Annual report
2023-24 Annual Report
This annual report will be presented to Parliament to meet the statutory reporting requirements of (insert relevant acts and regulations) and the requirements of Premier and Cabinet Circular PC013 Annual Reporting.
This report is verified to be accurate for the purposes of annual reporting to the Parliament of South Australia.
From the Chief Executive
The 2023–24 year marks the start of a significant chapter for the Office for Early Childhood Development (the Office) and the early childhood sector more broadly.
Since the Office’s formation in 2023, our mandate has been clear. We exist to work across the early childhood sector to create a system that gives all South Australian children the best possible start.
Critical to this is the roll-out of universal 3-year-old preschool from 2026, giving every child access to 2 years of teacher-led, play-based early learning before school.
Our role is to work with all parts of the early childhood sector and communities to support and drive the big changes that will be needed to reduce the developmental vulnerability of our children. This means building collective capacity across the state through workforce attraction and retention initiatives, uplift and expansion of preschool services, provision planning, and the introduction of integrated hubs to offer more preschool hours and supports for children in need.
In June 2024, the South Australian Government announced an additional $1.9 billion investment in early childhood to commence the staged roll-out of 3-year-old preschool and other key reforms from 2026. This investment is a once in a generation opportunity for the early childhood sector, the significance of which is not lost on our Office. We’ve spent the past year laying the essential groundwork for these systemic reforms and, together with the government and sector partners, I am pleased to say that we have made significant progress.
We have supported government to plan and announce the staged 3-year-old preschool roll-out to commence from 2026 as promised.
We are partnering with the long day care sector across the state to unlock existing capacity, and are working with government and non-government sessional preschools with an early focus on regional areas.
We supported government to announce the opening of 2 integrated hub demonstration sites in Port Pirie and Adelaide’s northern suburbs by Term 4, 2025.
We have worked with the Teachers Registration Board and the sector on regulatory changes to allow teachers with birth to 5 qualifications to register and work as teachers in preschools across the state. This was a key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care to build the workforce required for the 3-year-old preschool roll-out and is now included in relevant regulations.
We consulted on the legislation that establishes the Office for Early Childhood Development to steward the early childhood system through these vital changes and beyond.
We supported government to launch the Early Childhood Workforce Strategy, which provides a full suite of supports to lift the attraction, retention and diversity of the workforce, and support quality service provision.
This includes opening a financial support program to assist aspiring teachers and educators to pursue early childhood qualifications, with additional support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and those living and studying in regional and remote communities.
We also developed a statewide workforce attraction campaign to capture the attention of current and prospective students considering post-secondary pathways and opportunities to upskill and reskills.
We are progressing the establishment of the Aboriginal Co-design Governance Group (ACGG) in partnership with the South Australian Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation Network (SAACCON). The ACGG supports a shared decision-making process to co-design, shape and implement, early childhood reforms for Aboriginal children, together with the voices of Aboriginal leaders and the South Australian Aboriginal communities.
These are big stakes in the ground already. I’d like to thank the many people in our sector who have advocated for change in South Australia’s early childhood sector and contributed to the work that’s been achieved. Reforms of this scale are complex but with continued focus, dedication and collaboration, the momentum is building every day and I have every confidence that, working collectively, we will succeed.
Let’s give our children the start they deserve and work together to achieve this bold, generational reform.
Kim Little
Chief Executive
Office for Early Childhood Development
