ODD SPOT

Germany, desperate to lift its birth rate, is proposing a law to allow children under six to laugh, shout and play at any volume. The move follows a series of lawsuits over noisy children and calls to ban kindergartens from residential areas because they were too loud.

A Sector That Needs Nannying

THE problem with child care is that it keeps taking us by surprise. Government has been trying to catch up since the 1980s, when increased participation of women in the paid workforce began a surge in demand. It struggled to meet that demand in an often ad hoc manner. The result is that several kinds of services care for preschool children, including traditional kindergartens, family day-care providers, and corporations that run multiple child-care centres. All this is supported by a mishmash of ...

Letters

The article"Kinder no longer?" (Education, 19/5) highlights the many difficulties facing traditional parent-managed kindergartens. At Lady Forster Kindergarten we are a traditional kindergarten defying the demographic trend outlined in your article. With an active parent committee and thriving sessional and long-day kindergarten programs, we place a high value on our independence from local government. Our free-play-based philosophy encourages children to set their own limits and our large ...

20/20 - Ideas For The Summit

DISCUSSION of the nation's "future cultural health" must be inspired with a vision of access and active participation for all children in the arts. It must inspire an energised coalition between arts and education to lobby for mandatory arts teaching in high schools and increased flexible arts programs in kindergartens and primary schools. The arts bring higher academic results, benefit health and problem-solving, and develop mutual respect. The debate must also look to convince businesses and ...

New Path To Early Learning

Trained child-care workers in Horsham and Ballarat can now attain a teaching degree in early childhood education enabling them to work in prior-to-school settings, particularly in kindergartens.

Preschools Face Education Revamp

CHILD-CARE centres and kindergartens would have a greater emphasis on education under a State Government push for more structured learning for young Victorians.

Kindergarten Fees Set To Go

Free kindergarten for four-year-olds will be almost inevitable once the state's 1400 kindergartens move under the control of the Education Department, according to principals and early-learning lobbyists.

Education Gets Control Of Kinders

PREMIER John Brumby has moved to reverse a longstanding Steve Bracks policy by giving the Education Department full control of the state's 1400 kindergartens.

$2bn Alp Education Promise Puts Libs In Shade

LABOR has driven a major policy wedge between itself and the Liberal Party ahead of the November 25 election, with a commitment of about $2 billion for Victorian schools, kindergartens and child care.

Parents Rally To Push Bracks On Kinder Changes

PREMIER Steve Bracks has ruled out going to the state election with a promise to place all kindergartens under the control of the state Education Department - despite growing pressure from parents and teachers.

Rally Increases Pressure On Bracks Over Kindergartens

PRESCHOOL education has become a political sore point for Premier Steve Bracks in the lead-up to the state election, with thousands of parents and teachers stepping up pressure for an overhaul of the Victorian kindergarten system.

Playing Politics With Preschools

IT IS a most unusual alliance. The Victorian branch of the Australian Education Union, the state Liberal and National parties and the Greens have joined forces to pressure the State Government to make long-overdue changes to Victoria's system of preschool education. But this is more than a political campaign. Parents and teachers in their thousands are demanding that kindergartens become the responsibility of the Education Department, rather than languishing in the Department of Human Services.

Call For State-school Kinders

MORE kindergartens should be attached or positioned close to state schools to stop an exodus of the children of working parents to private schools.

Preschool Push Wins Support

THE Education Department should be given control of kindergartens, a poll has found.

Liberals Likely To Dump Kindergartens Plan

NEW Liberal leader Ted Baillieu is expected to dump an earlier proposal by senior party MPs to bring kindergartens under the control of the state Education Department.

Support For Kinders

PARENTS strongly support the kindergarten system, but more than a third believe fees are too high, a survey by Kindergarten Parents Victoria has found. Almost 85 per cent of the 1523 parents questioned at 154 kindergartens and 23 child-care centres believed that government should fully fund three and four-year-old kindergarten.

Preschool Strike Off

A 24-hour strike that was set to shut down up to 900 kindergartens this week has been called off after the State Government and preschool teachers moved a step closer to a new wage deal.

Private Kinders Face 20% Fee Jump

Parents with children in private school kindergartens face fees rises of up to 20 per cent next year, largely as a result of State Government funding cuts.

Cuts To Hit Private Preschools

Thousands of parents could face big fee rises following funding cuts to kindergartens run by private schools.

To Christian Right, Arnie's A Devil With Biceps

While most Californians still want to know how Arnold Schwarzenegger can switch from Terminator to governor and fix their state's crippling budget deficit, the powerful Christian coalition inside his own Republican Party is more concerned about his views on gay marriage, abortion and cross-dressing in kindergartens.