$10.9 million investment to grow and support South Australia’s early childhood workforce
New initiatives will help strengthen the state’s early childhood education workforce in regional, rural and hard to staff areas.
The South Australian Government has allocated more than $10.9 million in targeted investment to strengthen the state’s early childhood education workforce, supporting the delivery of 3-year-old preschool from 2026.
This includes $9.7 million for the Flying Start Pathways Program, delivered in partnership with Gowrie SA to attract and retain early childhood educators and teachers through integrated career progression and wrap-around support services. This approach will help students – particularly from underrepresented backgrounds – to complete early childhood qualifications.
The government also awarded over $1.2 million in grants to support early childhood services, teachers and educators, primarily targeting regional, rural and hard-to-staff areas.
Awards include around $500,000 in Flying Start Workforce Grants, to be shared by recipients across South Australia to address localised workforce challenges.
Examples include the Riverland Early Learning Centre, which is partnering with a local Registered Training Organisation to upskill the local workforce, and SNAICC, which will build leadership capacity across 9 early childhood services in Aboriginal communities.
A further $720,000 in Flying Start Professional Network Grants will support 11 recipients to connect early childhood, allied health, and community service professionals through 14 new or expanded professional networks.
These include a $185,000 grant to co-design a statewide early childhood network for Aboriginal professionals led by Tauondi Aboriginal Corporation, grants of up to $57,000 for 5 regional networks in areas such as Eyre Peninsula and the Limestone Coast, and grants of up to $37,000 in metropolitan areas.
All grants were awarded through a competitive evaluation process and initiatives will be monitored for their potential to be replicated in other communities.
Office for Early Childhood Development Chief Executive Kim Little said:
The early childhood workforce is central to the delivery of universal 3-year-old preschool and associated reforms to support young children to thrive and reach their full potential.
We need to grow a valued workforce of teachers and educators across all South Australia if we are to give every 3-year-old child the same access to two years of preschool. This is especially true for rural and regional communities, where families often face more limited options.
By investing in the next generation of teachers and educators, we aim to give all South Australian children access to two years of quality preschool programs in the communities they live in.