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Murraylands children will soon be able to start kindy at the age of three instead of waiting until they turn four.
By 2032, all three-year-olds will get access to 15 hours of preschool per week, following a state government announcement on Tuesday.
But who exactly will be eligible, and when?
- In Murray Bridge and the Adelaide Hills, children born between November 2024 and April 2025 will start kindy in term one of 2028
- Children born from May to October 2025 will start in mid-2028
- In the Coorong and other parts of the Murraylands, children born between last November and this April will start kindy in term one of 2027
- Children born between May and October this year will start in mid-2027
Three-year-old enrolments will be offered not just at existing kindies, but also at participating long day care providers.
But families may only get as few as six hours per week to start with, depending whether providers can recruit enough staff.
State Education, Training and Skills Minister Blair Boyer said the changes had been recommended by a recent Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care.
“Our goal is to strengthen the connection between families and preschool programs, health and support services so fewer South Australian children are starting school developmentally vulnerable,” he said.
“The Royal Commission told us quality early learning programs can have a significant and lasting impact on children from disadvantaged backgrounds.”
Indigenous children, children in state care and some children with disability can already start kindy at the age of three.
Under the new arrangement, those children will get 30 hours of care per week, twice as many as they receive at present.
There are three kindergartens, or preschools, in Murray Bridge – Concordia, Fraser Park and Murray Bridge Preschool Kindergarten – plus the one at Tailem Bend.
Five long day care providers operate in Murray Bridge: Community Kids, the Community Children’s Centre, Kin Kin, Tyndale’s early learning centre and World of Learning.
- More information: www.earlychildhood.sa.gov.au/3-year-old-preschool-roll-out.
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