Child Care News
Sydney Council provides free ECEC for children of asylum seekers
The Sector - Freya Lucas - May 3, 2022Sydney’s Inner West Council has unanimously resolved to provide free early education to children whose parents are awaiting asylum seeker determination. “While their cases are being assessed, asylum seekers can’t access early childhood subsidies,” Councillor...
Federal Election 2022 – Unpacking where major parties stand on early childhood education and care
The Sector - Jason Roberts - May 3, 2022With less than three weeks to go until the Federal Election on 21 May 2022 and with the major parties having thus far articulated their policy positions on the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector, we felt it would be useful to provide a summary of what their...
Babies born during COVID are talking less, and are slower to develop language, study finds
The Sector - Freya Lucas - May 2, 2022Babies born during the COVID-19 pandemic produced “significantly fewer vocalisations” and had less verbal communication with their caregivers compared to those born before COVID-19, a new independent study has found, leaving researchers concerned for the long-term...
‘Chronic shortage’: Childhood education providers sound alarm over staffing
The Sydney Morning Herald - Daniella White - May 1, 2022Early education providers are calling on the federal government to urgently ease visa rules to help stem worsening early childhood teacher shortages, with more than 6000 job vacancies across the country as of March. The sector says it’s in crisis and wants governments...
‘Huge chunk of our wage’: Childcare fees outstrip inflation over long term
The Age - Caitlin Fitzsimmons - May 1, 2022The out-of-pocket cost of childcare has risen nearly 15 per cent since the last election, almost double the rate of overall inflation. With the cost of living shaping up as a major battleground for the federal election on May 21, Labor and the Coalition are touting competing...
Aboriginal child care centre faces funding uncertainty
The Age - Jack Latimore - May 1, 2022A centre for Aboriginal early childhood and family care in Melbourne’s north that has a track record delivering on the goals outlined in Closing the Gap policies is calling for a greater commitment from the state and federal governments to end its funding uncertainty...
Childcare costs leave Australians wanting more federal government support
ABC News - Emily Baker - April 30, 2022More than half of Australians think the federal government should pay a greater share of childcare costs, according to new data from Vote Compass. While 58 per cent of people think the government should contribute more, 27 per cent said they were comfortable with the...
Best performing Hills Shire childcare centres and preschools
The Daily Telegragh - Odessa Blain - April 29, 2022All parents want to give their kids the best start possible, but choosing the perfect childcare centre or preschool is never easy. That’s why The Hills Shire Times has crunched the numbers to find the early learning centres out performing the rest. This selection of top-performing...
Rise in child care prices moderates in Q1 2022 as new CCS affordability adjustments commence
The Sector - Jason Roberts - April 28, 2022Child care prices rose by the smallest margin since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic with overall price levels in the first quarter of 2022 the same as those recorded in the last quarter of 2021 as new affordability measures introduced by the Federal Government...
More kindy programs for rural and remote Queensland
Queensland Government - April 27, 2022The Palaszczuk Government is expanding its successful State Delivered Kindergarten program to 14 new rural and remote communities across the state. Education Minister Grace Grace joined Assistant Education Minister and Member for Keppel Brittany Lauga...
$9.1 million for ECEC part of broader $114m commitment to protect vulnerable children
The Sector - Freya Lucas - April 27, 2022The Western Australian Government will push an additional $114 million into the child protection system, including $9.1 million to be allocated to keep WA children in early childhood education safe. Key commitments within the $114 million are: $75 million to deliver...
ACECQA updates on Approved Learning Frameworks project as final stage draws to a close
The Sector - Jason Roberts - April 26, 2022The Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) has provided an update on progress of the Approved Learning Frameworks (ALF) review initiative that was originally commissioned by the Education Council in late 2020 and which is due to...
Labor promises $15 million on language schools for kids
The Sydney Morning Herald - Lisa Visentin - April 23, 2022More Australian preschoolers will be able to learn another language under a Labor plan to give every community language school in the country a $30,000 funding boost. Labor education spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek said the funding would benefit about 780 language...
Harmony Early Learning will spend $85m on nine new childcare centres
The Courier Mail - Chris Herde - April 22, 2022A GROWING childcare centre operator plans to almost double its footprint across South East Queensland and northern NSW. Gold Coast-based Harmony Early Learning will invest $85m over the next two and a half years to open nine greenfield childcare centres to add...
Australian Childcare Alliance calls for equitable, affordable access to ECEC as the 2022 federal election approaches
The Sector - Jason Roberts - April 22, 2022Leading early childhood education and care (ECEC) peak body, the Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) has called for all political candidates to recognise the need for high-quality, well-resourced, affordable early learning services Australia-wide as the 2022 Election...
