Child Care News

Paid parental leave is good for mums, Australian study shows
Herald Sun - Lucie van de Berg - April 30, 2017

TAXPAYER-funded matern­ity leave boosts the mental and physical health of new mothers, a study of more than 5000 Australian women has found. The introduction of the paid parental scheme of 18 weeks' pay at minimum wage delivered significant benefits to all new mums in the first year of their...

Machines begin caring for humans in China
Sky News - April 30, 2017

While it has become common to see robots on factory assembly lines, in China the machines have already begun providing the elderly with care and helping raise children at daycare centres. At one of China's largest daycare centres, in Sanhe, Hubei province, three white and round-bodied robots...

Fathers of newborns failing to take up paid leave scheme
Sydney Morning Herald - Amy Remeikis - April 29, 2017

It was designed to help fathers connect better with their newborn children, but Australia's paid parental scheme is leaving dads behind. Fathers of newborns can claim two weeks' pay at the minimum wage – amounting to about $1345 – from the government when their child is born, if they earn...

Massive changes to planning in NSW labelled 'scary'
The Leader - Jim Gainsford - April 28, 2017

Proposed changes to NSW planning codes wild allow medical centres and hospitals, childcare centres and private and public schools to be built in low density residential zones and neighourhood business zones as complying development, taking away the right of residents to object. The proposed...

Looks good on paper, but no clue in reality: when vocational training falls short
Sydney Morning Herald - Sylvia Pennington - April 26, 2017

He interviews up to 20 candidates a week and sees a steady stream of would-be childcare educators who hold Certificates III or Diplomas of Children's Services but don't appear to know the basics. Many candidates do not speak English as a first language and struggle to discuss aspects of...

Yields driving lower as SMSFs hunt for returns
The Age - Nicole Lindsay - April 26, 2017

And childcare centre yields have dropped nearly 200 basis points in the past 18 months. A 90-place childcare centre at 1 Regent Street, in Geelong, was sold for $3.1 million on a yield of 6.6 per cent after only 22 days on the market. The centre has a 10-year lease and returns $204,000 a year in...

Massive outbreak of hand, foot and mouth in Sydney's south west
Daily Telegraph - Stacy Thomas - April 24, 2017

SIMPLE hygiene measures will stop the spread of hand, foot and mouth after a "massive outbreak" of the highly contagious virus has been reported in the Liverpool region. In the last month, one medical centre has had at least 10 cases through their doors. My Health Medical Centre located at Westfield...

Govt to build on 'no jab no pay' policy
The Australian - Colin Brinsden - April 23, 2017

The Turnbull government is rolling out a $5.5 million immunisation awareness program to encourage parents and carers to get their kids vaccinated. Labor is disappointed the government isn't allocating more resources to this critical initiative. Building on the government''s successful "No Jab No Pay" policy...

Call to bring in nannies from Pacific Islands
Illawarra Mercury - Nassim Khadem - April 21, 2017

The Turnbull government's 457 visa scheme replacement should have made it easier for unskilled nannies from the Pacific Islands to be brought into Australia to help Australian women get back to work, says leading businesswoman Diane Smith-Gander...

Editorial: Childcare system too important to be held hostage by politics
The Courier Mail - Editor - April 17, 2017

There is something broken in the childcare system. A system that has become so fundamentally necessary to the functioning of this nation has also become hostage to constantly shifting political vagaries. The clients - parents - who use these services have to wrangle...

Australian families slugged $80 million for child care they did not receive over Easter weekend
The Courier Mail - Matthew Killoran - April 16, 2017

Families and taxpayers have been charged up to $80 million this Easter for child care they did not receive. It is common for childcare providers to charge parents for services on public holidays, even when centres are closed, but new figures show it is costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars....

Almost one-third of parents are fed up with Australia's education system: survey
Herald Sun - Lanai Scarr - April 15, 2017

Nearly a third of parents are fed up with the state of our nation's education system, saying their children are being woefully underprepared for life outside the school gate. A national survey of 1500 parents of young children found 29 per cent believe our education system is getting worse...

Childcare centres and preschools want naughty toddlers put on ADHD medications
The Daily Telegraph - Sue Dunlevy - April 14, 2017

Children as young as three are being prescribed ADHD drugs as childcare centres demand toddlers with behavioural problems are medicated before they will enrol them. The number of children aged 2-6 using ADHD medications like Ritalin has soared by 41 per cent...

Hunter faces 'oversupply' of childcare centres
Newcastle Herald - Helen Gregory - April 14, 2017

The Hunter could face an oversupply of childcare centres that may lead some to close, according to the Australian Childcare Alliance, which is calling for a planning system to prevent supply exceeding demand. The NSW government has proposed a policy to streamline the planning process...

Fulltime childcare brings a lifetime of benefits, study finds
The Courier Mail - Jackie Sinnerton - April 13, 2017

Children who are in fulltime childcare are more likely to have a better relationship with their parents later in life and be more successful, a groundbreaking study over four decades reveals. Scientists have found that when kids attend a high-quality early learning centre...