Child Care News
Rising cost push mums out of workforce
The Canberra Times - Julieanne Strachan - February 05, 2012Child-care costs will continue to rise, the sector has warned, with nearly 70 per cent of providers surveyed nationally saying they would put prices up this year due to the Government's new quality framework requirements...
Toddlers share their world on candid camera
The Australian - Patricia Karvelas - February 04, 2012Researchers have told The Weekend Australian that the rise in the number of infants in childcare -- 277930 aged under 24 months in the March quarter last year, 9.5 per cent more than the previous year -- meant research was necessary to evaluate how ...
Childcare union demands $1.3bn in staff pay rises
The Australian - Ewin Hannan - February 03, 2012The Gillard government faces wage demands from a female-dominated low-paid workforce, with the union representing childcare workers seeking $1.3 billion in funding to finance pay rises for 60,000 workers…
Au pairs the answer to childcare woes
The West Australian - Kate Bastians and Angela Pownall - February 2, 2012Working parents are hiring au pairs and nannies in record numbers to cope with their busy lifestyles. Agencies which link in-home carers with families say the demand is also being driven by long childcare waiting lists, fly-in fly-out dads in need of 24/7 help...
Childcare halting careers
Weekly Times Now - Genevieve Barlow - February 1, 2012Childcare is prohibitively expensive, but can young mothers afford to be out of the workforce for long? How many young mums on farms and in towns don't go back to work because the income they can earn doesn't cover the cost of childcare? Or perhaps childcare in its many forms...
Governments spend $71.5bn on education
Ninemsn - January 31, 2012One dollar in every $20 spent on goods and services in Australia in 2009/10 was government funding for education. Federal, state and territory governments spent $71.5 billion on early childhood, school, vocational and higher education in that year, a new report says...
It pays to live in a nanny state
Herald Sun - Elissa Doherty - January 31, 2012Working parents are increasingly hiring nannies as stand-in stay-at-home mums. As more women juggle babies with the boardroom, Mary Poppins is the secret to a smooth household for many families. Nanny agencies and websites say inquiry for in-home care is rising...
Patients avoid GP due to cost
The Age - Mark Metherell, Bianca Hall and Dan Harrison - January 31, 2012The report also reveals shortcomings in early childhood development. Disadvantage limits children's opportunities from infancy, the commission found. Children from low-income families, with disabilities and from non-English-speaking backgrounds are less likely to be enrolled in early childcare...
Two years and counting: the kindy kids off to a flying start
Sydney Morning Herald - Kim Arlington - January 30, 2012When school starts this week, some kindergarten children will have been preparing for it for two years. School readiness programs for children as young as three are growing in popularity, as parents aim to give children a headstart. Preschoolers are also being enrolled...
Childcare centres to reconsider fake grass
Sydney Morning Herald - Natalie O'Brien - January 29, 2012CHILDCARE centres are reconsidering the use of artificial grass in playgrounds after concerns raised that children may be at risk from long-term exposure to toxic chemicals. A spokeswoman for one of the largest childcare providers, KU, said they will...
More single mothers now working, says study
Sydney Morning Herald - Dan Harrison - January 25, 2012The researchers also said that the childcare tax rebate, which came into effect five years ago in 2006, appeared to have encouraged higher-educated and higher-earning women to take on more hours by making childcare more affordable...
Childcare centres in holiday cash grab
Herald Sun - Wes Hosking - January 24, 2012Furious parents have branded childcare centres "unAustralian" for charging fees even though they are shut on our national day. With families already feeling the pinch because of government reforms, a Public Defender survey has found centres commonly charge for Australia Day...
Cuts to supply of in-home nannies probed by Childcare Minister
The Australian - Patricia Karvelas - January 23, 2012Childcare Minister Kate Ellis has ordered her department to investigate 31 cases where high-needs families with government-funded in-home nannies were suddenly cut off their support with little notice. A spokeswoman for Ms Ellis has confirmed that on January 12...
Brimming with good sense
Sydney Morning Herald - Carolyn Boyd - January 23, 2012Being sun smart starts with a hat that can adequately protect you from the damaging effects of UV rays. Baseball caps should be banned from schools because they place children at an unacceptable risk of developing skin cancers later in life, a leading cancer organisation says...
Council reviews may hit childcare
Newcastle Herald - Ben Smee - January 23, 2012Newcastle City Council will investigate selling its childcare and family day care centres, as part of a review of non-statutory services. The audit was completed late last year and the council has endorsed recommendations including a review of some fees...
