Fast-tracking 3-year-old preschool rollout
Nearly 50 long day care services across South Australia will deliver three-year-old preschool ahead of schedule, as the State Government accelerates the program through the 2026-27 State Budget.
New services will start early, in July, providing hundreds of additional places for families giving more children access to a teacher-led, play-based learning program sooner than planned, brought forward from January 2027 enrolments.
The mid-year intake is part of a $624.5 million investment over five years to deliver three-year-old preschool in government and non-government settings, including eight new preschools, 20 new integrated hubs and infrastructure upgrades at dozens of sites.
Across 2027, more than 7,500 three-year-olds will have access to two years of quality preschool as part of the Government’s $1.9 billion Flying Start reforms – the most significant commitment to early childhood education in a generation.
A further 140 sites will commence in January, comprising long day care services and government preschools in metropolitan and regional areas – including around 25 in the state’s South East and more than 20 in the Riverland and Murraylands.
The additional sites will join more than 250 Flying Start partner preschools that started delivering three-year-old preschool in January this year.
This means in just the second year of the Government’s universal rollout, approximately 440 sites – nearly half of all early learning services in South Australia – will offer three-year-old preschool.
By 2032, every South Australian child will have access to 15 hours a week of three-year-old preschool, helping their development during the critical early years and supporting language, social and emotional growth.
It follows strong interest from the long day care sector during the competitive expression of interest process, with key priority being given to both quality and the ability of a site to deliver a teacher-led program.
Introducing a second year of preschool lays the foundations for children to thrive in their education and is vital to achieving the Government’s 20-year goal to reduce the rate of South Australian children who are developmentally vulnerable when they start school.
A complete list of sites offering three-year-old preschool can be found at flyingstart.sa.gov.au.