Child Care News
Three year olds are too young for pre-school
Daily Telegraph - Louise Roberts - February 8, 2018THREE years on this planet is not a very long time to simply and organically be yourself before you are shoved on to the guinea pig wheel of tests and criticism. Just over a 1000 days since you were born, most of it spent in a nappy of sorts, before you are measured up against your contemporaries and pointed in a direction, sometimes for life...
Council knocks 'ludicrous' childcare on crash hotspot
The Chronicle - Anton Rose - February 8, 2018TOOWOOMBA Regional Council yesterday voted 6-5 to knock back a development proposal for a 112-place childcare centre on a notorious truck rollover spot. The site, on the corner of James and Cohoe Sts, has had a number of incidents over the years where heavy duty trucks...
Strike proceeds as childcare workers lose equal pay claim
The Australian - Ewin Hannan - February 7, 2018Childcare workers will proceed with "unprecedented" national industrial action after unions lashed out at the Fair Work Commission for rejecting their long-running equal pay claim on behalf of thousands of early childhood employees. In rejecting the claim, a commission full bench...
Early education linked to post-secondary qualifications
The Australian - John Ross - February 7, 2018Targeted early childhood education can multiply disadvantaged kids' prospects of obtaining post-secondary qualifications, new US research suggests. An analysis by the University of Minnesota has found that intensive maths and literacy tutoring at pre-school can boost children's...
State government handballs responsibility for Stockton beach erosion to Newcastle City Council
Newcastle Herald - Donna Page - February 7, 2018Stockton's only childcare centre is about a metre off becoming the latest victim of the suburb's erosion woes, with locals warning it is a matter of when – and not if – its playground will start to crumble into the ocean. Powerful swell in recent weeks saw an old rubbish tip exposed on the...
Perth childcare veteran 'not surprised' by slipping standards in WA early education centre
WA Today - Hannah Barry - February 6, 2018A Perth childcare educator and assessor is calling for an industry-wide shake-up in order to address poor regulation and poor pay in WA's childcare centres, saying she's "not surprised" standards have slipped in recent years. Caroline Surtees has worked in the industry for nine years...
The smartest way to spend taxpayer dollars
Sydney Morning Herald - Ross Gittins - February 6, 2018There are no magic bullets in government spending, but putting money into early education – whether by lifting the quality of childcare, or beefing up preschool – comes a lot closer than most of the other things governments spend on. We''ve known it for decades, but the evidence...
Unions lose equal pay case for childcare workers
Financial Review - David Marin-Guzman - February 6, 2018Unions have lost a major five-year equal pay case for childcare workers after the Fair Work Commission blasted them for failing to produce "any evidence whatsoever" that childcare work was undervalued due to gender inequality. A full bench on Tuesday dismissed the unions' application for...
Childcare loophole sees dodgy operators buy centres without safety audit
Daily Telegraph - Kylar Loussikian - February 6, 2018More than 1080 childcare and after-school care centres around the country have not been audited to make sure they are operated properly after the arrival of new owners. In one example Camp Australia, which was black-listed by the NSW government in late 2016 after a string of shocking...
Police to teach kindy kids how to avoid online predators
The Courier Mail - Renee Viellaris - February 6, 2018KIDS in daycare and kindergarten will be warned by police about online grooming and sexting, as seasoned officers are left shocked by the age of victims. Children as young as four – many unable to read and write – are uploading sexually explicit images on the internet and falling...
Childcare strike threat a stunt: minister
Yahoo News - February 5, 2018The federal government says a plan by early childhood educators to strike next month for better pay is nothing more than a political stunt. Parents are being asked to keep their children at home on March 27 so educators can send a message about how seriously they feel about equal pay...
Low preschool attendance rates in SA holding back early learning for three-year-olds, federal education minister says
The Advertiser - Sheradyn Holderhead - February 5, 2018PRESCHOOLERS in South Australia have the worst attendance rate of any state, preventing early learning being extended to three-year-olds, Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham says. The latest figures also reveal South Australia is at risk of losing some funding for the current pre-school...
Educators launch a detailed campaign after Malcolm Turnbull failed to meet deadline
News.com.au - Tom Livingstone - February 4, 2018TODAY Australia's early childhood educators launched a national TV, radio and newspaper campaign encouraging the country to help them achieve equal pay. "We are asking the community to stand with us to fight the appalling gender pay gap, facing this vital, growing and...
Preschool funding deal extended for a year
SBS - February 4, 2018Federal funding for preschools has been extended by a year, at a cost of $440 million, as the Turnbull government continues to negotiate a long-term deal with the states. Education Minister Simon Birmingham says the funding injection will extend the national partnership on early...
Australian children are facing a sleep crisis due to excessive screen time
Herald Sun - Lanai Scarr - February 2, 2018OUR kids are facing a sleep crisis due to their reliance on smartphones and tablets and it's making them dumber, more depressed and less likely to succeed. Children as young as three are showing up to pre-school and childcare massively sleep-deprived thanks to spending too...
