South Australia has launched a state-first trial program providing after preschool care known as Kindy Care. The initiative began this week and will be rolled out across 20 government preschools. Blair Boyer, Minister for Education, Training and Skills, announced that this scheme follows the recommendations from the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care.
The Royal Commission, led by former Prime Minister Julia Gillard, received inputs from various stakeholders, showing a significant demand for extended care hours for preschool children, aligned with the needs of working families. Traditional preschool hours from 9am to 3pm do not cover full working days, presenting challenges for parents balancing employment and childcare.
Kindy Care aims to address lack of out-of-school-hours-care (OSHC) accessible for preschool-aged children. The trial is intended to explore various models fitting for preschool environments by providing longer care hours. Essentially, this service will allow children to remain in the same familiar setting throughout the day, easing transitions and supporting their developmental needs.
Starting from this week, the trial has commenced at 10 sites including Adams Road Children’s Centre, Cumberland Preschool Kindergarten, and Gabmididi Manoo Children and Family Centre among others. The service is delivered by department staff at these locations. Another set of 10 preschools will begin the Kindy Care trial in phases over the current and the following year, involving third-party providers at sites like Bridgewater Kindergarten and Dernancourt Kindergarten.
Minister Boyer said, “Kindy Care will help relieve pressure on working families and provide their children with continuity of care outside of the regular preschool hours. This is an exciting reform that will lead the nation. It builds upon our existing investment into improving government preschool facilities and out-of-hours care, providing families with greater options and a higher quality of education and care.”
The program also aligns with broader educational improvements and aims to support economic participation by reducing childcare barriers, allowing parents to work without facing prohibitive costs.
Melissa Slater, Director of Cumberland Preschool Kindergarten, shared her support for the initiative, saying “We are excited by the opportunity to expand our high-quality services to meet the needs of children and families. Kindy Care will provide continuity for children who access both preschool and Kindy Care throughout the day in an environment that’s familiar and developmentally appropriate for them while also allowing our community greater flexibility to access our services.”
The Kindy Care trials will continue until 2025, collecting feedback to potentially broaden the initiative based on each model’s success. The project’s funding includes provisions under the Federal Government’s Child Care Subsidy which will apply to eligible families starting from Term 1, 2025.
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