Child Care News
Australian preschoolers learning second language at rates not seen before
Daily Telegraph - Lanai Scarr - March 4, 2018Pre-school students are learning a second language at rates not seen before. News Corp Australia can reveal the latest data on the federal government's Early Learning Languages Australia program which is expected to see more than 80,000 children at more than 2500 preschools...
Tough, challenging and a struggle: That's life for parents in politics
Canberra Times - Kimberley Le Lievre - March 4, 2018"That means trusting staff to get work done rather than just measuring the hours in the office, making sure we're measuring output because I reckon a working parent focused on getting to childcare before 6 to pick their kids up gets through a lot of work in a day, while someone...
How your suburb rates for living, working and playing
Herald Sun - Ian Royall - March 4, 2018The "live" index was measured based on accessibility to aged care, childcare, all levels of education, churches, as well as crime rates, health services, hospitals, property prices, building approvals, household rent, mortgage payment data and the ratio of rented to owned households...
Perth care centre Camp Australia fined after boy sprayed in the eyes with cleaner
The West Australian - March 3, 2018A popular Perth children's holiday care program has been fined after a young child was sprayed in the eyes with antibacterial cleaner. According to the statement of facts, a spray container of antibacterial cleaner was left on top of a table beside an unlocked cabinet at the...
Folkestone group keeps on delivering
Brisbane Times - Carolyn Cummins - March 2, 2018Developer and real estate funds manager, Folkestone will focus on boosting its suite of funds, including the largest Education trust, through acquisitions and new projects. For the half year to December 31, 2017, Folkestone reported a net profit after tax of $9.9 million, an increase...
Camp Australia CEO 'personally apologises' to families affected by WA child safety issues
WA Today - Hannah Barry - February 28, 2018The chief executive officer of Camp Australia has "personally apologised" to WA families affected by a string of child safety breaches which saw the company fined more than $100,000 by the State Administrative Tribunal last week. The Department of Communities commenced action against...
Disturbing mental health trend among young people in Australia
News.com.au - Charis Chang - February 28, 2018National Mental Health Commission chief executive officer Dr Peggy Brown has called for more investment in mental health for children from birth to 12 years old. "Although we've seen significant and vital investment in adolescent mental health through Headspace, corresponding investment for...
Council knock-back of child care centre lands in court
The Chronicile - Matthew Newton - February 28, 2018TOOWOOMBA Regional Council has been taken to court over its refusal to approve a development application for a childcare centre on a notorious corner on James Street. Councillors knocked back the proposal for 24A to 28 James street - a corner of the Warrego Highway where a number...
Anti-vaxxers establish own social services after No Jab, No Play policy crackdown
ABC News - Janel Shorthouse - February 28, 2018A network of anti-vaccination families on Queensland's Sunshine Coast are creating their own social services, including childcare and schooling, in a bid to counter the Federal Government's landmark No Jab No Play policy, implemented in January. The amended law disqualifies families without...
Childcare centre developers told to prove demand
The Courier Mail - Brian Bennion - February 28, 2018A GROWING number of childcare centre developments is causing angst in the community, turning quiet suburban streets into peak-hour bottlenecks. Morningside residents met near the site of a new childcare centre proposal at 163 Richmond Rd to oppose the entrance being built in their...
Baby blues: what not to ask mums going back to work
Sydney Morning Herald - Alexandra Cain - February 28, 2018"You need to know they are willing and available for the hours they're putting their hand up to work. But under no circumstances is it appropriate to ask about their childcare arrangements, unless there are ways the employer is going to support those arrangements." Aside from her...
Canberra children to get free flu vaccines after shocking 2017 season
ABC News - Elise Scott - February 27, 2018Canberra's young children will have access to free flu vaccines this season after a shocking winter last year that left 12 kids in intensive care. Children between six months and five years old will be able to get the free jab from child health immunisation clinics or their GP from April. Health Minister...
Refugee children given better access to early childhood education in Qld
MyGC.com.au - Monique st CLair - February 27, 2018Refugee and asylum seeker children will now have better access to kindergarten, thanks to a new pilot program developed by the Palaszczuk Government. The program will help children engage in early childhood education, which could also help them and their parents...
G8 childcare centres tap into Macquarie Telecom
The Australian - Supratim Adhikari - February 27, 2018Australia's largest listed childcare centre operator, G8 Education, has signed up to Macquarie Telecom's software-defined wide-area network (SD-WAN) in a bid to wean itself off the domestic ADSL services which it says are neither cheap nor fully effective. With Macquarie's software-driven network...
G8 profit 2017: earnings spark investor tantrum
The Courier Mail - Liam Walsh - February 26, 2018G8 has warned conditions in the childcare sector will remain tough in the next few months as a glut of rival centres "continues to be felt". But the Gold Coast-based operator of 516 centres is also hoping changes to government rebates for parents will help drive demand from July this year...
