At face value, the last federal Budget was a boon for early childhood. It featured the announcement of an extra $3.5 billion under a new Child Care Assistance Package, more money for preschool access and inclusion support. Early Childhood Australia (ECA) ...

As parents, we all worry about our children’s development, and whether we’re doing the right things to help them achieve. Children from less advantaged backgrounds on average achieve less than their same-aged peers. They also trail behind in spoken language ...

While the Senate Committee charged with considering the government’s childcare package works on its report, parents around the nation continue to cry out for help to make childcare more affordable and accessible. It’s nearly a year since the federal government announced ...

Early childhood is a vital period for human learning. A qualified nanny can offer young kids a beautiful learning journey, yet this is often overlooked. Educators are frequently seen as the sole facilitators of the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), ...

‘You win some, you lose some’ seems to be the attitude of the government with its introduction of the Jobs for Families Childcare Package. The $3.2 billion program, developed in response to a 2014 Productivity Commission inquiry into the affordability ...

The federal government recently announced a crackdown on so-called ‘child swapping’ in early childhood care that was reportedly costing taxpayers about $8 million a week. This is not the first time the government has cracked down. Nor is it the first time ...

Recent research suggests important links between the experience of adversity, biology and mental health outcomes. The study, published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, examines the cortisol levels of 70 9-year-old Australian children. We recorded levels from head hair to determine total cortisol ...

The introduction of the Nanny Pilot Programme, which is funded by the Australian Government, is something to celebrate. Although there have been concerns about the lack of regulation, the program is still a step forward for families that require flexible ...