Child Care News

Childcare centres face threat of rent rises
The West Australian - Kate Emery - July 29, 2016

Perth not-for-profit childcare centres fear they will have to lift fees or close under a State Government plan to stop subsidising their accommodation. The Government manages 33 properties for childcare operators, effectively subsidising them through cheap rent and by covering maintenance costs...

Jamila Rizvi: The financial worry holding my friends, and our nation back
News.com.au - Jamila Rizvi - July 29, 2016

If you're not a parent then you're probably confused right now, so let me explain. Inner-city childcare places for under-twos are a little bit like international flight upgrades from economy to first class. You've heard about it happening. You've been persuaded that such things do actually...

Tasmania's plan to lower kindergarteners' starting age raises concerns
ABC News - Felicity Ogilvie - July 28, 2016

The Tasmanian Government's plan to lower the age for children starting kindergarten has raised concerns among some in the education sector. The Government wants to lower the age for kindergarten students from four to three-and-a-half, and many parents have said that age will be too young ...

Trusting bosses, more flexibility saves businesses money
Financial Review - Claire Stewart - July 28, 2016

She said the recent move by ANSTO in Sydney, where she is deputy chair, to open its own child care centre on site, made a huge difference to the young researchers, both men and women. "The place is full, it's bursting. We didn't make it big enough." Dr Smyth said organisations need to take...

Cost of living in Sydney surges despite lowest inflation in 17 years
Daily Telegraph - Natasha Bita - June 28, 2016

Childcare costs jumped 6.7 per cent in the year to June as daycare centres raised fees to cover higher staffing costs. Centres in January were forced to hire one childcare worker for every five toddlers, instead of one carer for every eight children. "That significantly increased our costs," Childcare...

BubDesk: Office space creche set to expand to major corporate firms
ABC News - Garrett Mundy - June 28, 2016

An Australian-first collaborative space for working parents is on the cusp of a major expansion, with help from some of the nation's biggest corporations. BubDesk began as the brain child of new mum Meg Burrage in September 2015, offering parents a flexible workspace in conjunction with...

The male breadwinner is an outdated relic
Sydney Morning Herald - Matt Wade - July 26, 2016

Then there's our broken childcare system. The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey, released last week, underscored the need for change when it revealed the average family spend on childcare each week has been growing much faster than household incomes, despite...

We must invest more in early childhood
The Newcastle Herald - Kate Washington - July 25, 2016

As the Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education, I am often considering the interaction between the education system we use to prepare young people for life and for work, and the industrial relations system in which they will be operating in the future. Early childhood education is often...

Porter prioritises savings to fund NDIS, childcare for Senate talks
Financial Review - Laura Tingle - July 25, 2016

Social Services Minister Christian Porter has nominated a $1.4 billion budget saving that is to be redirected to the National Disability Insurance Scheme and cuts to family tax benefits to fund the Coalition's childcare package as his priorities for Senate negotiation when parliament meets next month...

Two in three parents want the school day extended, SA Association Of State School Organisations survey finds
The Advertiser - Tim Williams - July 22, 2016

MOST public school parents want the school day extended to relieve financial pressure on families, reduce the need for homework and ensure children have better access to activities such as art, music and sport. Two-thirds of more than 700 respondents to a survey by parent body the SA Association...

Four reasons why your childcare bill is so high
Sydney Morning Herald - Adam Morton - July 20, 2016

We know that childcare costs are ever rising, but the latest data - from the Melbourne Institute, which has been tracking the changing nature of how Australians live since 2001 - sets out the pressure on household budgets clearly. The average amount spent on childcare each week has more than...

Childcare costs denying working families a good living standard - study
The Guardian (UK) - Patrick Butler - July 20, 2016

High childcare costs are leaving parents who work full time at the national minimum wage thousands of pounds a year short of being able to afford what the public defines as a basic acceptable standard of living. Research published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) says benefit cuts and...

The real cost of starting a family
The Age - Beau Donelly - July 20, 2016

According to the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey, affordable childcare looms large in the minds of most parents, as they are forced to pay twice as much as their counterparts a decade ago. The annual survey has followed 17,000 people over 13 years to build a...

Federal election 2016: Families stick to Coalition on daycare
The Australian - Rick Morton - July 18, 2016

The federal government has won the daycare debate, recording lower swings against it in marginal electorates where the number of families claiming the Child Care ­Rebate is above average, according to an analysis of data. The Coalition's $3 billion childcare proposal to streamline benefits...

Talking Point: Combine care and education
The Mercury - Michael White - July 18, 2016

THE Tasmanian Government's plan to lower the school starting age to four and a half years for prep classes means that children will be able to go to kindergarten at 3½. Early Childhood Australia has raised concerns about this decision, pointing out that this may damage the child care sector by...