South Australia launches first Aboriginal Early Childhood Strategy backed by $35 million investment

South Australia has become the first state to launch a dedicated Aboriginal Early Childhood Strategy, backed by a $35 million investment over four years to strengthen outcomes for Aboriginal children and families.

The South Australian Aboriginal Early Childhood Strategy 2026 places Aboriginal leadership, Culture, identity and Community at the centre of the state's early childhood reforms, establishing a framework for how services and government will work with Aboriginal children, families and Communities.

Co-designed by the Office for Early Childhood Development (OECD) and the South Australian Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation Network (SAACCON), the Strategy follows consultation with Aboriginal families, Elders, educators and Community organisations.

It also forms part of South Australia's broader early childhood reform agenda, including the progressive rollout of universal 3-year-old preschool from 2026.

A defining feature of the Strategy is its emphasis on Aboriginal-led co-design and shared decision-making.

The Strategy was developed through engagement across all six South Australian First Nations Voice to Parliament regions, with its development governed by an Aboriginal Co-design Governance Group established to ensure Aboriginal voices, Cultural authority and lived experience shape early childhood reform.

SNAICC – National Voice for our Children CEO Catherine Liddle welcomed the approach, saying its significance extended beyond the funding commitment.

"What makes this strategy significant is that it was developed with Aboriginal communities, not for them," Ms Liddle said.

"We know when governments partner with the community in the design of reforms, they deliver better outcomes."

The Strategy recognises families as children's first teachers and emphasises the importance of working with local Aboriginal Communities, Elders and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations when designing and delivering early childhood services.

The $35 million investment will support a range of initiatives designed to reduce barriers to early childhood education and strengthen culturally responsive services.

The package includes preschool fee relief for Aboriginal families, an Elders in Residence program, Community Liaison Officers, Aboriginal-specific playgroups and increased support for Aboriginal Community Controlled early childhood services.

The measures reflect the Strategy's broader focus on ensuring Aboriginal children can access early childhood education that strengthens their connection to Culture, identity, family and Community.

The Strategy also seeks to give families greater choice to access well-supported Aboriginal Community Controlled services and strengthen connections between early childhood education and care and other family services.

Rather than positioning Culture as an additional component of early childhood education, the Strategy recognises cultural identity and belonging as fundamental to Aboriginal children's development and wellbeing.

Kaurna Elder Aunty Rosalind described the launch as an important milestone following decades of advocacy by Aboriginal families, Communities and educators.

"It is very important, but the journey is still continuing. This is really just the beginning of something big," she said.

"The community fought really hard for things like this, and to have this day and launch this strategy really touches my heart."

Reflecting on the generations who had advocated for Aboriginal education, Aunty Rosalind said the Strategy represented the continuation of that work.

"We see the seeds that were planted years ago now producing fruit. It shows the fight our Elders had was worth it."

For early childhood education and care providers, the Strategy reinforces the importance of culturally responsive practice and genuine engagement with Aboriginal families and Communities.

One of its stated areas for action is ensuring preschools are culturally responsive and engage more proactively and positively with Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing.

It also identifies stronger connections between early childhood education and care and family services, reducing barriers to participation, increasing families' understanding of child development and the benefits of two years of preschool, and strengthening access to Aboriginal Community Controlled services.

Office for Early Childhood Development Executive Director Natalie Atkinson said the Strategy reflected what the government had heard directly from the Community.

"We heard what the community told us, and this strategy is what that has translated into," Ms Atkinson said.

"Families are children's first teachers. Our role is to support children and families to thrive while recognising the importance of Culture, community and thousands of years of Aboriginal knowledge."

The Strategy is being implemented alongside South Australia's dedicated Aboriginal Early Childhood Workforce Strategy 2025–2027, which aims to grow, develop and retain the Aboriginal early childhood workforce.

The South Australian Government has committed $5.8 million to initiatives supporting Aboriginal participation in the early childhood workforce, including pathways for Aboriginal people to enter and progress their careers across the sector.

The workforce focus is particularly significant as South Australia expands access to 3-year-old preschool.

From 2026, the state is progressively introducing universal access to two years of preschool, with the rollout continuing through to 2032.

Increasing Aboriginal representation within the workforce is viewed not only as a workforce supply measure, but as an important part of strengthening cultural safety, capability and inclusion across early childhood services.

The Aboriginal Early Childhood Strategy is grounded in the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, including its focus on ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are engaged in high-quality, culturally appropriate early childhood education.

The Strategy also recognises the importance of Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations in delivering services that are locally governed and informed by Community knowledge, relationships and Cultural authority.

National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People Sue-Anne Hunter said education and Culture were closely connected to giving children the strongest possible start.

"Our young people deserve the best start in life they can have, and education is a big part of that," she said.

"Children need to understand who they are and where they come from. When their culture is valued in education, it helps them grow up proud of who they are."

The launch represents a significant milestone within South Australia's wider transformation of early childhood education.

Importantly, however, Aboriginal leaders have emphasised that the Strategy should be viewed as part of a much longer journey rather than the beginning of work to improve outcomes for Aboriginal children.

"This isn't the beginning. These conversations have been happening for a long time, but this is an important milestone on a journey that will continue for generations," Ms Hunter said.

As implementation progresses, attention will now turn to how the Strategy translates into experiences for children and families, including greater access to culturally responsive early childhood education, stronger Aboriginal Community Controlled services, increased Aboriginal workforce participation and meaningful involvement of Aboriginal families, Elders and Communities in shaping early learning.

For the broader ECEC sector, the Strategy reinforces an increasingly important principle: improving outcomes for Aboriginal children requires Aboriginal voices, Cultural authority and Community leadership to be embedded in the systems and services designed to support them.

Further information: The South Australian Aboriginal Early Childhood Strategy 2026 is available through the Office for Early Childhood Development.

Acknowledgement: This article draws on information published by the South Australian Office for Early Childhood Development and original reporting by NITV, including comments from Aboriginal leaders and sector representatives at the launch.