Child Care News

Geelong kindergarten parents and teachers call for three-year-old funding
Geelong Advertiser - Olivia Shying - November 14, 2017

OVERSTRETCHED parents are calling on the State Government to subsidise three-year-old kindergarten places so all children have the same access to education. Breakwater Preschool teacher Simone Orr said the kindergarten was forced to cut its three-year-old program five years ago...

Steady growth and reliable income
The Australian - Adrian Ezquerro - November 14, 2017

With total assets now in excess of $900m, Folkestone Education Trust (ASX: FET) has grown to become the largest childcare-focused Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) in Australia. Driven by a high-quality management team, FET has invested judiciously in recent years to deliver...

One in two Australians fear young people are not equipped for jobs of the future
Sydney Morning Herald - Anna Patty - November 13, 2017

Job numbers were predicted to grow for general clerks, registered nurses, general sales assistants, child carers and electricians. Jobs in growth industries including aged care, childcare and the health sector were low paid, but Mr Dawson said the skill level of some jobs could be raised...

Childcare reforms will bring relief to thousands of families in Melbourne's west
The Daily Telegraph - Annika Smethurst - November 12, 2017

PARENTS in Werribee and Melbourne's west will be the big winners when the federal government's new childcare subsidies kick in next year. A new analysis by the Department of Education and Training has identified the suburbs where the greatest number of Australian families will...

Looming childcare centre closure set to dampen baby boom in rural WA town
ABC News - Benjamin Gubana - November 12, 2017

Families in a thriving rural town in Western Australia's Wheatbelt may be forced to give up their jobs, or leave town, because of a lack of childcare. At a time when some regional towns are in decline, Dumbleyung, about 270 kilometres south-east of Perth, is going through a baby boom...

Australian Vaccination-sceptics Network targets Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
The Courier Mail - Janelle Miles - November 10, 2017

ANTI-vaxxers have been condemned for "new levels of stupidity" after telling a meeting in far north Queensland that "darker-skinned people" are most at risk from vaccine reactions. The Australian Vaccination-sceptics Network (AVN) visited Kuranda, in the state's far north, this month as part of a...

Dodgy daycare workers must pay back $110m in welfare rort
Herald Sun - Tom Minear - November 9, 2017

DODGY daycare workers will be forced to pay back $110 million after the government says they ripped off taxpayers by improperly claiming welfare benefits. Widespread rorting has been uncovered in a crackdown on daycare educators, with the government identifying $68 million in debts...

Relief on horizon for families facing crushing childcare fees
Nine.com.au - Reid Butler - November 8, 2017

The Coalition says it's working to fix the "broken" system, and is planning a sweeping overhaul from July next year. "(Aussie families) are going to see the abolition of that terrible $7500 child care rebate cap that currently afflicts so many families," Education Minister Simon Birmingham said...

Job hunting? You are 167 times more likely to find one in a city
The Standard - Clay Lucas - November 8, 2017

The childcare sector also had a big increase in employment, driven by a baby boom that gathered pace in 2012. Those having children were also more likely to be double-income households, driving the need for more childcare jobs. Education and training were also big drivers of jobs growth...

Early childhood learning: Death of nursery rhymes a concern
Daily Telegraph - Jackie Sinnerton - November 8, 2017

NURSERY rhymes are dying a slow death in the world of ipads and hi-tech toys and children's development is suffering. While rhymes like Jack and Jill and Ring a Ring o' Roses are many centuries old, they are still relevant in boosting children's early literacy and motor skills...

Guess how many Australian company directors think child care is important
Sydney Morning Herald - Jane Gilmore - November 7, 2017

They ranked childcare right down at the bottom, this large collection of rich and powerful people (70 per cent of whom are men). Just one per cent of them said childcare was an important issue. According to the World Economic Forum, "Affordable, good-quality childcare is a key enabling...

Millennial men can help women break through the glass ceiling: new study
Sydney Morning Herald - Anna Patty - November 7, 2017

Men under the age of 40 considered on-site childcare and parental leave as much higher priorities than their older counterparts. The research showed a higher proportion of men under 40 said they would take steps to support flexible work, including changing the schedule for routine...

Developers failing to build apartments for Australian families, leading architect claims
Domain.com.au - Sue Williams - November 7, 2017

"Developers are ignoring families with kids as they somehow feel they should be planning for other demographics instead. But just as low-rise housing has been masterplanned with kids in mind, to include schools, community centres, child care facilities and parks, we now need to make...

Property boom leaves its mark on the official inflation gauge
Financial Review - Jacob Greber - November 6, 2017

The bureau has almost doubled the weighting for childcare, from 0.69 per cent to 1.35 per cent, with weekly expenditure increasing 127.1 per cent to $21.51. "This rise in the expenditure and weight of child care is driven by increased demand, which has also resulted in significant...

Education Department accused of failing to ensure safety conditions on high-rise childcare operators
The Courier Mail - Daryl Passmore - November 5, 2017

EDUCATION officials could be held responsible for any fire tragedy in multistorey childcare centres, according to legal advice. The Sunday Mail last week reported that the rapid growth of facilities above ground level has raised concern that outdated building regulations and licensing...