Child Care News
Quality control
The Australian - Natasha Robinson - June 2, 2014IT was the headline that filled a working parent with dread. "Too much childcare takes toll on learning," it read, and it only got worse from there. An Australian National University study had found that preschoolers who attended long-daycare centres for more than 21 hours a week went...
Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe urges women to return to workforce amid child care crisis
ABC News - Matthew Carney - May 29, 2014At a local council in central Tokyo, mothers have gathered to demand childcare. There is a child care crisis in Japan where 400,000 places are needed. In protest, the mothers present a petition to local councillors at Suginami declaring: "Our children are on a waiting list for day care places...
Science to be taught to young school kids to foster interest in the field
Herald Sun - Wes Hosking - May 29, 2014SCIENCE would be taught to more Aussie kids in preschool and kindergarten amid concern many lose interest in the field during childhood. The idea aims to nurture youngster's natural curiosity so it stays with them later in life. It could help boost dwindling science graduate ranks Deakin...
More federal funding changes to hurt families
Municipal Association of Victoria - May 29, 2014Federal Budget funding reforms will dramatically affect Victoria's Family Day Care (FDC) operators and could cause families to miss out on affordable, accessible child care from next year. Cr Bill McArthur, President of the Municipal Association of Victoria said a new eligibility criteria for the...
Childcare centres in race for Tony Abbott cash
The Australian - Patricia Karvelas - May 29, 2014ALMOST half of all eligible long-day childcare centres have already applied for a share of the government's $200 million investment in professional development for their staff, new figures reveal. Assistant Minister for Education Sussan Ley said that, in less than two weeks, 2852...
Those killing animals are better trained than those caring for children
Sydney Morning Herald - Anna Patty - May 29, 2014Abattoir workers are, on average, better trained than childcare staff, Sydney researchers have found. The University of Sydney Workplace Research Centre has raised questions about the consistency and quality of training of childcare workers and has found it inferior to the more...
Kids lose swings and sandpits as play space tightens
Herald Sun - Wes Hosking - May 25, 2014CHILDCARE centres and kindergartens are ditching swings and even sandpits amid a squeeze on space. Those in the inner city or where family numbers are booming are under the most pressure. But experts warn doing without outdoor play fundamentals could be disadvantaging kids...
WA parents pay up to $147 a day for child care as fees rise
PerthNow - Katie Robertson - May 24, 2015PARENTS are paying up to $147 a day for childcare in WA, with 29 centres now charging three-figure fees. The state's peak childcare body said centres have been forced to push up their fees by as much as 20 per cent over the past 18 months because of the costs of implementing new...
Indexation freeze of Child Care Benefit to save $230 million, hit 500,000 families
NEWS.com.au - May 23, 2014HALF a million families with kids in childcare will be hit by the government's decision to freeze the income eligibility thresholds for the Child Care Benefit. The means-tested payment, which helps low and middle-income families deal with the soaring costs of childcare, will go to more than 800,000...
Childcare firm raises $150m to fund deals
The Australian - Brett Cole - May 21, 2014G8 Education, the childcare centre manager, has raised $S175 million ($150m) in a debt sale to finance future acquisitions. "We are seeking more acquisitions as the Australian market is fragmented with 6,500 long-day, day care centres," G8 managing director Chris Scott told...
NSW vaccination objector numbers surge by 15 per cent after government changed childcare rules
Daily Telegraph - Jane Hansen - May 21, 2014Objector numbers jump from 8396 to 9681 in year to March. Overall immunisation rate up four per cent. Demands to stop objectors accessing $2100 immunisation payments. THE number of NSW parents objecting to immunisation has jumped 15 per cent in 12 months new government figures...
Storytime with Margie Abbott reveals why our PM’s wife is queen of the kids
Daily Telegraph - Danielle Nicastri - May 21, 2014Australia's most famous childcare worker proved she hasn’t strayed far from her roots during an animated story-telling session at St Ives. Margie Abbott, wife of Prime Minister Tony Abbott, delivered a spirited children's book reading, and danced and sang along to nursery rhymes...
Grandparents need to negotiate on child care
University of Adelaide - May 20, 2014Grandparents derive great benefits from providing informal child care to their grandchildren, but often feel left out of the loop and out of pocket as a result, according to research from the University of Adelaide. In a study published in the Journal of Family Studies, researchers...
Premiers warn cuts will hurt
The Australian - Sid Maher - May 20, 2014PREMIERS have warned indigenous childcare programs, pensioners' concessions and health programs face cuts as they continue to press Tony Abbott for an emergency meeting within the next six weeks. Queensland has warned it will have to close children and family centres including...
Soaring costs of childcare
Seven News Melbourne - Georgia Main - May 19, 2014Soaring childcare costs are putting even more pressure on family budgets. Working mothers could soon be paying out more than half of what they earn. A situation that could force many to stay at home...
