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Child Care News for Parents & Carers
February 11, 2015
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According to a recent UK survey, one in five women are considering not going back to work or reducing their hours in an attempt to manage child care. Our new monthly Perspective article highlights this dilemma for many would-be working mums. Now we're a couple of weeks into the school year, how are your little ones doing? While most settle into child care or school well, some find it harder. Our article covers this issue and offers some helpful advice.
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| Perspective:
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| Is your job worth the cost of child care?
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by Sophie Cross
According to a recently publicised survey in the UK, a fifth of working parents are considering reducing their hours or giving up their job altogether because of child care costs. This is just as pertinent to Australians as it is to UK parents, as child care costs reach unachievable levels on both sides of the world and parents are being forced to make difficult decisions.
The UK survey of 1,000 parents of children aged up to 16 also found that many were planning to cut back on essentials this year, because of the financial strain of child care. And one in five said they are thinking about reducing their working hours or quitting their job.
In our own survey last year, we revealed that of the mums who had not returned to work, a fifth said this was because it simply wasn't financially viable to do so.
Removing parents' choice as to whether or not they continue to work after having children is not the answer for families or for the economy.
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Got something to say?
We're interested in child care, finance or workplace related issues facing parents? If you'd like to contribute to our monthly Perspective article or propose a topic, click here to let us know.
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| Settling into school or child care
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How to ease the transition
Many children will have started school or child care for the first time in the last few weeks and for most it will be an entirely positive experience. But it's a big, big deal for both kids and parents and occasionally may not go quite to plan.
Children are creatures of habit and they also develop in their own way and their own time, but there are some core skills and behaviour you can help with on a practical level to ensure they'll be able to stand on their own two feet, such as making sure they have got to grips with simple things like knowing how to sit still, wait and listen.
The thing to remember is that child carers and teachers of kindergarten have seen it all before and can spot children who are having a tough time. They often have a buddy system to help children to adjust and fit in. And some may allow half days to begin with.
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