Child Care News
Childcare group warns over sector wage rises
The Australian - Patricia Karvelas - August 23, 2012THE Australian Childcare Alliance has warned Labor and the Coalition to be cautious in supporting an "exorbitantly high" union wage claim, arguing it must not be at the expense of parents. The alliance, representing 70 per cent of the long-daycare sector, argues that if a wage rise is...
Childcare workers charged over toddler 'fight club'
Sydney Morning Herald - August 22, 2012Three US childcare workers videotaped a fight between 3-year-old children in their care and encouraged the toddlers to pummel each other as they laughed about it, according to court documents. The three Delaware women were charged on Monday with assault and other...
Drop the cookie cutter to help women work
Financial Review - Kelly O'Dwyer - August 21, 2012After having children, families rightly focus on the marginal financial benefit of the second-income earner returning to the workforce– how much extra do they have in their pocket after tax and after childcare costs? For too many women in particular, this marginal benefit is simply too low...
Teen childcare workers allegedly underpaid
Daily Telegraph - August 20, 2012A SYDNEY childcare centre specialising in special needs children has allegedly underpaid three teenage employees. The Fair Work Ombudsman is prosecuting Gina Moelau, who owns and runs the Rainbow Paradise Pre-School childcare centre at Blacktown in western Sydney. Ms Moelau's...
Grandparents should be paid for looking after grandchildren to ease burden on busy families and improve daycare flexiblity
Sunday Herald Sun - John Dagge - August 19, 2012PAYING grandparents for the hours they spend looking after the grandchildren should be introduced to help ease the burden on busy families and improve daycare flexibility. The suggestion comes from one of the country's leading social research centres, which says the Federal Government…
Male, presumed dangerous
Sydney Morning Herald - Debra Jopson - August 18, 2012As a young man eager to get into a boom industry with a robust future, Craig d'Arcy spent several years as the only male studying childcare alongside more than 100 women at TAFE and university in Newcastle. Early in his career, his childcare centre boss told him parents had highlighted...
Coalition gets razors ready to slice bulky bureaucracy
Sydney Morning Herald - Lenore Taylor - August 18, 2012COALITION frontbenchers have been instructed to slice away federal bureaucratic oversight of aged care, childcare, employment and family services in a bid to devolve government power and deliver budget savings through public service cuts. The Coalition, which needs to find more than...
Increasing numbers of children are staying in care for longer
The Australian - Rosanne Barrett - August 18, 2012‎‎THE number of children taken from their parents and placed in out-of-home care has surpassed the adult prison population, as the child-protection crisis grows. There were 37,648 children in out-of-home care in the latest national figures -- an increase of 12,194 in five years while there were...
Kids' lack of self-control tied to extra pounds
Chicago Tribune - Genevra Pittman - August 17, 2012NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Preschoolers who had less patience and worse self-control while waiting for treats in a classic behavior study ended up weighing slightly more as adults, a new analysis shows. Although the link between childhood patience and extra pounds in adulthood was...
Labor kicks in more cash for child care subsidy
ABC News - August 15, 2012The Northern Territory Government has announced it will give more money to parents for child care if it is re-elected later this month. Chief Minister Paul Henderson says parents would be given a $200 credit a year for each child, to pay directly to child care centres. He says that...
Childrens' hidden hurt
Financial Review - August 15, 2012While the physical and sexual abuse of children rightly receives much attention, their emotional maltreatment receives little attention. But a clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics says it may be the most challenging and prevalent form of child abuse and neglect...
Preschool snoring tied to behaviour problems
ABC Science - Amy Norton - August 14, 2012Preschoolers who habitually snore may be at greater risk of behavioural problems than other children their age, according to a US study. Researchers, who results appeared in the journal Pediatrics, found that two- and three-year olds who snored loudly at least a couple of times per...
Open wide, it's play book as Play School tackles social media
Herald Sun - Siobhan Duck - August 13, 2012PLAY School is teaching children who even can't read or write how to use social media. The ABC pre-school program has tackled space exploration and homosexuality, and now is explaining to kids as young as three communicating via Twitter and Facebook. In a recently aired episode...
Upset nannies find Ellis 'insulting'
The Age - Rachel Wells - August 10, 2012THE body representing Australia's professional nannies has described as "insulting" comments made by Childcare Minister Kate Ellis that the government would not consider offering rebates for nannies because many did not provide adequate, minimum standards of care. Ms Ellis made the...
True Leaders | Off to a GoodStart
AFR Boss - Emma Connors - August 9, 2012Macquarie Group director Robin Crawford admits he knew nothing about early childhood learning until three years ago. That was when his former Macquarie Bank colleague turned Social Ventures Australia chief executive Michael Traill and Toby Hall, head of Mission Australia...
