A purpose-built early years hub for Davoren Park

The Northern Area Community and Youth Services (NACYS) Child Care Centre will be transformed into a purpose-built integrated early years hub, co-located with Swallowcliffe School P–6 in Adelaide's northern suburbs.

For the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector, the co-location represents far more than a new building. It reflects a growing commitment to delivering education, health and family support services through a single, connected model that strengthens children's development while creating a seamless pathway from early learning into primary school.

When complete, the hub will feature:

• 100 early learning places, an increase of 45 places
• An expanded preschool program offering up to 30 hours per week
• On-site health and wellbeing services
• Family and community support programs
• Consulting rooms, community spaces and meeting facilities designed to bring multiple services together.

Construction is expected to commence shortly, with the hub scheduled to open in early 2029.

The project represents one of Australia's most significant government-philanthropy partnerships in early childhood education, funded through a combined investment of $16.3 million.

Funding includes:

• $5.5 million from the Albanese Government
• $7.8 million from the Malinauskas Government
• $3 million from the Minderoo Foundation

The development is the second project to receive support through the Commonwealth's $1 billion Building Early Education Fund, established to expand access to high-quality, not-for-profit early learning services in communities experiencing the greatest disadvantage.

For the ECEC sector, the announcement reinforces a clear national policy direction: investing in place-based, community-led early childhood infrastructure that brings together education, health and family services under one roof.

Davoren Park has been identified as a community where increased access to early learning and family support services has the potential to make a significant difference to children's long-term outcomes.

The new hub has been designed to:

• Increase access to quality early learning
• Improve children's learning and developmental outcomes
• Strengthen family engagement
• Reduce fragmentation between services
• Create a central community hub where families can access multiple supports in one location.

The project also builds on more than a decade of work by the Children in the North Alliance, a collaboration that has championed integrated approaches to supporting children and families across northern Adelaide.

Announcing the project, Minister for Early Childhood Education Dr Jess Walsh said expanding access to quality, not-for-profit early learning remained a key priority, particularly in communities where participation has historically been lower.

South Australian Minister for Education, Training and Skills Lucy Hood said integrated early years hubs had already demonstrated positive outcomes for children and families and would play an important role in the state's broader reform agenda.

Federal Member for Spence Matt Burnell acknowledged NACYS' long-standing contribution to supporting families across Adelaide's north, while Minderoo Foundation Chief Executive Officer John Hartman described investment in children's early years as one of the most effective ways to strengthen communities over the long term.

Investment Dialogue for Australia's Children Executive Convenor Simon Factor said the project demonstrated what could be achieved when governments, philanthropy and communities worked together, while NACYS Chief Executive Officer Claire Taylor said the new hub would become an "anchor point for the whole community."

For educators, approved providers and sector leaders, the Davoren Park announcement provides another example of how integrated service delivery is becoming an increasingly important feature of Australia's early childhood landscape.

The project demonstrates how future investment may increasingly focus on:

• Stronger collaboration between education, health and family support services
• Improved transitions from early learning into school
• Greater community engagement through place-based delivery
• Expanded career opportunities across multidisciplinary teams
• Long-term investment in communities experiencing the greatest need.

The announcement also aligns with South Australia's broader $1.9 billion early childhood reform agenda, which includes the delivery of 20 integrated early years hubs by 2032.

While the Davoren Park hub will provide an additional 45 early learning places, its broader significance lies in the model it represents.

As governments continue to focus on improving participation, child development and family wellbeing, integrated early years hubs are emerging as a key mechanism for delivering services in a more connected and responsive way.

For the ECEC sector, Davoren Park is more than a capital investment. It is another indicator of the direction early childhood policy is heading, towards collaborative, community-centred models that recognise quality early learning is strongest when education, health and family services work together to support children from the very beginning.

Read Minister Jess Walsh media announcement here.