Work to immediately begin on expanding sector following findings of Early Childhood Royal Commission

The state government has accepted 13 of the 43 recommendations handed down by Julia Gillard on the Early Childhood Royal Commission - including OSHC in kindergartens.

Work will immediately begin on expanding preschool and Out of School Hours Care in South Australia in line with the recommendations of the state’s Royal Commission into early childhood education.

The state government has accepted 13 of the 43 recommendations handed down by Royal Commissioner Julia Gillard on Sunday.

It has committed to commencing the rollout of universal three-year-old preschool in 2026, with a completion date of 2032.

That will involve an entitlement to at least 15 preschool hours a week – and up to 30 for the most vulnerable three and four-year-olds.

Other accepted recommendations include prioritisation of the 1000 most vulnerable children in the state, starting a trial of out-of-hours care (OSHC) in government run preschools in 2024 and expansion of child development checks to achieve maximum possible participation.

The government will adopt a 20-year goal to reduce the rate of South Australian children entering school “developmentally vulnerable” from 23.8 per cent to 15 per cent.

Peter Malinauskas and Commissioner Julia Gillard. Picture: Matt Loxton

It will enter into dialogue with the Commonwealth to address other recommendations, including ensuring a fit-for-purpose regulatory approach to OSHC and partnering with the National Disability Insurance Agency.

The government has committed at initial $50m towards a first round of required infrastructure work, and an additional $20m towards starting to implementing the recommendations.

The full cost of the universal three-year-old preschool policy, once implemented, will be $212m per year.

Ms Gillard said the findings of the commission would shape the future of early childhood education.

“To build a great future for our state, we must invest in our children,” she said.

“The science now tells us that investing in the early years – from birth to school entry – pays the biggest dividends, with 90 per cent of brain development occurring in the first five years of a child’s life.”

Premier Peter Malinauskas said the commission set a pathway for South Australia to lead the nation in early childhood development – and “that work starts today”.

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

“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.”