SA welcomes latest ROGS findings which show an upswing in quality 

South Australian Education Minister Blair Boyer has welcomed the findings from the most recent Report on Government Services (ROGS) which showed that South Australia has the second highest proportion of early childhood education and care services exceeding the National Quality Standard (NQS) in the country.

36 per cent of SA services received a rating of Exceeding the NQS– above the Australian average of 22 per cent.

An additional $7m has been invested into the Education Standards Board (which serves as the SA Regulatory Authority) to increase and improve regulatory services which has seen a 63 per cent increase on the previous year in the number of service visits.

The extra investment has seen the ESB conduct more workshops to support services to achieve excellent quality ratings, and when issues arise, to conduct audits and if necessary, enforce disciplinary action immediately.

Pleasingly, the Minister added, the number of services rated as Working Towards the NQS has significantly decreased from 56 per cent to 20 per cent.

“We know the early years are incredibly important for children’s brain development and social and emotional intelligence, and to see our childcare services rated so highly, is a testament to the incredible focus our staff have on supporting our youngest South Australians,” Minister Boyer said.

“This latest education snapshot shows where we are seeing improvements, and importantly where we need to focus further attention and priority.”

The State Government is also investing in the quality of long day care services in South Australia through its $1.9bn investment in three-year-old preschool reforms.

This includes funding for more highly qualified staff in long day care centres, professional development and resources as well as coaching for services rated as Working Towards the NQS.