Grant recipients
This page lists the recipients of grants funded by the Office for Early Childhood Development.
For a list of open grant opportunities, view our Grants page.
The Flying Start Workforce Grants of up to $150,000 support collaborative workforce attraction and retention initiatives in regional, rural and hard-to-staff areas.
The Flying Start Workforce Grants guidelines (PDF) and Flying Start Workforce Grants Guidelines Round 2 (PDF) outline the details of the programs.
See the Grants page for information about current Flying Start Workforce Grants opportunities.
Workforce Grants have been awarded to the following recipients.
Recipient | Initiative | Communities supported | Funding allocation |
|---|---|---|---|
SNAICC - National Voice for our Children | Build the capacity of leaders in ACCO-led and non-ACCO-led early education services operating in Aboriginal communities. | Koonibba, Cooper Pedy, Ernabella, Whyalla, Whyalla Norrie, Elizabeth, Seaton, Christies Beach, Adelaide | $100,000 |
Kadina Child Care Centre | Develop and sustain the existing workforce through empowering training sessions. | Kadina, Maitland, Minlaton | $95,495 |
Riverland Early Learning Centre-17th Street | Upskill the local workforce through access to in-person training, study, mentoring and placement support. | Renmark, Berri, Tobruk | $96,550 |
Goodstart Early Learning (Mount Gambier) | Support students to complete study and mentoring through partnerships with the local technical college and TAFE SA. | Mount Gambier | $32,675 |
Port Augusta City Council | Partner with UniHub Spencer Gulf to support current employees with their studies and qualifications. | Port Augusta | $100,000 |
Saddleworth Early Learning Centre | Retain highly qualified and experienced staff through additional professional development. | Saddleworth, Riverton, Burra | $11,209 |
Goodstart Early Learning (Outer North) | Support 6 services to develop and implement a mentor program for students during placements and study. | Nuriootpa, Gawler, Smithfield Blakeview, Penfield, Evanston Park | $60,480 |
Regional Development Australia Murraylands and Riverland | In partnership with TAFE SA, employment support providers and local ECEC services deliver local training, professional development, and attraction campaigns and pilot a shared workforce model to improve staffing flexibility. | Renmark, Loxton | $150,000 |
Gabmididi Manoo Children and Family Centre | Establish a collaborative Aboriginal mentorship program to increase Aboriginal employment and retention within the early childhood sector. | Whyalla Stuart, Whyalla Norrie, Whyalla | $134,000 |
ELC Training Australia | Address gaps in current accredited training delivery models and grow the local Trainers and assessors (TAE) workforce in the region to meet growing demand required to increase the early childhood workforce | Kadina, Clare, Minlaton, Maitland | $143,290 |
The Corporation of the City of Whyalla | Establish a dedicated Mentor to support ECEC staff and students and work with ECEC services, schools, training providers, employment agencies and Aboriginal organisations to build collaborative ways of working and support. | Whyalla | $70,000 |
Naracoorte Child Day Care Centre | Support 2 services to retain staff through additional professional development. | Naracoorte, Millicent | $81,273 |
Corporation of the City of Port Lincoln | Localised workforce attraction and retention initiatives, student support, mentoring and career development program, and support for upskillers | Port Lincoln | $122,500 |
Hessel | Create a regional ECEC Learning and Mentoring Hub that will deliver face-to-face early childhood education and care training workshops, mentoring, support and local workforce campaigns in partnership with regional services and councils. | Port Pirie, Whyalla, Port Augusta, Clare Valley, Port Lincoln | $130,000 |
Bordertown Primary School | A year-long professional learning series for early childhood educators that will deepen developmental understanding, self-regulation, cultural responsiveness, educator and child wellbeing, and pedagogical documentation. | Meningie, Pinnaroo, Coomandook, Karoonda, Lameroo, Raukkan, Tintinara, Bordertown, Keith, Murray Bridge, Tailem Bend, Mannum, Swan Reach, Morgan, Waikerie | $122,200 |
Gulfview Heights Primary School | Implement the Relational Pedagogy Project to support early childhood educators to develop specialised skills to meet the unique needs of children and families. | Salisbury Heights, Salisbury East, Salisbury Park, Smithfield Plains, Angle Vale, Elizabeth North, Andrews Farm, Munno Para, Davoren Park | $150,000 |
The Flying Start Aboriginal Workforce Grants of up to $20,000 are available to embed Aboriginal cultural safety in early childhood services and support the professional development and retention of Aboriginal staff.
