The South Australian Government has announced that three children's centres will offer three-year-old preschool from 2026, to help inform and shape the state's new preschool model.
It follows the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care, led by Julia Gillard, showing all children benefit from two years of quality, teacher-led preschool programs.
These programs help children to thrive when they are young and set them up for a stronger start to school and beyond.
The preschools chosen as demonstration sites are:
- Ocean View College Children’s Centre, Taperoo South
- Brentwood Drive Kindergarten, Huntfield Heights
- Riverbanks College Preschool, Angle Vale.
Children living in the local preschool catchment area, who meet the eligibility criteria, will get priority access to places available across the three sites. Aboriginal children can continue to access their three-year-old entitlement, as can children in care.
The roll-out of three-year-old preschool in long day care services across the state will also start from 2026.
All remaining government and sessional preschools will follow a geographic roll-out schedule, starting with regional and rural areas in 2026 and 2027, the greater Adelaide area in 2028, and metro Adelaide starting in 2029 and 2030.
By 2032, every three-year-old across the state will have access to quality, universal preschool programs.
In the meantime, all South Australian children will continue to have a place in their local government preschool in the year before school.
