Provider frequently asked questions
The frequently asked questions on this page provides information to early childhood education and care services about how to take part in the reforms to the sector.
The early childhood education and care workforce is critical to the delivery of the state’s vision for the early childhood system, but we are experiencing a national shortage of early childhood educators and teachers.
On 21 June 2024, the government released the Early Childhood Workforce Strategy. The strategy contains a suite of initiatives that are designed to address the barriers and challenges contributing to early childhood workforce shortages in South Australia.
By investing in the early childhood workforce, we can ensure we attract and retain the teachers and educators needed to deliver better support to families and universal preschool for 3-year-olds, so that more children are developmentally on track at school entry.
Many children will access 3-year-old preschool in long day care services where they are enrolled, using existing infrastructure. We also know from the work of the Royal Commission that there is additional capacity already available in services. This existing infrastructure will be leveraged early in the roll-out.
We will also need more capacity to achieve universal 3-year-old preschool by 2032. Statewide supply and demand modelling has been undertaken to give an indication of where more infrastructure is likely to be needed. We will be working with services in the second half of 2024 to get a detailed understanding of available capacity at the local level and place based additional infrastructure needs. This will include consultation with the sector on the development of an infrastructure strategy.
No, the Education Standards Board (ESB) regulates education and care services. The OECD is the system steward of South Australia’s early childhood development system. We are accountable for driving quality preschool and are providing a range of quality and workforce supports to support the sector. However, the OECD will use publicly available information from the ESB to support decisions regarding:
- eligibility of a service to provide a preschool program
- requirement to participate in quality improvement program.
Expressing interest to deliver 3-year-old preschool
Each provider can enter service level information for up to 52 services on the online EOI form.
No. The first round of EOIs is for services that are seeking to partner with the government for preschool delivery from 2026. This round will be open until February 2025. There will be subsequent EOI opportunities for services looking to partner with the OECD from 2027 and beyond.
Yes, services not yet assessed may submit an EOI. The OECD will consider factors such as:
- the outcomes of the post approval visit by the ESB
- the number and ratings of other services owned by the same provider
- the location of the service
- the support available.
Yes, however you won’t be eligible for funding until you have a registered early childhood teacher, or a staff member studying an Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority approved qualification and holding a Special Authority to Teach as an Early Childhood Teacher (ECT SAT) from the Teacher's Registration Board employed to deliver the preschool program. In the EOI, we will seek information on how you propose to have a teacher in place for 2026 (e.g. whether you currently have a staff member upskilling).
The OECD may consider the eligibility of providers who meet the preschool objectives that are not currently approved providers under the National Law and National Regulations, in particular Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCO) operated services. The approval of providers remains at the absolute discretion of the OECD.
Yes, services that are rated as Working Towards the NQS can still apply. Some services will be required to complete a quality uplift program before being approved/partnered, while others may be able to commence on the proviso that they complete a quality improvement program within timeframes determined by the OECD. This decision will be taken on factors including the nature and timing of the Working Towards rating, and the practicalities of accessing the program prior to commencement.
Delivering 3-year-old preschool
When you partner with the OECD under the new model, you can elect to deliver a 3- and 4-year-old program, or just a 3-year-old program. For services seeking to deliver both, any existing 4-year-old preschool program funding will move to the new model and funding arrangement.
Funding for an enrolled child will be provided to the partner service for the full 6-month period (the whole semester) that the child is enrolled to start, including where a child begins preschool later than the start of the semester, due to their age. This is subject to the OECD receiving appropriate and timely enrolment information from the partner service. Services will be required to hold a place for that child in the preschool program, to ensure they can start in the program as soon as practicable from when they turn 3. Services can also move them into a preschool room before they turn 3, if they can manage this within ratios and agreed with the family.
The Department for Education continues to manage the 4-year-old preschool program funding in 2025. Please contact Preschool Funding Unit at education.preschoolfunding@sa.gov.au
Services must provide ECTs delivering 3-year-old preschool programs with 2 hours of non-contact time per week above the relevant industrial award. If your service already provides this time, we will seek information during the expression of interest process about how your service will apply preschool partnership funding to support workforce development.
Yes, there can be mixed-aged programs in services as long as the program is delivered by an early childhood teacher, and services meet staffing ratios under the National Law and Regulations.