Connecting services for the best start
Navigating a more connected system
During a child's early years, families can find it hard to know what to do and where to seek help. Building a connected early years system will support families through providing multiple entry points to seek information about parenting and early childhood development.
Through changes to the early childhood system, we’re creating a coordinated referral pathway to support children who are at greatest risk access their preschool entitlement.
We will work with the sector to build in more support for and more consistent expectations for services to connect in ways that put children first and make it easy for families and providers to access and trust the support they need.
We are also focusing on better connecting systems and data, to help practitioners and researchers focus on shared challenges and their solutions. Coordinating efforts to strengthen the early childhood sector is needed to reach families with information and support about their role in their child’s development, and how to access services in their child’s early years of life.
Improving existing services for children at risk
The Office for Early Childhood Development is promoting excellence in inclusion and support for children at risk, examining training and other supports for the sector to improve learning, participation and wellbeing of children with complex needs. This will include support for formal referral pathways into early childhood services for children who are at risk of coming into contact with the child protection system.
From 2024, 3-year-old children in care in Department for Education settings can access to 15 hours a week of a quality preschool program, up from 12 hours a week.
Growing information sources and services for families
The government will improve information available to families about the importance of quality interactions for early childhood brain development through Words Grow Minds. This service is expanding to provide more families with information and resources to support early communication, play and social skills.
The OECD works with the Child and Family Health Service and other stakeholders to support health and development checks and the Early Years SA app, but families can still find it hard to know what to do and where to find help during a child’s early years.
The government is expanding the availability and uptake of child health and development checks across South Australia, which is essential to help services identify children’s developmental needs and connect families to additional supports where they need them earlier in life.
Kindy Care
A new model of wrap-around care, Kindy Care, is being trialled at 20 South Australian preschools from July 2024.
Kindy Care is designed to provide greater flexibility, accessibility, and support for families, by increasing care outside of the regular preschool operating hours.
Three operational models will be trialled in different communities and service settings. These are:
- the Department for Education operating the service (similar to rural care)
- third-party providers to provide the service
- in-venue family day carer to provide the service.
The trials will support children to maintain continuity, reduce transitions and engage in out of hours care appropriate to their developmental needs.
It’s expected that the trials will also provide valuable feedback to determine a broader roll-out for Kindy Care in the future.