Australia’s preschool expansion ‘has not better prepared’ kids for school, report researchers Ragan Petrie and Marco Castillo Since 2008, Australia has spent more than A$11 billion dollars over ten years to expand government-funded preschool (or kinder in Victoria) for four-year-olds to better prepare children for school. But...
Rebecca Chaney faces the quandary of whether or not to send her daughter to school next year. I’m watching my child in the preschool playground. I have just kissed her goodbye for the day. She runs to her teacher and gives her a hug. The teacher...
If you read the label, you may be pleasantly surprised, report researchers Lauren Ball and Katelyn Barnes The cost of groceries in Australia has sky-rocketed this year. So people may be tempted to switch to home-brand foods to save on their weekly food bill. Home-brand foods are...
Do they get it? Asks Rachael Sharman. And where’s the line? We all lie to our kids. Some lies – telling them their artwork is wonderful, or that Wiggles band-aids are infused with anaesthetic – benefit the child. Others are just a bit of fun. Shutterstock Take the...
Choice overload is a real problem, but these tips will make your life easier, writes Janneke Blijlevens It’s been a long day. Your partner messages you: “let’s just order in, I don’t feel like cooking”. With a sense of relief, you open your usual takeaway app and...
Jennifer McCann and Miaobing (Jazzmin) Zheng report that misleading food labels contribute to babies and toddlers eating too much sugar. Australian infants and toddlers are eating unhealthy amounts of sugar. This is mostly because the products marketed and sold by the processed food industry are high...
Esperanza Vera-Toscano reports that an increasing number of Australian children are going to private high schools, as new research shows. The latest Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Annual Statistical Report has found an increasing number of students going to public schools over non-government...
Josephine Barbaro and Marie Camin suggest the earlier the better With better awareness and acceptance, approximately one out of every 50 children is receiving an autism diagnosis. More and more families are deciding when to share this information with their child. Some parents worry that doing...
Sarah Cameron finds a little bit of magic goes a long way. I always envisaged a magical childhood for my kids, a time filled with the types of secrets and mysteries that punctuated my own youth. Fairies and sprites hidden in tree trunks and under toadstools;...
After a dramatic year in which Elizabeth Reed introduced her son to all manner of sporting pursuits, he made it quite clear he wanted to write his own script. Ten years ago we had our first child, a son. Obviously he would enjoy sport; all boys...
