| Best Practice Business |
Child Obesity
Weight, health and the role of child care organisations
By Leanne Cooper
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 Whereas once it was thought that the bigger the baby the better, many parents are now asking: 'Is my baby too fat?' or 'Is my child overweight?' In most cases, it's unlikely there's anything to worry about as growth and development are still the most important indicators of a child's health.
Still, there is no denying that with figures showing around 20–25 per cent of Australian children are either overweight or obese, there is good reason for concern. The most common consequences of obesity in childhood (and adolescence) are poor body image and self-esteem. The health impacts of childhood obesity include high blood pressure and blood cholesterol, raised blood sugar levels, Type II diabetes, joint problems, sleep apnoea, asthma, and fatty liver.
This may be a good point to remind you that young children who are plump don't necessarily become overweight adults, but if they continue this trend into school age then there may be an increased likelihood.
» Read the full article…
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Healthy Eating & Physical Activity
Comment on the Government's proposed guidelines |
Child care service providers interested in having a say on healthy eating currently have an opportunity to comment on the Government's proposed Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Guidelines for Early Childhood Settings (the Guidelines).
The Guidelines are part of the Commonwealth Government's Plan for Tackling Obesity and Plan for Early Childhood.
The Guidelines are evidence-based, practical resources and materials that will support healthy eating and physical activity in children attending early childhood education and care services including child care, pre-school and family day care.
The Guidelines will be linked to the new National Quality Framework for early childhood education and care services that is expected to be introduced from 1 July, 2009.
» Read the full article…
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Child Care Survey Results
Heartening news for the child care industry |
Results of the CareforKids.com.au Annual Child Care and Workforce Participation Survey have again provided an interesting snapshot of child care services across Australia and offer some heartening news for child care providers.
This year's survey was completed by more than a thousand parents nationwide with children already in care or currently looking for care.
CareforKids.com.au founder Roxanne Elliott says the survey has become a benchmark of the state of the nation's child care system and that it provides a forum for parents to share their views.
'It polls parents on all aspects of child care and returning to work: from their opinions on child care policies and paid maternity leave; difficulty in finding child care; its cost and affordability; knowledge of child care benefit; motivations for returning to work; workplace attitudes and support from employers' she said.
» Read the key findings
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| Child Care People |
Interview
Rebekah Paraskevas
Sunshine Child Care Centre in WA |
Child care professionals share a commitment to improving society by creating dynamic and nurturing care environments for Australia's youngest learners.
Read this month's Child Care Person in the spotlight Rebekah Paraskevas from Sunshine Child Care Centre in Shoalwater WA
» Read the interview…
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| Children & Child Care |
Safety & Security
Risk Analysis & maintaining a culture of accident prevention |
 Every now and then we hear of an incident where a small child has met with an accident, escaped from or been left alone in a child care centre after hours. Luckily these incidents are fairly few and far between when you consider the number of children in child care every day.
While the energetic and sometimes unpredictable behaviour of children makes it impossible to prevent all injuries from occurring, regularly checking the safety of the environment and equipment in your child care service will hopefully reduce the number of incidents.
The NCAC recommends that child care providers conduct a safety risk analysis (ACCA Safety Checks Mar08.pdf) of their premises to determine what safety checks need to be undertaken at the centre, how often these should be conducted and by whom.
» Read the full article…
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New Child Care Rating System for Parents
Tell us what you think? |
 CareforKids.com.au is committed to helping parents find high quality child care in their area and to making it easier for child care providers to promote their services and vacancy information.
As part of this commitment we are excited to be developing and testing a new online rating system which will allow parents to rate their child care service.
This rating system will be the first of its kind in Australia and we are keen to work with child care providers to make sure the system is as helpful and informative as possible.
» Read the full article…
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