Child Care News

Unvaccinated children banned from childcare across NSW as conscientious objector loophole closed
Sydney Morning Herald - Kate Aubusson - September 14, 2017

Parents who refuse to vaccinate their children will no longer be able to enrol children to childcare, with the state government closing the "conscientious objector" loophole in NSW's 'no jab no play' rules. On Wednesday night the NSW parliament passed a Bill to amend the Public Health Act...

Australians pay more for education than the OECD average – but is it worth it?
The Conversation - Megan O'Connell - September 14, 2017

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Australia is disproportionately funded by private sources compared to most OECD countries. One third of all expenditure on early childhood institutions, on average, comes from private sources. This is most often parents and families. Only Japan...

Banned: Anti-vax GP's career appears to be over
Sydney Morning Herald - Adam Cooper - Septmeber 14, 2017

But several hours later, it was confirmed the board had suspended him from practising medicine, meaning he cannot see patients in any capacity. The decision can be overturned if he wins an appeal. The hearing was closed to the public, but an AHPRA spokeswoman and Dr Piesse's lawyer...

Australia lags behind other developed countries on early childhood spending: OECD report
SBS News - Andrea Nierhoff - September 14, 2017

The latest snapshot of the education system has revealed government spending is the seventh-lowest in the 35-nation group, and highlights the country's reliance on private funds. Early learning advocates are particularly unhappy, pointing to the low participation rate for three-year-olds and...

Australian Reading Hour campaign urges parents to read to their children
Sydney Morning Herald - Linda Morris - September 13, 2017

Most of a child's brain development happens between birth and three years of age, it's not enough to assume that children will learn to read when they get to school, says the Australian Library and Information Association, which started its reading hour program in 2012. Parents need to share stories...

The next economic boom could come from women
Sydney Morning Herald - Nassim Khadem - September 12, 2017

If we were to measure the value of unpaid child care to Australia's economy in dollar terms, it would be the nation's biggest – estimated at $345 billion, according to a recent PwC report. Australia's tax system also has gender biases built in. Since women are more often than not...

Early learning report card: Australia is improving rapidly, but there's more work to do
The Conversation - Sarah Pilcher - September 11, 2017

A new report from the Early Learning Everyone Benefits campaign (ELEB) tracks progress across a range of different early childhood education and care (ECEC) measures. It shows that while the National Partnership on Universal Access to Early Education has driven significant...

Day care 'double whammy': NSW lagging in key education area
Sydney Morning Herald - Pallavi Singhal - September 11, 2017

NSW is the only state that has not yet met the national target of having 95 per cent of children enrolled in preschool for a year before they begin school, according to the 2017 State of Early Learning in Australia report. The lag persists despite evidence showing that students who attend...

Parents fight Hobsons Bay council kindergarten closure plan
Herald Sun - Monique Hore - September 11, 2017

Hobsons Bay council will vote tomorrow on whether to close Altona and Somers Parade kindergartens to make way for a multi-­million-dollar early learning hub. Both kindergartens exceed national standards, and Altona Kindergarten is among 100 nationwide nominated to trial...

Childcare centres granted permission to have less space
Daily Telegraph - Rose Brennan - September 9, 2017

INCREASING numbers of childcare centres are being ­allowed to operate without the required outdoor space for children to play. Twenty-four new waivers have been granted to childcare centres in NSW this year, bringing the total number of facilities with the smaller space to 152...

The great wage squeeze – the economy picks up but wage growth remains at a low
Financial Review - Jacob Greber - September 8, 2017

But in the real world there is plenty of evidence to suggest the link between jobs, investment and business profits may not be so straightforward, at least for now. Take Gold Coast-based G8 Education, Australia's largest listed childcare operator, which announced last month a robust...

Here's how much paid leave new mothers and fathers get in 7 different countries
Business Insider Australia - Matt Turner - September 8, 2017

Business Insider has several editions worldwide, and we asked our international colleagues about the parental-leave policies in their respective countries. Several of them, including Ghana and Singapore, are talking about extending leave periods, and in some other countries...

Historic walk-off for childcare staff over $21/hr pay
SBS News - September 7, 2017

The strike action was also supported by parents at centres in Sydney, Canberra and Darwin. "They are qualified, they are committed, they are experienced and yet they can be paid as little as $21 an hour," the United Voice (UV) union's assistant national secretary Helen Gibbons said in Melbourne."...

Thousands of childcare workers across the country will walk off the job today in protest of poor pay
News.com.au - September 7, 2017

THOUSANDS of childcare workers across Australia will walk off the job at 3.20pm today, the time they say they start working for free because of low wages. The national action on Thursday is expected to be the biggest sector walk-off in Australian history, and is the second this year...

The photos that capture the magic of Sweden's family friendly policies
Women's Agenda - Georgina Dent - September 7, 2017

When you consider Australia offers 18 weeks' paid parental leave to one carer at the minimum wage and that childcare costs upwards of $150 a day in capital cities it is impossible to consider without crying. As far-fetched as it seems this imagined scenario is not hypothetical: it exists in the family...