Child Care News
Federal Goverment accuses SA for being the nation's worst for proper child care checks
The Advertiser - Tory Shepherd - August 23, 2017ONE in five South Australian child care centres has not had their standards assessed, prompting accusations from federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham that the Weatherill Government has exposed children to the risk of dodgy operators. Latest figures from the Australian Children's...
Family daycare providers shut down for claiming subsidies for 'phantom' children
ABC News - Jean Kennedy & Louise Hall - August 23, 2017More than 165 family daycare providers have been forced to shut their doors across Australia after the operators were allegedly found to have been falsely claiming subsidies. The joint state-federal government crackdown has seen 117 providers lose their accreditation and 49 providers have their...
Talking Point: Committed to a bright future for all students
The Mercury - Jeremy Rockliff - August 23, 2017Indeed, research shows that access to quality early play-based learning can dramatically improve a child's educational success - and that this is particularly the case for children who are vulnerable, or experience disadvantage. That is why the Government has maintained...
Learning and playing at school go hand-in-hand
The West Australian - Bethany Hiatt - August 22, 2017Play is "disappearing" from school classrooms, an education expert has warned. Murdoch University early childhood education director Sandra Hesterman told about 100 educators at a seminar yesterday that WA urgently needed a Statewide play strategy to safeguard young children's...
G8 Education shares surge higher after 20pc profit boost
Gold Coast Bulletin - Alister Thomson - August 22, 2017However, it said there were signs of an improving occupancy trend since March compared to the same time last year. Profit during the six months to June 30 rose 23 per cent to $30.5 million while there was a 2.1 per cent gain in revenue to $368.7 million. G8 said cost savings from its wages...
G8 Education hurt by weak wage growth
SBS News - August 21, 2017Sluggish wages growth and the federal government's cap on benefits have led to fewer children going to childcare centres, says G8 Education. The Gold Coast-based childcare centre operator says supply of long-day care centres across the country has exceeded demand in the past year...
Two-year-olds should learn to code, says computing pioneer
The Guardian - Hannah Devlin - August 21, 2017Children as young as two should be introduced to the basics of coding, according to one of Britain's most eminent computing pioneers. Dame Stephanie Shirley, whose company was one of the first to sell software in the 1960s, said that engaging very young children – in particular girls...
If childcare costs more than my salary, don't expect me to return to work
Sydney Morning Herald - Polly Dunning - August 21, 2017It seems every few weeks there is another well-meaning article about why women with children should return to work regardless of the extraordinarily high cost of childcare. And they make excellent points, particularly about the hit to superannuation and career progression that women...
Childcare centres encouraged to audit toys and books
The Australian - Rebecca Urban - August 21, 2017Childcare centres, preschools and libraries will be encouraged to scrutinise books, toys and posters to ensure play spaces are "gender equitable" in the latest government-led bid to tackle family violence starting in childhood. Based on the premise that gender inequality is linked to...
Mitchell Institute's Peter Noonan says there is no crisis in apprenticeships
Financial Review - Tim Dodd - August 20, 2017A leading tertiary education expert has debunked claims from business groups, politicians and unions that Australia is suffering an apprenticeship crisis, and warned that pouring public money into boosting trainee schemes could lead to new rorts by training companies. Peter Noonan...
Nation of care bears provide unpaid childcare, aged-care support
The Australian - Bernard Salt - August 19, 2017About 5.2 million reported they provided unpaid childcare during the two weeks before the census, including 1.3 million who did so for children other than their own. And 2.1 million Aussies said that over the previous two weeks they provided unpaid care for family members or others...
Artificial wage rise due to changed calculations
The Australian - Adam Creighton - August 18, 2017The prices of electricity and childcare have soared since 2011 while those of computers and kettles have plummeted. That means we would have shifted our spending away from childcare to mobile phones - what economists call a "substitution effect" - which will increase the latter's expenditure...
Childcare push to scrap Australia Day
The Australian - Rebecca Urban - August 18, 2017A push is on to sideline Australia Day celebrations in preschools and childcare settings because of sensitivity about the event among indigenous Australians, with a group of activist educators throwing its support behind a Melbourne council's ban. Senior members of the lobby group Social Justice...
Call for additional Tasmanian child and family centres
The Advocate - Michelle Wisbey - August 16, 2017The Labor Party has called on the government to commit to building additional child and family centres in the wake of the school starting age reversal. In Parliament on Wednesday, Opposition education spokeswoman Michelle O'Byrne questioned Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff on whether he would...
Tasmanian backdown on lower school age applauded, but concerns about funding linger
ABC News - August 15, 2017Early childhood provider and campaigner Linda Wooldridge told ABC Radio while she was happy with the backflip, funding for the pre-school plan should be distributed equitably. "Access is a problem for higher income families as well as disadvantaged families so I think we have a real opportunity...
