...
State-of-the-art childcare opens with Miguel Maestre designed meals
Shopping Centre News - January 22, 2020The Precision Group has welcomed a state-of-the-art childcare centre, Paisley Park Early Learning Centre adding to its $45 million redevelopment at South Australia’s Port Adelaide Plaza. The childcare centre has opened with celebrity Chef Miguel Maestre designing...
Queensland Government funding boost – $773,000 for community organisations
The Sector - Freya Lucas - January 22, 2020The Queensland Government is delivering 31 funding grants worth $773,000 to community organisations, including those in early childhood education and care (ECEC) in North West Queensland under the latest round of the Gambling Community Benefit Fund (GCBF)...
Goodstart bush kinder program explores Yanchep National Park
Wanneroo Times - January 22, 2020A CHILDCARE program that encourages children to have greater respect for the natural environment will resume next month. Goodstart early learning centres in Merriwa and Clarkson each take up to five children a week to the Yanchep National Park as part of a ‘bush kinder’...
Investment in ‘alternative’ real estate surges to $8b
Financial Review - Ingrid Fuary-Wagner - January 23, 2020“The ‘other’ sector in the past few years has often been driven by hotel sales but it looks like we are moving a bit more into the real alternative assets now like service stations and childcare centres,” said John Sears, Cushman & Wakefield’s head of research...
The protein puzzle – 7 ways to ensure each child gets the right amount of protein
The Sector - Mandy Sacher - January 22, 2020Serving adequate protein can be challenging in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings. As well as nut, dairy and egg allergies, cooks and chefs need to consider cultural preferences such as vegan and vegetarian lifestyles, and religious requirements which see children unable...
Devonport Aboriginal child care worker wins stress leave dispute
The Mercury - Amber Wilson - January 22, 2020A Tasmanian Aboriginal child care worker has won a workers’ compensation stoush after his colleague asked a mother if she felt safe in a car with him, causing him to burst into tears and go home on stress leave. The man, employed by a state government-run Devonport child care centre...
Plan for tax-deductible childcare ought to be on the table
Sydney Morning Herald - Georgina Dent - January 21, 2020The cost of childcare has been something of a barbecue stopper for a long time, with good reason. Between 2011 to 2017, the average weekly out-of-pocket costs of formal childcare increased by 48.7 per cent in inflation-adjusted terms, without a substantial increase in the hours of...
A familiar place among the chaos: how schools can help students cope after the bushfires
The Conversation - Rachael Jacobs, Carol Mutch - January 21, 2020School will start on a somewhat sombre note this year. Some schools will still be shrouded in smog from the bushfires. Some students will be grieving the loss of property, animals or even family and friends. Some remain evacuated and others are part of the recovery effort. In recent days...
Caring for the planet and learning languages: Where early childhood education is headed in 2020.
MamaMia - Naomi Cotterill - January 21, 2020Apart from when ABC KIDS decide to change their morning programming with no notice (a situation which requires the same delicate handling as a hostage negotiation), there’s barely anything as nerve wracking for a parent as choosing the right childcare. Entrusting the care ...
Woman who defrauded childcare centre to pay wedding expenses jailed
The Canberra Times - Blake Foden - January 20, 2020A woman who defrauded the Canberra childcare centre she worked at in order to pay her wedding expenses has been jailed. Claudia Gelonese, 26, was sentenced to seven months' jail, to be suspended after four months behind bars, when she appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday...
Childcare fees up by 34% since 2013 & minister says families should ‘shop around’
Women's Agenda - Madeline Hislop - January 20, 2020Childcare fees have increased by 3% in the last quarter and by more than 34% since the Coalition came into power in 2013, according to new data released by the education department. Tehan’s comments about families ‘shopping around’ have been criticised as ill-informed online...
Outside play keeps eye problems away – optometrists push for more green, less screen
The Sector - Freya Lucas - January 20, 2020Optometrists are using new research gathered as part of a project designed to better understand screen use amongst children to call for more “green time” (time spent outside engaging with nature) and less screen time, with study results showing that most Australian children are ...
