The South Australian Government is extending its preschool provision next year, offering up to 30 hours of teacher-led, play-based preschool to 3- and 4-year-olds across the state who need extra support.
Preschool Plus is part of the Government's Flying Start reforms, which were developed in response to the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care. The Commission found evidence that all children benefit from two years of high-quality preschool and that vulnerable children are likely to benefit the most from more hours.
University of Adelaide's Thriving Families SA and BetterStart co-leaders Associate Professor Rhiannon Pilkington and Professor John Lynch, along with the University of South Australia's Professor Sally Brinkman, will lead a five-year research project studying the implementation and impacts of the program on parents, children and providers.
The research partnership is made possible by an innovative collaboration between the Government of South Australia, the University of Adelaide and philanthropy through the Eureka Benevolent Foundation (EBF) and Investment Dialogue for Australia's Children (IDAC).
Associate Professor Pilkington said the research will examine whether children who stand to benefit most from additional preschool hours show gains in areas such as child development, academic achievement, wellbeing and beyond.
Unlike typical evaluations, the real time learnings will inform how the program is delivered to give children the best opportunity to thrive.
"This evaluation represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rigorously assess whether more preschool hours from age 3, can transform children's developmental outcomes and close the equity gap before school entry," says Belinda Hutchinson, Chair, EBF.
"By focusing on children most at risk of developmental vulnerability, this project aims to give thousands of children the best possible start in life. The findings will guide policy and practice across Australia and internationally, ensuring more children thrive at school and beyond."
The Flying Start reforms are the largest investment into early childhood education and care made in South Australia since the 1960s.
"Despite decades of investment into universal provision of 15 hours of preschool for 4-year-olds, and 12 hours per week for 3-year-olds in selected populations, SA has not made the gains in child development at school entry that we need to see," says Associate Professor Pilkington.
"One in 4 children start school behind, and children from disadvantaged backgrounds continue to experience more than twice the level of developmental vulnerability - with 1 in 3 disadvantaged children vs 1 in 7 who are not disadvantaged, classified as developmentally vulnerable when they start school.
"This research will determine whether increasing preschool hours with additional supports in place can reduce developmental vulnerability at school entry, addressing a long-standing global question in early childhood education and care.
"Our role as researchers is to help government and early childhood education and care providers get it right, so the reforms have a positive impact on children's life chances."
IDAC Executive Convenor Simon Factor said the organisation plays a vital role in ensuring the opportunity to support investment that produces good outcomes for young people.
"South Australia's preschool reform is a critical moment to build a system that learns, rigorously testing what works and embedding those lessons nationally to drive better outcomes for children and families," he said.
"The Investment Dialogue for Australia's Children plays a vital role in ensuring this once in a generation opportunity strengthens the evidence base, while reflecting our core purpose: bringing philanthropy, government, and research together in genuine partnership with communities."
The Flying Start reforms are being led by the Office for Early Childhood Development (OECD).
"Preschool Plus is vital in delivering targeted early intervention and learning support to children who have the most to gain. We can create greater equity through programs like Preschool Plus," says OECD Chief Executive Kim Little.
"We'll be working closely with local services delivering Preschool Plus to make sure we can learn and adapt to deliver the highest quality program for South Australian children. This includes relying on the best available data to identify children who would benefit most from access to 30 hours of preschool."
