Child Care News
This is serious. Campbellfield burns, Andrews must act
The Age - Noel Towell, April 5, 2019As they say in Campbellfield, this is bullshit. Schools were closed, kinders went into lockdown, neighbourhoods evacuated, the city stank and it’ll be a fair while, no doubt, before we know what exactly was in that big black cloud that made its way south from Campbellfield on Friday morning...
Access to Early Learning program improves outcomes for vulnerable children
The Courier - Rochelle Kirkham - April 5, 2019Mount Pleasant Kindergarten's educational leader Erin Mata has a vision every child in Ballarat could participate in 15 hours of funded kindergarten a week. It is a dream that comes from a passionate education provider who believes strongly in the power of early education to set children up to achieve at school...
Want to end expulsions from preschool? Focus on parent/educator relationships
The Sector - Freya Lucas - April 5, 2019The way that early childhood education and care (ECEC) educators perceive their relationships with parents is a contributing factor to children being removed from services (expelled), research from the University of Illinois at Chicago has found...
Funding to support Victorian children get the most out of Kindergarten
The Sector - Freya Lucas - April 5, 2019The De Garis Kindergarten in Mildura has received $230,000 in school readiness funding through the Victorian Government, which will be implemented alongside the construction of a new $189,400 inclusive playgroup underway. The existing playground is being upgraded...
ECA says Budget fails to deliver, represents a missed opportunity to get it right for ECEC
The Sector - Freya Lucas - April 4, 2019The recent Budget announcement “fails to deliver for young children and early education”, Early Childhood Australia (ECA) have said, in a statement released earlier this week, highlighting the failure to address problems with the Child Care Subsidy and secure long term funding...
How have Indigenous Australians fared in the Coalition’s 2019-20 Federal Budget?
National Indigenous Times - Hannah Cross - April 4, 2019While the government made an effort to better fund Indigenous education, the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC) is unhappy with the amount allocated for early childhood education. A statement from SNAICC said the “lacklustre” budget is unlikely to deliver...
If you think childcare costs are high, why not… look at these childcare stocks?
Stockhead - Nick Sundich - April 4, 2019The cost of raising a child is getting higher. A 2016 Suncorp report found the average cost is $297,600 from birth to 17 – which as Mamamia noted is the cost of a brand new Ferrari. Ouch. Among the biggest expenses of raising children are childcare and education. Childcare costs have risen...
Adelaide baby in serious condition with meningococcal
The Advertiser - Dixie Sulda - April 4, 2019The baby had come into contact with numerous people, and 41 of them have been directed to receive clearance antibiotics, SA Health says. SA Health is also working closely with Greenwith Childcare Centre, where the girl attended, to ensure staff and children receive the appropriate advice...
'I thought it was a hoax': When Centrelink tells you your son doesn't exist
Sydney Morning Herald - Paul Sakkal - April 4, 2019Kim was shocked to receive a letter from Centrelink accusing her of illegally claiming almost $7000 in childcare rebates. Centrelink accused her of rorting the system and would refer her to debt collectors because, they said, her son did not exist...
Ageless play program lifting spirits among aged care residents and children alike
ABC - Malcolm Sutton - April 4, 2019Playgroup SA has established 14 so-called intergenerational playgroups across the state and this week launched its first partnership with Eldercare to bring together pre-schoolers and aged care residents. Since January, young children and their parents have been...
No easing of fiscal pressure on families with young children
Canberra Times - Peter Brewer - April 4, 2019No change to child support or preschool funding coming out of the federal budget means the financial squeeze on young Canberra families like the Kiddeys will continue. Jonathan and Rebecca Kiddey of Macgregor have their youngest daughter, Matilda, in child care three days...
Budget 2019 has little new for schools and even less for early childhood: education experts respond
The Sector - Peter Goss, Steven Lewis and Susan Irvine - April 3, 2019In his first budget speech, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said education was the “first defence of the nation […] it is critical to our prosperity, harmony and advancement as a country.” Frydenberg said funding for government, independent and Catholic schools was at...
Federal Budget 2019 outcome underwhelming for ECEC sector
The Sector - Jason Roberts - April 3, 2019In a highly anticipated 2019 Federal Budget the key takeaway for the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector is an extension of the National Partnership on Universal Access to Early Childhood Education for a further 12 months for children attending a preschool program...
ACA and The Parenthood say Budget has failed to provide certainty on Universal Access
The Sector - Freya Lucas - April 3, 2019The lack of certainty around ongoing funding for the Universal Access program, designed to give every four year old access to a quality preschool education for 600 hours in the year before school, is disappointing, both the Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) and The Parenthood have said...
Victorian children to learn new language in Kindergarten through new funding package
The Sector - Freya Lucas - April 3, 2019Children in Victoria will be offered the opportunity to learn a language other than English while attending kindergarten in 2019, through a ‘significant investment by the Victorian Government’, Victorian Minister for Education, James Merlino has said...
