Preschool Boost
Preschool Boost is a universal funding stream to support early childhood education services to do more to address developmental vulnerability. Preschool Boost funding can be used to purchase allied health services and other quality programs from the Preschool Boost Menu, enhancing the capability of services, educators, and parents.
Preschool Boost will also provide all Partner Services with a range of centrally funded programs free of charge including Aboriginal Cultural Safety training and Trauma-informed Practice training, inclusive of backfill funding.
Partner Providers and Services in receipt of Ready Set Preschool funding are required to plan for the use of all Preschool Boost funding and associated backfill aligned to strategic goals identified through the Partnership Plan and implement funded activities in accordance with the Partnership Plan. Preschool Boost funding is distributed through direct funding and/or vouchers bi-annually.
Partner Services will be notified of their following years’ Preschool Boost funding allocation in advance, giving them up to 6 months to plan how they will use their Preschool Boost funding.
Professional development as part of Preschool Boost
Preschool Boost provides Partner Services with additional funding to purchase high quality supports, including professional development specific to addressing areas of developmental concern, via the Preschool Boost Menu. Although Preschool Boost funding is allocated based on funded preschool enrolments, educator professional development is expected to have flow on benefits for all children in the Service.
Eligibility
All Partner Services will receive Preschool Boost funding, recognising that developmental vulnerability exists in every area of South Australia.
Partnership Plan inclusion
All Partner Services are required to plan how they will use Preschool Boost funding.
Spending rules
Allowable expenditure
Preschool Boost funding can be used to purchase allied health and other evidence informed programs that support groups of children and enhance the capability of services, educators, and parents. It must not be spent on individual child supports including individual assessments.
Funds are to be used primarily to purchase allied health services and other quality programs from the Preschool Boost Menu, with some exceptions (see spending parameters, below).
All Partner Services must detail how the funding will be allocated to support children’s outcomes via the Partnership Plan. This Partnership Plan ensures compliance with funding rules and will be subject to approvals.
Funding restrictions
Preschool Boost funding cannot be:
- used for off-menu purchases, administration support or backfill greater than the percentages noted in the spending parameters
- spent on resources, supports and training not aligned to AEDC developmental domains or products outside the prescribed Preschool Boost menu other than those specified in the spending parameters; or
- spent on services/programs/resources not approved in the Partnership Plan, or approved as a variation to the Partnership Plan, without the prior approval of the OECD.
Discretionary use of funding
The Preschool Boost Funded Program stream is, by its design, discretionary but it can only be allocated and spent in accordance with the spending rules and parameters.
For further guidance, including pooling arrangements, refer to the Preschool Boost Fact Sheet available on the OECD Partner Portal.
Spending parameters
Local Teams will support Partner Services to ensure funds are effectively planned and spent.
| Category | Definition / Purpose | Notes | Allocation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administration support | Covers costs related to planning, booking, and administering programs or supports. | This may include backfill where staff are released to complete these administration tasks. A teacher is not required to perform the administration work. | Up to 5% |
| Staff backfill | Covers the cost of temporary relief ECTs/staff to cover service staff attending programs or training. | Backfill to release staff to participate in an approved planning, implementation or evaluation activity (e.g. professional development, meeting with an allied health practitioner, supporting a parent information session etc.) can be fully covered as long as total backfill expenditure does not exceed 25% of the total Preschool Boost funding allocation. Partner Services may, at their discretion, use backfill funding to pay staff for approved OECD-related activities which occur outside their usual working hours, recognising the operational complexity of the early childhood sector and the challenges in releasing staff from directly working with children. For mandated programs (e.g. trauma-informed practice, Aboriginal Cultural safety), a separate allowance is provided on top of the Preschool Boost funding in a service’s first year of contracting and does not count towards the 25% backfill limit. | Up to 25% |
| Menu Programs | Programs and services listed on the Preschool Boost Menu. | Selection of allied health services and other quality programs. Costs may include supplier travel and accommodation, as part of the negotiated delivery price, or delivery/operation of a creche to support parent/carer attendance at a parenting program. | At least 50% |
| Off Menu | Programs or services not listed on the Preschool Boost Menu | Off Menu items may be approved if a program or allied health professional listed on the Preschool Boost Menu:
The Off Menu allocation can also be utilised:
| Up to 20% |
Approval for expenditure of Preschool Boost funding, for both menu and Off Menu purchases, will be managed through the Partnership Plan process to ensure expenditure aligns with program intent.
Program reporting
Partner Services will be required to participate in Preschool Boost reporting processes as determined by the OECD.
Reporting may include information on how funding has been used, including the target AEDC domains (or sub domains), types of supports purchased and whether the intended outcomes were achieved. Services may also be asked to report on how Preschool Boost suppliers met their expectations.
Partner Services will need to retain evidence to demonstrate compliance with spending rules which may include copies of financial reports, receipts or invoices.
Preschool Boost funding will also need to be accounted for in the service-level annual financial acquittal.