Thousands of South Australian 3-year-olds to access preschool in 2026

More than 200 long day cares services across South Australia will partner with the state government to deliver 3-year-old preschool from 2026, as part of the first stage of the landmark early childhood reforms.

The services, located across metropolitan, regional, and rural South Australia, will be joined by 45 government preschools in regional and remote communities, giving more than 6,000 3-year-olds access to teacher-led, play-based learning in the first year of the roll-out alone. Evidence shows that two years of quality preschool supports children to thrive in learning and in life.

This announcement marks a major milestone in the State Government’s plan to deliver 15 hours of universal 3-year-old preschool to every South Australian child by 2032. The initiative is part of the Government’s $1.9 billion Flying Start reforms – the most significant commitment to early childhood in a generation.

Partnering long day care services were prioritised based on quality, in line with the National Quality Standards and location, with a focus on reaching communities where children are likely to benefit most from access to 3-year-old preschool in the early years of the roll-out. There was an overwhelmingly positive response from early learning services wanting to take part, a clear sign of the early childhood sector’s strong commitment to these reforms.

The roll-out will expand each year, with additional services joining annually until universal access is achieved by 2032. This staged approach allows time to grow the workforce and strengthen quality delivery, supporting every child to have a flying start in life, no matter where they live. In its first year, the program will offer between six and fifteen hours of preschool each week for eligible children. Some children will also be able to access up to 30 hours based on their needs.

The Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) shows nearly one in four South Australian children start school with some form of developmental vulnerability. 3-year-old preschool aims to reduce this figure by supporting children to build foundational skills such as confidence, curiosity, and social skills in the years before school.

The roll-out is supported by wrap-around investment into the workforce, preschool infrastructure and education resources to uplift quality across the sector. This includes Preschool Boost, a targeted funding stream that gives services access to a menu of evidence-informed supports aligned to the five domains of the AEDC.

Services not yet delivering 3-year-old preschool in 2026 will also benefit from increased supports, helping to strengthen quality and readiness ahead of future roll-out stages. Families can now visit flyingstart.sa.gov.au to learn more about the roll-out of 3-year-old preschool, explore partnering services in their community, and check when their child will be eligible to participate.

Quotes attributable to the Hon. Peter Malinauskas MP, Premier of South Australia

"Three-year-old preschool sets children up with the skills and confidence they need to ensure they are ready to learn as soon as they head to school.

There is no bigger reform in improving the long-term trajectory of our state, socially and economically.

This is a reform grounded in research and follows the recommendations provided by the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care – led by former Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

We know that two years of quality preschool are better than one, particularly for those children in disadvantaged and low-socio economic areas.

We have been unapologetic in our ambitious goal to reduce the rate of South Australian children entering school developmentally vulnerable."

Quotes attributable to the Hon. Blair Boyer MP, Minister for Education, Training and Skills

"The very first recommendation of the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care was to reduce the rate of South Australian children entering school developmentally vulnerable from 23.8 per cent to 15 per cent within 20 years – well below the national average of 22 per cent.

Three-year-old preschool is the most effective way, we as a state, can achieve that ambitious goal.

These outcomes will be significant for decades to come.

The response from providers has been overwhelmingly positive, with hundreds of services stepping forward to express their interest in partnering with us to deliver quality three-year-old preschool to South Australia’s children.

Today’s announcement reflects the sector’s commitment to quality early childhood education and their readiness to deliver for children and families."