Child Care News
Child breaches attract big fines
The West Australian - Angela Pownall - August 5, 2014It was early afternoon when a four-year-old boy wandered out of his Balga childcare centre without carers noticing. He used a planter box to climb on to pool fencing and undo the latches before walking through a gate left open by a gardener. The boy then got over the centre's perimeter...
Labor pledges to combine early childhood facilities, Footscray City Primary School, Footscray City College and Victoria University to establish a preschool to postgraduate hub
Herald Sun - Bridie Byrne - August 5, 2014FOOTSCRAY City College could be moved under a $15 million plan to turn Footscray into an education precinct if Labor is elected. The Leader can reveal Labor has pledged to bring together early childhood facilities, Footscray City Primary School, Footscray City College and Victoria...
Rose Park Primary's governing council is asking SA court to rule on responsibility for after-hours childcare workers
The Advertiser - Megan Dillon - August 4, 2014ROSE Park Primary's governing council is leading a legal battle to have the Education Department declared responsible for schools' after-hours childcare workers, court documents show. The school's governing council is seeking a Supreme Court ruling about which body - it or the...
Double trouble for childcare centres
The West Australian - Angela Pownall and Natalie Brown - August 4, 2014The number of WA childcare services breaking regulations and failing to protect and properly supervise young children has more than doubled over the past year. Breaches include children leaving centres unsupervised - one as young as two years old and two six-year-olds found...
Mums-to-be register before getting pregnant
The West Australian - Grace Millimaci - August 4, 2014The waiting list at a group of western suburbs childcare centres is so long that parents considering getting pregnant in 2015 are already registering their interest. Family-operated Schools of Early Learning in Nedlands, Subiaco and West Leederville are among Perth's most-expensive childcare...
Tony Abbott's paid parental leave scheme deferred with no due date in sight
Sydney Morning Herald - Latika Bourke - August 3, 2014Legislation for Prime Minister Tony Abbott's prized $5.5 billion paid parental leave scheme has been quietly shelved and is unlikely to be put to Parliament this year, sources have revealed. The move is aimed at quelling backbench dissent on the issue and is also a recognition it may be voted...
Parents struggle to secure help
The West Australian - Rhianna King - August 2, 2014As lists grow, a number of centres now charge a fee for parents to register their children. Some Mulberry Tree centres in Perth charge a $20 registration fee which is taken off the bill if parents accept a place at the centre, but is non-refundable if they don't. Lobby group The Parenthood...
Childcare report has come up with some lame ideas
The Australian - Judith Sloane - August 2, 2014I felt a sense of real anticipation leading up to the release of the Productivity Commission's draft report on childcare and early childhood learning. At last, there could be some rational discussion about the issues, including the need for more competition, choice and deregulation. The PC would...
Long wait list for child care places
The West Australian - Rhianna King - August 2, 2014Families in some Perth suburbs are facing an 18-month wait to access child care and about 40 per cent of the city's long daycare centres are booked out. An investigation by The Weekend West has found that the number of childcare places available according to the Federal Government's online...
A mother's preference for child care
Canberra Times - Karen Hardy - August 1, 2014Buried deep inside the Productivity Commission's 900-page draft report on Childcare and Early Childhood Learning is a little subtitle: "Mothers' preferences." It’s in the chapter about Workforce Participation, in the section about drivers of the workforce participation of mothers, and heads a...
Pittwater parents paying up to $35 a week extra for family day care
Daily Telegraph - Kat Adamski - August 1, 2014Parents at Sydney child care centres will pay up to $35 a week extra to keep their children in family day care next year. From July 1, the Federal Government is tightening eligibility for the Community Support Program (CSP), which helps family day care operators pay for administration and quality...
Spend $100m on child care, not paid parental leave, says outgoing bank chief
Sydney Morning Herald - Clancy Yeates - July 31, 2014The outgoing chief executive of National Australia Bank, Cameron Clyne, has criticised the government's paid parental leave scheme as too costly and said the money would be better spent on child care. In his last day in the job, Mr Clyne this morning hit out at the policy, which will pay...
ACT government steps up awards for preschool teachers
Canberra Times - Primrose Riordan - July 31, 2014The ACT government is offering new cash for childcare workers to upgrade their skills and become preschool teachers, assistance the union says is welcome news for professionals it believes are under paid. The government announced 25 scholarships worth $1500 a year over four years so...
Lady Gowrie childcare celebrates 75 years of operation
The Mercury - Alice Claridge - July 31, 2014MUCH has changed in Hobart since Lady Gowrie opened its first childcare facility 75 years ago, but one thing that hasn't changed is the institution’s focus on caring for children. In 1939 the first centre was opened at Battery Point, now there are 13 centres. "Our focus also remains the same...
Senators tell Hockey to axe parental leave
Financial Review - Phillip Coorey - July 31, 2014Key Senate crossbenchers say the government must scrap Tony Abbott's prized paid parental leave scheme if it is serious about securing support to fix the budget. Senators Nick Xenophon and Bob Day singled out the scheme ahead of separate meetings in Adelaide on Wednesday with...
