South Australia's Preschool Infrastructure Strategy
Every child deserves a flying start.
That’s why we have set an ambitious goal to reform the early childhood system in South Australia and reduce the rate of developmental vulnerability in young children. We know that 2 years of quality early learning before starting school makes a big difference to children’s development. For this reason, the Government of South Australia is delivering quality, teacher-led, play-based 3-year-old preschool from 2026.
The South Australian government has developed this infrastructure strategy to guide how we work with the early childhood sector to determine where infrastructure is needed, and to deliver infrastructure projects in a way that represents good investment.
The initiatives in this strategy will enable a strengthened collaboration between state government, local government, providers of early childhood services, and community. By working together over the long term, we can achieve our vision: that all children in South Australia will have access to a quality 3-year-old preschool program by 2032.
We understand the diversity within the sector and we want to retain this. Different families have different needs when it comes to early childhood services. Through the delivery of 3-year-old preschool, we want to support sector growth, while enacting the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care. This will include strengthening the delivery of services in the not-for-profit sector, which has not grown at the same rate as other parts of the sector.
To support planning and guide investment decisions, the Office for Early Childhood Development (OECD) will be sharing information on its website that identifies where more preschool capacity is projected to be needed.
A combination of direct investment in government preschool infrastructure and support for other providers will be required to build South Australia’s capacity for 3-year-old preschool. Investments will include expanding capacity in government preschools and making them suitable for younger learners, establishing a series of integrated hubs, and initiating a grants program to incentivise non-government providers to create additional preschool places.
As the reform rolls out, we will continue to monitor data and engage with communities to ensure infrastructure is being delivered where it is needed. We will adjust our approach as necessary to make sure we deliver the best outcomes for young South Australians and their families.
I acknowledge and thank the early childhood sector for their engagement and contributions towards the development of this strategy. I am confident that together, these initiatives will support continued growth in the number of 3-year-old children accessing preschool programs. I look forward to working with you as we implement these initiatives.
Hon Blair Boyer MP
Minister for Education, Training and Skills