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Preschool Boost for early childhood services

Supporting partner services to boost children’s outcomes

Preschool Boost is a funding program to support early childhood education services to do more to address developmental vulnerability. Partner preschool services can use Preschool Boost funding to purchase allied health services and other quality programs from the Preschool Boost menu. It is tailored to meet the needs of 3- and 4-year-old children, their families and communities. The menu offers high quality, pre-approved supports, aligned with the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) domains:

  • physical health and wellbeing
  • social competence
  • emotional maturity
  • language and cognitive skills
  • communication skills and general knowledge.

The Preschool Boost menu will be available on this website from July 2025.

Who will benefit from Preschool Boost

The Preschool Boost menu will offer a range of supports that are available for Preschool Partner Services, including:

1. Leadership and coaching support

  • provides guidance to educational leaders and staff
  • may include support with early childhood service planning, and data-driven annual program design to ensure impactful service delivery
  • supports educators in developing differentiated pedagogical and curriculum plans, including coaching to support the use of multi-disciplinary approaches and embedding early intervention strategies within the preschool program.

2. Child-centred supports and group services, programs, or supports

Offers group services, programs, or supports including small-group programs led by allied health professionals (AHPs) and other specialists, tailored to the needs of the cohort.

3. Parenting and family support services, programs, or supports

  • offers parenting services, programs, or supports that focus on information-sharing, skill-building, and overall child and family wellbeing
  • helps parents and families understand their child’s development and connect with relevant community resources for additional support.

4. Educator upskilling and knowledge building

Empowers educators through professional development opportunities that strengthen their ability to embed evidence-informed practices in daily interactions with children.

I lead or work in an early childhood service

To access your Preschool Boost funding, you need to develop a Preschool Boost plan. This plan will draw on your Quality Improvement Plan, AEDC data and other relevant local data. This will inform your support program choices and show how you will spend Preschool Boost funds to improve outcomes for children in your community.

As a partner service, the OECD will fund foundational training in Aboriginal Cultural Safety and trauma-informed practice. You can access a funding contribution towards backfill for relevant staff to undertake the training.

Arrangements for Department for Education preschools will be confirmed separately.

How Local Teams will support you

Local Teams are here to guide and support you throughout the planning process.

Support includes:

  • helping with plan development during structured visits, including:
    • using and understanding AEDC and local data
    • shortlisting and selecting services
    • shaping a plan that’s outcomes-focused and meets local needs.
  • reviewing your plan to check it’s complete, high quality, and aligned with the Preschool Boost Menu
  • providing feedback and approval of plans
  • facilitating any amendments if changes are needed
  • offering general support, including a mid-year check-in to help track progress and implementation.

Visit the Local Teams page to find your region.

I am a potential menu supplier

The Preschool Boost menu is a list of programs and services from suppliers the OECD has assessed for quality and evidence. Menu items must support high quality early childhood programs and reduce developmental vulnerability, as measured by the AEDC domains. Services provided through the menu can support capacity building for service staff and families and/or offer group-based support for children in preschool programs.

The OECD held an open procurement process for  program suppliers to apply to be included on the Preschool Boost menu in early 2025. Registrations of interest for future years will reopen in late 2025. Subscribe to the OECD’s newsletter to keep up-to-date.

Have a question?

Business unit or team name: Layered Supports and Inclusion team
Email: OECD.PreschoolBoost@sa.gov.au