Waitlists forcing the hand of South Australian ECEC provider, driving new initiatives

South Australian providers are working with local councils to brainstorm solutions for ‘a childcare crisis’ with River Region Early Education (RREE) working with  Murray River Council to find solutions to this growing problem in the Murray River Council region.

With 90 children on the waiting list for the Barham Early Learning Service alone, 75 per cent of whom are under three years of age, both the provider and the Council are keen to workshop potential solutions. 

Current region wide estimates point to nearly half (45 per cent) of children in Barham, Koondrook, Moulamein and Wakool being unable to access any type of early learning. 

RREE has proposed the construction of a 55 place service to operate in addition to the current Barham Early Learning facility, alleviating concerns about staffing the centre by highlighting its ‘grow your own’ workforce strategy and a project plan demonstrating that staffing – a common pain point for providers in regional, rural and remote centres – is unlikely to be an issue.

“Murray River Council has been working closely with RREE to support them in their proposal to build a new 55-place childcare centre, which would provide a much-needed boost to local capacity,” Murray River Council Mayor John Harvie said, noting the impact that a lack of ECEC has on families, businesses and overall growth in the region. 

“This initiative is not just about childcare—it’s about supporting economic prosperity, addressing workforce shortages, and giving our children the best start in life,” he shared with local news source The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper.

A lack of ECEC is not only detrimental to the provision of services, RREE General Manager Felicity Michael added, but it also has an impact on the development of children. 

“23 per cent of children in the Murray River Council Area are vulnerable in one of the areas of physical health and wellbeing, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive skills,” Ms Michael said.

“Research shows that children who experience quality early childhood education improve their lifelong learning outcomes.This would also have huge economic benefits to the Barham community.”

Although the provider does not yet have a specific location for the service, concept plans and costings have been developed, with the Council said to be “very supportive of the proposal,” working with the provider to identify a suitable piece of land that can be used.

RREE are planning to apply for grant funding for the capital costs of constructing a new centre, calling on the community to help and support.

“We need letters of support from employers, businesses, community groups and community members,” Ms Grant said.

Letters of support can be sent by email to [email protected] 

This article first appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper.