Child Care News
Gold Coast SUNS to build $10 million childcare centre
myGC - Shanee Dobeson - October 25, 2021An exciting day for Gold Coast Suns fans, with confirmation the city is getting its very own AFL-themed childcare centre. The $10 million facility, being built in partnership with Autism Queensland and Kool Beanz, was officially unveiled this morning...
Cuts to TAFE and the shift to private training providers are causing serious staffing issues in SA’s childcare centres
The Advertiser - Kathryn Bermingham - October 25, 2021Cuts to TAFE SA have made it nearly impossible for childcare centres to find suitably qualified staff, sparking concerns over training of new recruits, industry figures say. Rebecca Stiles, director of Hillbank Community Children’s Centre at Elizabeth East, said the...
A national approach is needed to protect children from COVID-19 when returning to ECEC
The Sector - Freya Lucas - October 25, 2021Analysis from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute has outlined the case for broad mitigation measures needed to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission in early learning settings and schools as Australia enters the next phase of lifting restrictions and...
Childcare costs increase across South Australia – Search your area here
The Advertiser - Gabriel Polychronis- October 24, 2021Latest government data shows the average cost for childcare has risen in almost all corners of the state, with Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island families being slugged with the biggest hikes. The annual cost per child in those areas rose by $834 to $13,049...
SA Labor announces new policy to allow three year-olds to attend pre-schools with extended operating hours
The Advertiser - Chris Russell - October 23, 2021Children aged three will be able to go to preschools where operating times will be extended, in a radical policy proposal the Opposition will take to the March election. Cost, accessibility and quality of outside school hours care would also be addressed in...
Australia's early learning and childcare policies must be improved
The Canberra Times - Jay Weatherill - October 23, 2021A recent report commissioned by the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) that surveyed 6500 workers nationally found they lacked a genuine choice about their working hours and therefore had difficulty accessing childcare and early...
WA the latest state to mandate vaccination for ECEC employees, with Jan 2022 deadline
The Sector - Freya Lucas - October 22, 2021Western Australia is the latest state to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for certain employee groups, including early childhood education and care (ECEC). “Mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for more than half of WA’s workforce sets out a safe and clear framework...
Busy Bees buys New Zealand’s Provincial for $NZ160 million
Financial Review - Anthony Macdonald, Yolanda Redrup and Kanika Sood - October 21, 2021Early childhood education provider Busy Bees Early Learning Australia has acquired New Zealand-based group Provincial Education from majority shareholder Waterman Private Capital, Ascentro Capital and its founders. Industry sources suggest Busy Bees...
Revealed: Best childcare centres in Central Queensland
The Courier Mail - Lachlan Berlin - October 21, 2021The vast majority of Central Queensland childcare centres are meeting or exceeding national quality standards, according to new data released by the federal government. The National Quality Framework is Australia’s system for regulating early learning...
KU Heathcote Preschool celebrates 125 years of founder
The Leader - October 21, 2021The children of KU Heathcote Preschool celebrated the 125th anniversary of the institution's founding organisation by establishing a vegetable garden to support sustainable practice. KU Children's Service (KU), which runs the Heathcote Preschool, was founded in 1895...
Attendance records accurate? Advice and support for meeting Regulations 158 and 159
The Sector - Freya Lucas - October 21, 2021The New South Wales Department of Education, which also serves as the state’s regulatory authority, has issued advice designed to support services to meet Regulations 158 and 159. “It’s important to keep an accurate record of attendance for each child...
Children in schools and childcare ‘didn’t drive’ Delta spread
The Sydney Morning Herald - Adam Carey and Madeleine Heffernan - October 21, 2021Analysis of coronavirus cases in schools and early learning centres by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute has found the Delta variant has mostly spread from adult to adult, less frequently from adult to child and is only rarely transmitted between children...
Victorian suburbs where childcare costs are rising
Herald Sun - Jade Gailberger - October 20, 2021Thousands of families across Victoria have been hit with childcare fee hikes during the pandemic. But some parents in regional parts of the state and Melbourne’s Bayside have also had a win, with the cost of care falling compared to March 2020. New figures...
Victorian ECEC rules clarified ahead of partial reopen day this Friday
The Sector - Freya Lucas - October 20, 2021The Victorian Government has recapped current restrictions relating to the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector, ahead of two upcoming milestones in terms of unrestricted access to children returning to ECEC. Services with funded kindergarten...
Burgess Rawson confirms November auction schedule with 12 ECEC sites feature
The Sector - Jason Roberts - October 19, 2021Burgess Rawson, the early childhood education and care (ECEC) focused real estate and business broker, has confirmed its next series of portfolio auctions will see twelve ECEC sites featuring. Following the new format of three consecutive auctions introduced...
