Child Care News
Working mums are good for child development
Financial Review - Jo Briskey - February 11, 2016At no point in the childcare reform debate has it ever been asserted that the incredibly important role a parent has in a child's life is in any way less important or less effective than the role of an early year's educator. Childcare is early learning. Gone are the days of child-minding so mum and dad can work...
Childcare changes: 45,000 families to lose out because of high childcare fees
Sydney Morning Herald - Judith Ireland - February 11, 2016About 45,000 families will be worse off under the Coalition's childcare reforms because they pay childcare fees that are higher than the upper limits of the government's new subsidy rate. A Senate committee also heard on Wednesday night that a further 37,000 families would be worse off because they...
NSW Government forced into action over chronic after school care shortage
Sydney Morning Herald - Eryk Bagshaw - February 11, 2016The NSW Government has been forced to increase funding for after school care services to address Sydney's chronic shortage of out of hours care. On Wednesday, NSW Premier Mike Baird announced that a second phase of funding would be opened up to after school care providers across the state...
Early childhood education is key to closing the gaps
The Conversation - Nicholas Biddle - February 10, 2016In the longer term, we find evidence that both preschool and childcare participation were positively associated with reading and literacy, as well as maths and abstract reasoning. Both preschool and childcare participation also had a positive association with developmental outcomes, especially in terms of...
Childcare funding proposal supported by Labor, dispute with Government on how to spend money
ABC News - Julie Doyle - February 9, 2016The Federal Opposition says it will match the Government's $3 billion funding for child care, but has not agreed on how the extra money should be spent. Labor caucus this morning decided to give the childcare sector more certainty about future funding. The Federal Government wants to overhaul childcare...
NSW after-school childcare facing shortage of up to 2,000 places, Network of Community Activities says
ABC News - Ursula Malone - February 8, 2016New figures have shown thousands of New South Wales families are unable to get after-school care for their children due to a shortage of places, as the sector's peak body warns things could get worse. The latest figures from the Network of Community Activities show up to 2,000 students a week are...
Stay at home and embrace the parent role
Financial Review - Brigitte Dwyer - February 8, 2016The current high demand for childcare fuels the sense of panic about the need for parents of young children to re-enter the workforce. It is exacerbated by both childcare providers and politicians – each of whom has a vested interest in ensuring parents of young children do not opt to care for their own...
Australian Medical Association urges Turnbull Government to let all children catch up on vaccines free
The Courier Mail - Kara Vickery - February 8, 2016THE nation's peak doctor's group wants all children who fall behind on their vaccination program to be allowed to catch up for free, calling for further Federal Government funding to help boost immunisation rates. In its pre-budget submission, obtained exclusively by News Corp, the Australian Medical...
$8 million for science, maths lessons for young children
The Advertiser - Peter Jean - February 8, 2016THE Federal Government is providing $8 million to ensure 350,000 children aged between three and six-years have access to special science and maths programs. Education Minister Simon Birmingham and Innovation Minister Christopher Pyne had a first-hand look at the Little Scientists program at Ignatius...
South Australia spends $60m to improve preschool child-to-teacher ratios
ABC News - Tom Fedorowytsch - February 7, 2015South Australia has hired 100 more preschool teachers to meet new national standards on child-to-teacher ratios. This year there will be 11 children to each educator in most kindergartens, a benchmark agreed to by education ministers across the country. Disadvantaged preschools and kindergartens...
Families should look after grandparents for looking after their children
Sunday Herald Sun - David Penberthy - February 7, 2016If ever there were an example of the mindset that governments are actually magic money trees, look no further than the fact that almost 40 per cent of grandparents believe that if they take the whipper-snappers to see Happy Feet 2, or have a sleepover, Scott Morrison should send them 50 bucks...
Dads hire coaches to find family friendly work
Sydney Morning Herald - Cosima Marriner - February 7, 2016Yet men are now experiencing more bias and stigma than women when they seek flexibility at work, according to a survey by Bain & Co/Chief Executive Women released this week. To combat that bias and negotiate successfully for flexible arrangements, men are turning to professional paternity coaches...
Luxury childcare centres in demand as government eyes tax subsidies
The Daily Telegraph - Clarissa Bye - February 6, 2016MEDITATION, yoga, French tutors, cardio programs run by elite athletes and organic menus created by TV dietitians - welcome to the luxury world of designer childcare centres. Parents pay up to $195 a day to send their children to up-market centres which are adding pampering and perks to attract...
Childcare directors respond to nation's worst qualified figures
Canberra Times - Matthew Raggatt - February 6, 2016Industry leaders have defended the ACT's childcare sector after figures said staff were the nation's least qualified, but acknowledged employee retention remained challenging. Association of Community-Based Child Care Directors ACT treasurer Lisa Syrette said the introduction of the National...
Vaccination rate reaches record high in Western Australia
ABC News - February 6, 2016The proportion of fully vaccinated five-year-old children in Western Australia has reached a record high. Health Minister Kim Hames said the high of 92.1 per cent was recorded in the December quarter and was up from 90.6 in the previous quarter. The figure was even higher for Aboriginal children...
