Childcare
Opinion
Opinion
Should grandparents be paid for childcare or should Nanna do it for nada?
The best part of being a grandparent is getting to hand them back, right? Well, it doesn’t always work that way.
- by Hannah Vanderheide
Latest
Pressure on WA households as childcare fees reach new highs
A new survey of 500 families across Australia revealed 90 per cent had experienced an increase in fees over the past month, the majority now paying $120 or more per child per day.
- by Holly Thompson
Helicopter parents promote unsafe phone use in childcare, advocates warn
Advocates say parents’ need for updates throughout their child’s day has blurred the lines of appropriate technology use in centres.
- by Mary Ward
Analysis
Commercial real estate
Why childcare is the ‘shining star’ of the property market
Rising interest rates, inflation and working from home may have knocked the wind out of the commercial property market, but childcare is quickly emerging as the standout performer in the sector.
- by Stephen Miles
Exclusive
Melbourne
Disadvantaged preschoolers may miss out on affordable childcare
Of the 50 most disadvantaged suburbs in Victoria, only 13 have been confirmed as getting the integrated low-cost childcare centres meant to help the families most in need.
- by Annika Smethurst
Opinion
Opinion
I’m a mother and economist: here’s why my childcare fees had to rise
Raising childcare fees is not just about profits. Paying educators more is a better deal for our children.
- by Melissa Wilson
Childcare fees grow faster than inflation, wages: ACCC report
Even after government subsidies, out-of-pocket costs have risen by 7 per cent for centre-based childcare over the past four years.
- by Rachel Clun
How $10-a-day childcare became reality in Canada - and what Australia can learn from it
Canada, which uses Australia as an example of what not to do in childcare policy, will introduce cheap flat-fee childcare after a 25-year experiment showed the benefits.
- by Rachel Clun
More than a babysitter, less than a nanny: The rise of mother’s helpers
More professionals with young children are forgoing conventional childcare centres, instead paying for care in their own home while they work in another room.
- by Mary Ward
Treat childcare like schools in planning overhaul, centres urge
New childcare centres would be subject to traffic-light system planning controls similar to other critical infrastructure under a plan to improve access to services.
- by Angus Thompson and Broede Carmody
How July 1 changes will affect your budget
A new financial year means changes – and this year there are more than usual.
- by Rachel Clun