Child Care News
Childcare oversupply for Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong emerges in industry data
ABC News - Liz Farquhar - April 12, 2017A childcare industry lobby group says parts of Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong have an oversupply of childcare places and has warned that proposed planning changes could make the situation worse. The New South Wales Government is proposing a shakeup to planning policy for childcare centres...
Early childhood educators worry lower school starting age could drive up care prices
The Examiner - Michelle Wisbey - April 12, 2017Early childhood educators say lowering Tasmania's school starting age could create an "elitist" system as prices for care have the potential to rise significantly. Last year, the government announced its proposal to lower the non-compulsory school starting age to three-and-a-half years...
The tricky dilemma behind men at childcare centres
The West Australian - Gemma Tognini - April 12, 2017Some topics of conversation can be tricky. Religion, obviously. Politics. Footy. Whether or not it's OK to wear your Uggs out of the house (of course it is). Whether it's OK to wear tights as pants (of course it isn't). And, absolutely anything to do with raising kids. Given the conversation...
Why pay for child care you don't use, like on public holidays?
ABC News - Amy Bainbridge - April 12, 2017Paying for services parents can't use is another hit in a system that's already seen by many as unaffordable. A government report released earlier this year showed a sharp decline in affordability of child care for low- to middle-income families, according to analysis by Early Childhood Australia...
Holding them back: What age should kids really start school?
News.com.au - Lisa Mayoh - April 9, 2017A child's first day of school is one for the photo album, a rite of passage for the whole family — but Sydney youngster Mada Worathampitak will now have two to remember. At four years and eight months, she started school this term only to be told in her second week that she wasn't ready, and to come...
The health and safety of every child would be at risk
Camden Narellan Advertiser - Ben Chenoweth - April 7, 2017Heather Kilgour knows better than most the impact one sick child can have on an entire child care centre or preschool. That's why she is a staunch pro-vaccination advocate. The director of Campbelltown Community Preschool has been involved in the industry for about 25 years and has seen the effect deadly diseases...
Preschools focus on non-gendered play to eliminate family violence
The Australian - Rebecca Urban - April 6, 2017Early childhood teachers will be encouraged to intervene in "gendered play", identify toys and books that reinforce gender stereotypes and avoid gender-specific language under a Victorian government plan to tackle family violence through preschools. Teachers will also be asked to reflect on their own...
Can pre-school children learn to do science?
The Guardian - Jenny Rohn - April 4, 2017Either way, if toddlers are naturally prone to being good scientists, are we as a society somehow missing a window of opportunity? I began to wonder how much of the rudiments of the scientific method are dealt with in the pre-school phase. In the UK at least, learning and development from birth...
NSW Labor introduces bill to ban childcare centres for unvaccinated children
ABC News - Michelle Brown and Nour Haydar - April 4, 2017Childcare centres catering to unvaccinated children will not be allowed to open in NSW under a new bill proposed by Labor, with Opposition health spokesman Walt Secord pointing out that vaccination levels in parts of the state are below those in Africa. Labor said it planned to amend existing laws to ban...
NSW Education Department warned Federal Government about 'fraudulent and criminal behaviour' in the family day care system
ABC News - Elise Worthington, Sean Rubinsztein-Dunlop & Xanthe Kleinig - April 3, 2017The New South Wales Education Department has been warning the Federal Government about "fraudulent and criminal behaviour" in the family day care (FDC) system for years, confidential documents show. Departmental staff noted in August last year that despite the evidence and their concerns...
Nearly a third of preschool teachers overlook common speech disorder, study finds
The Age - Timna Jacks - April 3, 2017However, nearly a third of preschool teachers overlooked a common speech disorder, called Speech Sound Disorder, a new study published in the Australasian Journal of Learning Difficulties finds. The paper, which evaluated 157 preschool students from Victorian and NSW preschool and long day...
Anti-vaccination childcare 'loophole' plugged in New South Wales
9News.com.au - April 2, 2017Parents who oppose vaccinations on conscientious grounds will no longer be allowed to enrol their children at New South Wales child care centres under legislation to be introduced by the state opposition. Labor leader Luke Foley announced the policy today and said the legislation, set to be introduced...
Scientists are most productive in their peak child-bearing years
ABC News - March 30, 2017The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute is the first medical research institute in Australia to establish its own on-site Early Childhood Education and Care centre, as part of its commitment to gender equity. Professor Lynn Corcoran who initially chaired the committee told Raf Epstein that access to childcare...
Winning Senate backing for childcare bill 'cost budget $8bn'
The Australian - David Uren - March 28, 2017Winning Senate backing for the Turnbull government's childcare bill required jettisoning budget savings worth $7.7 billion, most of them dating from the Abbott government's first budget. How much of this will flow through to the budget bottom line will depend on whether the government keeps the...
Gender-theory targets set on sexist preschoolers
The Australian - Rebecca Urban - March 28, 2017Four-year-olds who exhibit sexist behaviour at preschool are the latest targets of the Victorian government's crusade against family violence, with early childhood educators to be taught how to eradicate gendered norms and stereotypes from the classrooms. The Victorian Education and Training...
