Naracoorte integrated early years hub to add 55 ECEC places

Families in South Australia’s Limestone Coast are set to gain additional early childhood education and care capacity through a new $12.7 million integrated early years hub planned for Naracoorte.

The Australian and South Australian governments announced the project on 2 October 2026, describing it as a jointly funded investment in early learning, preschool and family services for the regional community.

The project will allow the community-based, not-for-profit Naracoorte Child Day Care Centre to relocate from its existing Park Terrace premises to the former Naracoorte TAFE site.

Once completed, the new facility is expected to offer 90 early childhood education and care places—55 more than the service’s current capacity. It is also planned to provide an expanded preschool program of up to 30 hours a week, alongside allied health, parenting and other community services.

The Australian Government will contribute $6.6 million through its Building Early Education Fund.

The South Australian Government will provide the remaining $6.1 million through its Flying Start and Thriving Regions Fund.

Naracoorte Child Day Care Centre will construct, own and operate the facility. Its existing service will continue operating while the new hub is developed, with the governments saying the expanded facility is expected to open in early 2029.

Assistant Minister for Early Childhood Education and Youth Dr Jess Walsh said the investment was intended to give more regional children access to early education and other supports.

South Australian Minister for Education, Training and Skills Blair Boyer said the hub would bring services together in one location, making them easier for families to access.

These anticipated benefits will depend on the project proceeding through design, construction and regulatory approvals, and on the operator recruiting and retaining the workforce required to use the additional capacity.

The integrated model is broader than a conventional service expansion. In addition to long day care and preschool, the governments expect the facility to accommodate services such as allied health and parenting support.

Co-locating services can reduce the number of separate locations families need to attend and create opportunities for professionals to work more closely together. For regional communities, where specialist services may be limited or require considerable travel, this model may make support more accessible.

However, the announcement does not yet detail which allied health providers will operate from the hub, how frequently services will be available or how referrals and information-sharing will work.

Those implementation details will be important in determining whether co-location translates into genuinely coordinated support for children and families.

Naracoorte Child Day Care Centre director Ali Leehane said the project would increase local access to early learning and help the service provide a broader range of support.

The operator’s community-based, not-for-profit status is also notable. Rather than leasing places within a government-owned centre, the organisation is expected to own and operate the completed facility.

The Naracoorte development forms part of the South Australian Government’s plan to establish 20 integrated early childhood education and care hubs by 2032.

According to the joint announcement, the project takes the program to its halfway point. Other regional and outer-metropolitan projects supported through the Building Early Education Fund include developments in Kadina, Kimba, Quorn, Bordertown and Davoren Park.

The wider investment reflects increasing policy attention on communities where limited supply, population growth or distance can restrict families’ access to early learning.

For Naracoorte, the planned increase from 35 to 90 places represents a substantial expansion. The effect on local access will nevertheless depend on the service’s eventual enrolment mix, operating hours, workforce availability and demand when the hub opens.

The current Naracoorte Child Day Care Centre is expected to continue operating during the development period, reducing the risk of families losing existing places while construction proceeds.

The early 2029 opening date means the project is a longer-term response rather than an immediate solution to local demand. Further information will be needed as planning progresses, including the final licensed capacity, construction milestones and arrangements for the expanded preschool program.

If delivered as announced, the hub will provide Naracoorte with 55 additional ECEC places and a single location for early learning, preschool and family suppors tan approach governments hope can improve access for regional children and their families.