Child Care News

Berejiklian promises to provide before and after school care for all public primary schools
The Daily Telegraph - Lawrence Machado - April 18, 2019

ALL public primary schools in NSW will have before and after school care by 2021, Premier Gladys Berejiklian has confirmed while promising to cut the cost of before and after school care for each child by upto $225 annually. Speaking during her visit to Picnic Point Public School this week...

Inner-Melbourne childcare centre sale tops $10 million
Property Observer - April 18, 2019

A local private investor has sold a South Melbourne childcare centre for $10.25 million. The deal represents a sales rate of $85,415 per child and is the only offering of this kind to have sold within 1.5 kilometres of the Melbourne CBD in the past five years...

Springwood childcare centre application withdrawn
Blue Mountains Gazette - Ilsa Cunningham - April 18. 2019

A controversial development application for a 40-place childcare centre in a Springwood residential street has been withdrawn. Developer Peter Dollin, on behalf of Childsplay Day Care, said they had withdrawn the application as council had indicated they wouldn't support it...

Gold Coast childcare giant G8 Education looks to cut down on its 23 brands to deliver clear message to parents
Gold Coast Bulletin - Alister Thomson - April 18, 2019

Childcare giant G8 Education will look to slash the vast number of brands it uses in an effort to deliver a clear message to families about what it stands for in the highly-competitive industry. Yesterday shareholders at the annual meeting at Mantra on View in Surfers Paradise heard about...

Baby boy's death at overcrowded family day care house ruled as SIDS
ABC News - Kate McKenna - April 17, 2019

Police investigating the death of a baby at an over-capacity Brisbane family day care facility found children hiding in the house, including a girl crouched in a cupboard and "visibly shaking", the Queensland Coroners Court has heard. Lucas Tran was only five months old when he was found unconscious...

A Tale of Four Cities – a comparative AEDC analysis
The Sector - Megan O'Connell - April 17, 2019

By age five, around 300,000 children are starting school, but more than one in five children are not as prepared as their peers, says Megan O’Connell, Honorary Senior Fellow, Melbourne Graduate School of Education and Director of Megan O’Connell Consulting in presenting her analysis on...

Paid Parental Leave: How the two major parties compare
ABC - Stephanie Borys - April 17, 2019

The ABC takes a look at paid parental leave, and how the policies differ between the Government and Labor Party. Both have offered changes to the current system of 18 weeks paid leave for the primary carer. However women's groups, some unions and childcare experts say that both...

G8 investors hopeful of resurgence in childcare sector
The Australian - Bridget Carter - April 17, 2019

After a brief hiatus, merger and acquisition activity could once again be ramping up in the childcare space due to positive industry sentiment. And investors in G8 Education will no doubt be hoping they are offered further evidence of such at the company’s annual general meeting...

Childcare centre fetches $4.7m in off-market deal
The Sydney Morning Herald - Simon Johanson - April 17, 2019

A new Ballarat childcare centre, leased to Beginnings Early Learners, has sold for $4.7 million, seven days after being listed. Savills Australia’s Mark Stafford and MingXuan Li brokered the off-market deal for 2 Mia Street, following a failed expressions-of-interest campaign...

Rishworth calls out Liberals for unfair CCS changes leaving children “out in the cold”
The Sector - Freya Lucas - April 16, 2019

Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education and Development Amanda Rishworth has accused the current Federal Government of “trying to hide the impact their unfair child care changes are having on vulnerable Australian children”. Ms Rishworth said the decline in...

Perth childcare centre fined for too many kids, sacking whistleblower
Community News - Grelg Johnston - April 16, 2019

A PERTH childcare centre has been ordered to pay $18,100 after it was found to have exceeded its maximum number of children on multiple occasions, and sacked the woman who brought it to the attention of authorities. Narula Holdings operate the Little Peoples Place Early Learning Centre in Byford...

Before and after school care coming soon to a school near you
Mirage News - April 16, 2019

Before and after school care for all children at public primary schools is on track for 2021, with consultation to begin with principals and school communities next month. Parents will also be able to register their interest in a before or after school care service where they might not have one...

Learning centre for children with additional needs to open at SOMA Wellness health hub
The Sector - Freya Lucas - April 16, 2019

Learning Links, a not-for-profit charitable organisation dedicated to preventing learning difficulties from causing disadvantage, has announced that they will open a new learning centre at SOMA Wellness health hub, located in Gledswood Hills, a suburb in the Macarthur region of Sydney...

Why isn't the government doing more to help millennials afford kids?
The Sydney Morning Herald - Jamila Rizvi - April 16, 2019

Why Australians are having less children is part of a complex social story. The primary consideration, however, is financial. Up-to-date Australian data is limited but in the US young couples cite financial considerations ... they’d like to have more kids if it weren’t for the high costs of child care...

Public housing block to make way for 400 units, childcare centre and medical facility
The Canberra Times - Dan Jervis-Bardy - April 16, 2019

The former Stuart Flats public housing complex would be redeveloped with more than 400 apartments, a childcare centre and medical facility under a proposed $300 million transformation of the prime inner-south site...