These grants have been established as part of the Aboriginal Workforce Strategy.
The Flying Start Aboriginal Workforce Grants Guidelines outline the program details.
See the Grants page for information about current Flying Start Aboriginal Workforce Grants opportunities.
Aboriginal Workforce Grants have been awarded to the following recipients.
Recipient | Communities supported | Funding allocation |
|---|---|---|
Hessel Children's Centre | Western Adelaide | $20,000 |
Kadina Child Care Centre | Far North | $20,000 |
Kalaya Children's Centre | Western Adelaide | $20,000 |
Minlaton District Early Learning Centre | West Coast | $20,000 |
Pooraka Community Early Education and Care | Inner North | $20,000 |
SA Commission for Catholic Schools Inc. | Metro Adelaide | $20,000 |
Streaky Bay Children's Centre | Far West | $20,000 |
Tenison Woods College | Far South | $20,000 |
Forbes Children's Centre Child Care | Western Adelaide | $20,000 |
The Multi-Disciplinary Localised Capacity Building Grants program provides targeted loical grants to increase the supply and capacity of allied health workfroce to address developmental vulnerability in 3- and 4-year-old children across South Australia.
These grants were available to Preschool Boost suppliers, Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Organisations, Department for Education (Student Support Services) and Local Health Networks servicing remote, very remote, outer regional, SEIFA 1 or SEIFA 2 areas of South Australia.
The Localised Capacity Building Grants Guidelines provide more information about the grants.
Applications closed 22 April 2026. Grants were awarded to the following recipients.
Recipient | Initiative | Communities supported | Funding allocation |
|---|---|---|---|
JOPMART PTY. LTD. | Establish Allied Health Assistant (AHA) roles in remote and very remote early childhood and school settings to deliver routine-based supports under supervision from occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech pathologists and behaviour practitioners. | APY Lands, Coober Pedy, Oak Valley, Kenmore Park and surrounding areas | $199,274 |
Motivate Kids | Expand allied health student placements for occupational therapy, speech pathology and physiotherapy students across ECEC settings in northern Adelaide. | Salisbury, Gawler and surrounding areas | $198,000 |
Can:Do 4Kids Townsend House Inc | Establish a structured graduate program for speech pathologists and occupational therapists working in disadvantaged communities. | Metro Adelaide SEIFA 1-2 suburbs | $67,163 |
Eyre & Far North Local Health Network (EFNLHN) | Expand student placements in occupational therapy and speech pathology, this initiative will deliver early intervention supports while building workforce capability and educator capacity. | Port Lincoln, Cummins, Tumby Bay and surrounding areas | $196,902 |
Early Start Australia Pty Ltd | Expand allied health student placements within regional ECEC services in Whyalla and surrounding communities through a student-led placement model supported by a dedicated Clinical Educator. | Whyalla and surrounding areas | $200,000 |
Playgroup SA Inc | Deliver the evidence-based PEEP TALK program across northern Adelaide and Whyalla through speech pathologist-led sessions supported by speech pathology student placements. | Whyalla and northern Adelaide | $199,999 |
Department for Education | Establish an allied health student placement model in preschool and early years settings in Whyalla and Port Augusta in partnership with education services and Adelaide University. | Whyalla and Port Augusta | $122,500 |
Child And Youth Services Mutual Limited t/a Kudos Services (Kudos) | Deliver allied health student placements, drawing on Flinders University’s regionally enrolled occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech pathology students and its established regional presence. | Port Pirie, Riverland and Mount Gambier | $197,601 |
Novita Services | Implement a regional allied health placement program across regional SA ECEC settings through immersive, supervised student placements supported by structured stipends. | Regional and remote South Australian communities | $198,450 |
Novita Services | Implement a mentoring model for early career AHPs working with early childhood educators in regional communities. | Whyalla and Murray Bridge | $164,610 |
Yorke Northern Local Health Network | Implement AHA-led early intervention programs for children aged 3–4 years in Port Pirie early childhood settings. | Port Pirie | $200,000 |
The Flying Start Professional Network Grants provide funds to support local community services across early childhood education and care, allied health and community services to collaborate to identify areas where they can unite to deliver high quality preschool services and reduce child developmental vulnerability in their community.
Across South Australia, 26 Flying Start Professional Networks - including a state-wide Aboriginal Professionals Network - have been awarded grant funding.