Hundreds of early learning educators walk off the job and thousands protest as the childcare sector struggles to cope with nationwide staff shortages.
The number of people enrolling in tertiary early education courses has tumbled dramatically in recent years,adding pressure on a sector that is struggling to meet the demand for qualified staff.
Experts say worker shortages need to be overcome if governments want to set Australia up as the best place in the world to raise a child.
Childcare staff are in short supply and more centres are struggling to find enough qualified educators to meet their obligations.
Children rely on their grandparents,and research reveals that we’re failing to recognise just how much they treasure them.
United Workers’ Union delegates voted to walk off the job in September to demand that qualified staff be paid on par with primary school teachers.
Parents are racing to find suitable childcare after the council voted to close an Out of School Hours (OOSH) centre with just five weeks’ notice despite community protest.
NSW Labor leader Chris Minns has revealed the first of the policies he will take to next year’s state election,saying Labor would build 100 government preschools located alongside primary schools in its first four years in office.
The pandemic exposed inequalities in our society,which start in pregnancy. It has also shown that real policy decisions can be made quickly and can have positive benefits for families.
Workforce issues could hamper the state government from getting its early learning reforms off the ground.
The NSW government’s universal pre-kindergarten reforms were met with praise from the early childhood sector,but experts warned more educators were needed.