Child Care News
Changes to teacher accreditation in NSW will impact early childhood teachers
The Sector - Freya Lucas - June 9, 2022The Teacher Accreditation Act 2004 has been amended in response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, bringing New South Wales in line with the national framework for child safety. The introduction of an assessment of suitability...
Grandparent ‘child care’ win across generations
The National Tribune - June 7, 2022As parents struggle to juggle work and family commitments, early childhood education experts are encouraging Australians to acknowledge the important role of grandparents as critical caregivers in society. With an ageing population and challenges with Australia’s...
SA 2022-23 Budget confirms ongoing commitment to ECEC with multiple key initiatives
The Sector - Jason Roberts - June 7, 2022The South Australian 2022-23 Budget has confirmed the state’s commitment to developing the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector with a series of initiatives designed to ensure early childhood education is available to support each child to reach their...
IEU NSW/ACT shares top tips for ECTs once they secure their first role
The Sector - Freya Lucas - June 6, 2022For early childhood teachers (ECTs) who have recently secured their first role, the New South Wales and ACT branch of the Independent Education Union (IEU) has written a list of top tips to support them to have a smooth start to the world of work. Starting at the beginning...
Families who pay out-of-pocket childcare costs to benefit from Labor's subsidies promise
ABC News - Annie Kearney - May 3, 2022Jess van der Walt estimates at least one day of her pay a week goes towards out-of-pocket childcare costs. The 34-year-old is doing a juggle many Australian families know all too well. The Sydneysider works full-time in human resources while raising her two-year-old...
Sickness ravages childcare sector as it struggles to find staff
The Age - Madeleine Heffernan - May 31, 2022Melbourne mother and executive assistant Carla Bottari is an old hand at dealing with COVID-19 disruptions. When her childcare centre asked whether families could keep children home due to staff sickness, Bottari decided to juggle work with caring for her two young...
Government must tackle skills shortage to deliver childcare promise
The Sydney Morning Herald - The Herald's View - May 29, 2022More affordable childcare made accessible to more families was a key election promise from the new Labor government but it faces a major impediment when it comes to delivering it: a shortage of childcare workers. Families already struggle to find childcare for their...
Babysitters make $45 an hour, nanny rates soar as childcare centres in staffing crisis
The Sydney Morning Herald - Caitlin Fitzsimmons - May 29, 2022The childcare sector is facing a staffing crisis with the number of job vacancies more than doubling since before the COVID-19 pandemic, pushing up rates for nannying and casual babysitting to as high as $45 an hour. National figures from employment marketplace...
Vic Government launches Upskill program to boost ECT numbers in the state
The Sector - Freya Lucas - May 26, 2022Early childhood educators in Victoria who are wishing to upskill to a Bachelor qualification will have even more support with the announcement earlier this week of an innovative new partnership between the Victorian Government and the Front Project. The Upskill...
Willing to work but stuck without childcare, women need action
The Sydney Morning Herald - Shane Wright and Rachel Clun - May 25, 2022Businesswomen are urging the federal government to help make it financially viable for more women to work with new figures revealing more than 100,000 women could not even search for employment because of a lack of childcare. As Treasurer Jim Chalmers...
Childcare assets in demand as investors look to “set and forget”
The Australian - Mackenzie Scott - May 25, 2022Investors looking for a “set and forget” income are turning to childcare centres, causing turnover to spike. Childcare assets sold well through 2019 and 2020 but a spike in demand from new and experienced investors over the past 18 months caused turnover to double...
Labor’s childcare boost a big win for women
The Sydney Morning Herald - John Collett - May 24, 2022Labor’s extra $5 billion in funding for childcare – one of its largest new policy commitments – is a big deal for young families. It will give their household finances a major boost, and enable more women to enter the workforce or increase their work hours after it comes...
Election 2022: Daycare operators demand Labor fast-track childcare savings
The Australian - Natasha Bita - May 23, 2022Low-income families must wait more than a year to pocket hundreds of dollars a week under the Albanese government’s cheaper childcare policy. A working couple with two kids in full-time care will save $420 a week through Labor’s more generous subsidies – but they...
Labor Election win – what will it mean for ECEC in the short, medium and long term?
The Sector - Jason Roberts - May 23, 2022In light of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) Election 2022 success and the appointment of Anthony Albenese MP as the next Prime Minister of Australia the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector is likely to get a significant boost, not just in terms of affordability...
The new parliament must address paid parental leave
The Sydney Morning Herald - Lisa Annese - May 22, 2022Until 2010, Australia was one of just two countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development without a national paid parental leave scheme. But more than a decade later, that policy no longer meets the diverse needs of many families. Under...
