The Malinauskas Labor Government will start work immediately on delivering the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care, which will see South Australia become a national leader in early childhood development and improve the lives of thousands of children.

The government will start by adopting the very first recommendation in the report and set an ambitious target 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.

Work will immediately begin on expanding preschool and Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) in South Australia, starting with an initial investment of $70 million, with more to come.

The State Government will start implementing a further 12 recommendations in the report, including:
*Commence the rollout of universal three-year-old preschool in 2026 to be completed by 2032.
*Prioritising the 1,000 most vulnerable children in the state.
*Become the first Australian state to provide up to 30 hours of preschool per week for the most vulnerable three- and four-year olds.
*Start a trial of out of hours care in government-run preschools in 2024.
*Centralise management of OSHC in government schools under the Department for Education, improving quality and access, and modernise OSHC qualification requirements.
*Expand child development checks to achieve maximum possible participation.
*Establish an Early Childhood Workforce Fund.
*Legislate a new Office for Early Childhood Development as a steward for the early childhood development system and to co-ordinate the implementation of the Royal Commission’s recommendations, reporting directly to the Education Minister.
The State Government will make an initial commitment of $50 million towards the first tranche of required infrastructure works and $20 million towards starting to implement the recommendations, including:
*$7 million for the Education Standards Board so that every childhood education and care provider is assessed and rated at least every three years.
*$2.4 million towards the establishment of the new Office for Early Childhood Development.
*$1.7 million for the out of hours care trial at preschools in 2024.
The State Government will begin engaging with the Federal Government regarding a further six recommendations which require dialogue with the Commonwealth.

This includes South Australia leading a national policy conversation on early childhood education and care and actively engaging with the Commonwealth regarding broad fee relief for families accessing preschool in non-government settings.

Read the Royal Commission report here.

Read the Royal Commission media release here.

Quotes

Attributable to Peter Malinauskas

The Royal Commission sets a clear pathway for South Australia to lead the nation in early childhood development and that work starts today.

The evidence is clear that the decisions we make in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life help set the course for the rest of their life – with up to 90 per cent of brain development happening during this time.

First and foremost, this is about ensuring fewer children are developmentally vulnerable when they start school.

And the benefits of this objective are widespread, including better outcomes at school, stronger career prospects after school and improved wellbeing overall – which has broader benefits for our society and our economy.

This is also about delivering working families greater flexibility, with a modern out of school hours care system which is high quality and accessible to all.

We are starting work immediately, investing in the infrastructure, the workforce and the governance overhaul required to make this vision a reality.

I want to thank former Prime Minister Julia Gillard and her team for this outstanding report.

Attributable to Blair Boyer

I’m really pleased that the Royal Commissioner’s final report contains deliberate recommendations that target support where its most needed.

Early intervention before a child starts school, goes an incredibly long way to support social and emotional wellbeing, as well as cognitive and language skills, and by targeting supports, we can ensure the most significant outcomes.

This is an enormous undertaking for South Australia that will change the lives of generations of children – it won’t be easy, but it is absolutely necessary to ensure we give our children the best start in life, and one they deserve.

Our goal is to make the early childhood system more integrated and accessible and to create a system that is more effective for working families.

By supporting families through wrap-around care and three-year-old preschool we are lifting the quality of education, having targeted supports more readily available and accessible and increasing workforce participation. These outcomes will be significant for decades to come.

South Australia has always been a leader in education reform and I’m proud to be part of a government that tackles these things seriously and will in turn lead the national and international conversation in the early years.