The Malinauskas Labor Government is announcing the site of four new integrated hubs to begin the rollout of three-year-old preschool, as the 2025-26 State Budget delivers more than $30 million to accelerate the program, ahead of schedule, and deliver more preschool OHSC services.
The new hubs will be located at Goodstart Early Learning Centre at Elizabeth Vale along with Department for Education Children's Centres at Hackham West, Lake Windemere and the Parks.
The government is contributing $500,000 towards a $1.45 million investment at Elizabeth Vale to fund new infrastructure, including a flexible outdoor space for parenting and other family programs with Goodstart Early Learning contributing $700,000 and the Benevolent Society contributing $250,000.
The Elizabeth Vale hub will join the Port Pirie West Children's Centre as the first integrated hubs from term four this year.
Hackham West, Lake Windemere and the Parks will open in 2027.
The four integrated hubs are part of a $127 million commitment to establish 20 hubs across the state by 2032. They will bring together preschool, health, wellbeing and other education services, helping families and children to access the support they need in one place.
Each integrated hub will provide a Preschool Plus program of up to 30 hours a week for 3 and 4-year-olds.
In the 2025-26 State Budget, the Malinauskas Labor Government is delivering a further $27.7 million investment in the State Budget to accelerate the roll out of three-year-old preschool in a long day care.
This initiative is in response to the overwhelming interest and response from the long day care sector during the competitive expression of interest process.
The funding will provide over 2000 additional places from 2026 and bring forward the long day care roll out by 12 months.
As part of the commitment to early childhood education and care reform, the 2025-26 State Budget will also include a further $3.0 million to continue the current Kindy Care trials, which is a preschool out of school hours (OSHC) program.
Families rely on OSHC provision for their school aged children, but often OSHC services are not set up for preschool aged children and do not generally accept enrolments for preschoolers. The general sessional hours of 9am-3pm do not offer flexibility and can make decisions more difficult for working families due to accessibility.
Kindy Care will allow children to maintain continuity, reduce transitions and engage in out of hours care appropriate to their developmental needs. This extra investment will allow Kindy Care trials to continue into 2026 and will help determine a broader rollout.
In 2026, the first year of the three-year-old preschool roll out, more than 6,000 three-year-old children are expected to attend. Actual enrolments will vary depending on family uptake.
It builds on the $1.9 billion committed over nine years to improve outcomes for South Australia's young children.
This is the biggest reform to early childhood education in this state in decades with the investment key to reducing the rate of South Australian children entering school developmentally vulnerable – from 23.8 per cent to 15 per cent over 20 years.
The significant investment follows recommendations by the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care led by former Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
As put by Peter Malinauskas
The Royal Commission was clear that the early years are pivotal to shaping the rest of a child's life, with quality early education and care able to change life trajectories.
We have been unapologetic in our ambitious goal to reduce the rate of South Australian children entering school developmentally vulnerable.
Now we are delivering. And we're doing it faster than we had committed to.
There is no more important policy to the future of our state.
Giving every child the best possible chance to achieve their potential, and giving working parents more flexibility are central to my government's agenda.
As put by Stephen Mullighan
Investment in the early years is critical if we want to see rates of disadvantage reduce for young South Australians.
The early years commitments, as part of this year's State Budget, will build upon our existing investment in improving government preschool facilities and out of hours care, providing families with greater options and a higher quality of education and care.
As put by Blair Boyer
The roll out of universal three-year-old preschool is the biggest reform to early childhood education in our state in decades.
Quality early childhood education and care changes lives.
It helps children build their language, make friends, improve physical and emotional skills and make sure they are ready to learn on their first day of primary school.
This is what three-year-old preschool is about and it's why the Malinauskas Labor Government is doing everything it can to get to as many children as soon as possible.
