Child Care News
'Software never has a day off sick': fears teachers could be replaced by robots
The Sydney Morning Herald - Pallavi Singhal - September 15, 2019In 10 years, teachers could become child-minders rather than skilled educators as technology takes over personalised teaching, task-setting and marking in the classroom. "We'll always need schools for reasons of childcare ... the worry is not that teachers are going to be replaced but..."
Perth’s Marjorie Mann Lawley Daycare Centre exceeding standards after 50 years
The West Australian - Rhianna Mitchell - September 14, 2019When Marjorie Mann opened up her home in 1969, her centre was the first in Perth to care for kids under two. It allowed single mums to return to the workforce and she was inundated with families. The childcare industry has changed dramatically in 50 years but the Centre remains...
Pay, societal views factors preventing men from working in teaching and aged care roles
ABC News - Alina Eacott - September 14, 2019When Brett Gent began working as a primary school teacher, he was an extremely rare commodity. And when he moved into the kindergarten sector it was not any better. "The school that I worked at when I first graduated as a Year Two teacher, I was the first male to be in the building for ..."
100 Sydney childcare centres are scamming $750 million
Yahoo Finance - Tony Yoo - September 13, 2019NSW Police, as it arrested a group of Sydney mothers on Thursday for an alleged childcare fraud ring, warned the problem is widespread. While this particular syndicate is alleged to have claimed $3.9 million fraudulently, acting assistant commissioner Stuart Smith said the same scam is also...
Canterbury Bankstown childcare centres rated best and worst
The Daily Telegraph - Lawrence Machado, Canterbury-Bankstown Express - September 13, 2019Bankstown’s Uniting Dove Cottage Early Learning says their focus on putting children first is the main reason they have been highly rated by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority. Director Mele Lutui said they are delighted with the high rating which she put down to...
Melbourne school stings late parents with fines for after-school pick-ups
Herald Sun - Claire Heaney - September 13, 2019A Melbourne school is threatening to fine families $10 per child for every 15 minutes children are left unsupervised after the final bell. Al Siraat College, in Epping ,said if parents did not want to register for after school care they would face fines and be billed if children weren’t collected...
The ripple effect of toxic leadership in education settings: New analysis from USyd
The Sector - Freya Lucas - September 13, 2019New analysis conducted by leading Australian education experts, including those from the University of Sydney (USyd) has explored the dark side of leadership in school based systems. With many early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings being associated with school systems...
2019 Excellence in Early Childhood Education Awards finalists announced
The Sector - Freya Lucas - September 13, 2019A number of individuals and services have been selected as Finalists for the 2019 Excellence in Early Childhood Education Awards, presented by Australian Childcare Alliance New South Wales (ACA NSW). “The entries feature an extraordinary list of activities, programs and service providers ..."
Why the Child Care Subsidy is failing parents
The Courier Mail - Dr Fiona Mueller - September 12, 2019Taxpayers will subsidise child care for over 800,000 Australian families to the tune of $8 billion per year in 2019-2020, and the costs keep climbing. Parents’ out-of-pocket costs for long day care and other formal care grew by 50% between 2011 and 2017. But despite this massive investment...
Cracking down on criminals who rort system
Mirage News - September 12, 2019The Morrison Government continues to crack down on criminals who try to rip off the taxpayer. The Dept of Education Child Care Fraud Investigations Team continues to work with NSW Police and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission to target organised crime in the family day care sector...
Gastro warning from health authority after outbreak levels deemed 'high'
Central Western Daily - Nadine Morton - September 12, 2019Gastro outbreaks at childcare centres and schools across region have prompted an alert to be issued by health authorities. "A high number of children aged under five seeking treatment for the highly-contagious infection," the Western NSW Public Health Unit said...
Aussie kids falling behind in preschool education, OECD report reveals
Education HQ Australia - Geordle Little - September 11, 2019Just 67 per cent of three-year-old children in Australia were enrolled in early childhood education in 2017, 12 percentage points below the OECD average and well behind countries such as Israel, the United Kingdom and France, all of which have a three-year-old enrolment rate of 100%...
Mothers arrested in raids over allegedly fraudulent family day-care scheme
Sydney Morning Herald - Lucy Cormack - September 12, 2019Mothers who allegedly gave their children's identities to be used in a $4 million childcare fraud syndicate were arrested in a police operation across south-west Sydney on Thursday. More than 10 women were targeted in the early morning raids for facilitating the operations of Red Roses Family Day Care...
Pushing the limit: The Sydney school that has topped 2000 students
The Sydney Morning Herald - Nick Bonyhady, Sarah Keoghan and Ben WeirChiang Lim from the Childcare Alliance said many centres have had to start offering new services as parents become more discerning. "You are not seeing the competition on a price level, you are seeing the competition on everything other than price, be in the location, the feel of the place and the staff,"...
Cost of living another tension for government and RBA
Australian Financial Review - Matthew Cranston - September 11, 2019Using ABS data, EY notes that energy (gas and electricity) and childcare are sectors that have seen particularly strong price inflation over the past decade, rising between 70 and 90 per cent during the period. Ms Masters said the cost of living impression left on consumers' minds was...
