Child Care News

WA Catholic Education fined $9000 after 6yo wandered away from school
WA Today - Heather McNeill - June 19, 2017

The WA Catholic Education Commission has been fined $9000 after a six-year-old child wandered away from a Bayswater after-school care unnoticed and was found by a member of the public 20 minutes later. The girl left St Columba's Primary School around 5pm on February 2 - the second...

Nannies train to protect kids from terrorism and kidnap attempts
Daily Telegraph - Clarissa Bye - June 17, 2017

IT looks like Mary Poppins meets James Bond but this training is deadly serious. Nannies are now being taught how to cope with extreme emergencies including terrorism or attempted child abductions. While such security was once only for nannies to the royals or high-profile families...

The new type of debt fuelling private equity's next buying spree
Financial Review - Jemima Whyte - June 14, 2017

In April, Bain Capital Private Equity was in the market syndicating the debt for its $400 million acquisition of after school care business Camp Australia. Now, its bankers are in the market seeking to refinance a portion of the $320 million of debt in $A TLB, possibly with a five to seven-year tenure...

Low yield property deals an investment 'suicide': Quintessential Equity
Financial Review - Larry Schlesinger - June 14, 2017

Concerns about a potential bubble building in the commercial property market have been growing louder as yields have tumbled on sought-after assets like childcare centres, supermarkets, take-away restaurants and petrol stations. Last month, a new record low 3.6 per cent yield was...

Mason's Law sees rise in abuse reports from childcare workers
Townsville Bulletin - Rachel Riley - June 13, 2017

REPORTS from childcare workers over potential child abuse have increased more than 20 per as carers embrace Mason''s Law even before it is officially enforced from July 1. The Department of Child Safety has revealed that from January to March this year, the number of calls from childcare personnel to...

Childcare centres offer parents giftcard incentives to switch from rival businesses
The Daily Telegraph - Natasha Bita - June 10, 2017

DESPERATE daycare providers are poaching clients in a fight for toddlers, giving gift cards to parents who transfer from rival centres. Established operators are now demanding a ban on competitors opening nearby, in a bid to protect their taxpayer-funded profits. Despite long waiting lists and...

School days stretched to 12 hours to help time-poor families burdened by long commutes and childcare
The Daily Telegraph - Bruce McDougall - June 10, 2017

SCHOOLS are staying open for 12 hours a day in a radical overhaul of traditional class time that is providing major relief to pressured and stressed families. A new school in Sydney's booming west is operating from 6am to 6pm - and more are set to offer longer hours as parents struggle daily...

Childcare, primary schools to teach about suicide, mental health
Courier Mail - Lanai Scarr - June 8, 2017

EXCLUSIVE: Three-year-olds in childcare and students from preschool and kindergarten upwards will be taught about suicide awareness and mental health as part of a $53 million Mental Health in Education program to be announced by the Turnbull government today (Thursday)...

White Gum Valley childcare centre to take part in WA study into children's physical activity
Fremantle Gazette - Jessica Nico - June 8, 2017

A NEW WA study will investigate the physical activity of local children with the help of a White Gum Valley childcare centre. The UWA, Telethon Kids Institute and Australian Childcare Alliance PLAYCE study will look into the physical activity levels of children when at home and at childcare to ...

Toddler diet link to rapid infant growth and future obesity
Herald Sun - Brigid O'Connell - June 6, 2017

THE diets of toddlers will go under the microscope to discover at what point, and from what food, the roly-poly puppy fat of early childhood starts to increase the risk of future obesity. Previous studies have shown that rapid growth in the first two years of life puts a child at a two-to-threefold...

Chloe Shorten leads gender equality campaign for babies and toddlers
News.com.au - Liz Burke - June 5, 2017

The startling research suggests children learn "gender-role" behaviour that could lead to domestic violence by the age of two. The report says: "Children start learning 'gender appropriate' and 'gender-role' behaviour by the age of two, and develop their understanding of ideas about gender-related...

Gonski funding: give money to the parents, not the schools
Financial Review - David Leyonhjelm - June 1, 2017

When I proposed that childcare subsidies be reduced where household income exceeds $250,000, and eliminated where it exceeds $350,000, the major parties wet their pants. I had the government over a barrel so it said nothing, but Labor and the Greens went into conniptions. Labor claimed it...

Bain Capital makes out of hours school care roll-up play
Financial Review - Sarah Thompson, Anthony Macdonald & Joyce Moullakis - June 1, 2017

Private equity firm Bain Capital is seeking to merge two of the country's largest after school care groups. Only months after buying Camp Australia, which operates out of hours school care in 742 sites across the country, Bain is seeking to bolt on rival Junior Adventures Group. The deal is expected to...

The big little thing missing from the schools funding debate
Sydney Morning Herald - Judith Ireland - May 31, 2017

The early childhood sector has been begging the government to do more for preschoolers for years now. Currently, Australian children get 15 hours of preschool a week in the year before they go to school. This comes via a funding partnership between the federal government and the states, begun...

NSW out-of school care grants available
Nine.com.au - May 31, 2017

NSW out-of-school-care organisations can now apply for $30,000 grants to expand or establish new services, the premier has announced. Gladys Berejiklian says the $20 million Before and After School Care Fund would be expanded to include not-for-profit child care providers. The premier made...