Are you worried about how polarised primary and secondary school education is becoming in Australia? It seems as if everything has to work from a template, and while this may be a great idea from a budgetary and control perspective, it doesn’t necessarily allow the child in question to flourish from an artistic or creative point of view. If you’ve been noticing this trend recently, you may be wondering about its impact and thinking about daycare centres.…
If you need to hire a child carer, here are two things you should take into consideration during the hiring process.
Whether or not your child is likely to get along with them
Your child will be spending a substantial amount of time around the person that you choose to hire. As such, it is absolutely critical to ensure that your child feels happy and at ease around them. Even if a candidate has excellent references and a long list of impressive qualifications, they may not be the right person for the job if they have a very different personality to that of your child.…
The 21st century is hurtling toward the beginning of its third decade, and some pretty massive strides are being made in the arenas of equality and diversity. One of the things currently being pondered by many facilities involved in childcare is how to make education, especially in the early years, a little less gendered. It’s remarkable how early the stereotyping sets in — and more and more educators and parents are beginning to understand the damage done when half the children are taught to prize ‘pretty’ while the other half are taught to embody ‘brave’.…
Research indicates that a child’s development depends largely on the experiences they have during their first few formative years. As a working parent selecting daycare for your child could be one of the most significant decisions that you will ever make.
Take the following into consideration when selecting a daycare for your child.
Visit several day care centers
Try to visit different day care programs before you make a final decision.…
Want to give the children you look after a spooky time this Halloween? While activities like pumpkin carving and trick-or-treating are off the cards, there’s still plenty you can do. From easy crafts to scary party games, there’s something for every child in your care, no matter how old they are or what they enjoy. Read on for three of the best Halloween activities for child care providers, along with details on exactly how to set them up.…
Getting the right childcare option can be very tricky, because you have to create a balance between the care option, cost, quality of care, location, work hours and your child’s unique needs.
Sometimes this gets more complicated when the parents have non-ideal circumstances. This includes parents working non-standard job hours and parents needing to be away, e.g. short business trips among other unique circumstances. Nonetheless, with a little creativity, you can create a system that works well for your family’s needs.…
Childcare can be a big expense for parents who are going back to work or study after having a baby, so it makes sense to maximise the generous government childcare rebates that are available. Here are some tips to make sure you are getting the maximum amount.
Register with Centrelink
Interactions with Centrelink don’t tend to be anyone’s top priority, but they are the only way to get the federal government rebate for childcare.…
Kids are very naturally curious about the stars and the sky, but you often don’t get a chance to experience these directly with the children in an early learning setting, as they tend to be home and tucked back into bed by the time the stars come out!
Here are some ideas to help you explore the idea of the stars at a child care setting.
Make your own star torches…
Learning to read, write and recognize words can be a huge challenge for preschool children, and many become easily frustrated. Having a range of fun, engaging activities available helps learning words to feel less like work and more like play. This keeps kids happy and encourages them to learn — it’s a win-win! However, it can be hard to come up with new ideas for activities and games, especially if you don’t have much time for lesson planning.…
