South Australia promotes early childhood careers as three-year-old preschool expands

The state is directing prospective educators, career changers and existing staff to qualification pathways and financial support as Flying Start preschool rolls out.

South Australia is promoting new pathways into early childhood education as its Flying Start three-year-old preschool program expands. The state’s early childhood careers hub brings together information for school students, career changers and existing educators who want to gain a qualification or progress to teaching.

The push is tied to a substantial workforce task. Three-year-old preschool began rolling out in 2026, with access expanding in stages. The South Australian Government says a skilled, supported workforce will be needed to deliver the program across long day care and preschool settings, including in regional communities where recruiting staff can be more difficult. 

The government’s qualification guide sets out routes into educator, early childhood teacher and leadership roles. It describes the Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care as an entry pathway, with further study available through a Diploma and an approved early childhood teaching qualification. It also points to traineeships that allow people to work while studying.

For experienced educators, the message is also about progression. A Certificate III-qualified educator may pursue a Diploma, while someone with a Diploma may consider a university pathway to become an early childhood teacher. The government’s information distinguishes these qualifications from roles such as educational leader, room leader and service director, each of which brings different responsibilities.

The state’s Flying Start Pathways program, delivered with Gowrie SA, is intended to help attract and retain educators and teachers through career progression and support while studying. The government has allocated $9.7 million to that program as part of a $10.9 million package for targeted workforce initiatives. The package also includes grants directed largely towards regional, rural and hard-to-staff areas.

The government’s QualifySA financial support program offers payments to eligible South Australian residents studying approved early childhood qualifications. According to the Office for Early Childhood Development, eligible aspiring teachers may receive up to $25,000 for a birth-to-five bachelor’s degree, up to $17,000 for a qualifying master’s degree or up to $14,500 for a qualifying graduate diploma. Separate support is available for eligible aspiring preschool educators, including those studying a Diploma.

These are maximum amounts, not automatic payments to everyone who enrols. Eligibility depends on factors including residency, the qualification and the conditions of the relevant funding stream. Payments are linked to milestones and evidence of study; some are tied to subsequent employment. Additional pathways include support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and a Grow Your Own allowance for eligible students in outer regional, remote or very remote areas.

QualifySA also includes retention measures. To receive employment-related payments, recipients must meet the program’s conditions for working in a South Australian preschool program with three-year-old children. Eligible settings include long day care services delivering preschool, government sessional preschools and non-government sessional preschools. The office makes clear that recipients are responsible for finding eligible work; funding approval does not guarantee a job.

For some educators already employed in the sector, an employer support payment of $1,000 may help with costs such as placement backfill or study time. Employers and applicants need to check the conditions for their particular stream before relying on that payment.

The state’s approach connects recruitment with the conditions that help people complete qualifications and remain in the workforce. Financial assistance can reduce a barrier to study, while workplace support, placements and opportunities to progress shape whether an educator can put that qualification to use.

For services preparing to deliver or expand three-year-old preschools, the practical question is how prospective staff will move from enrolment in training to qualified practice. South Australia’s published pathways give applicants and employers a starting point, with the government’s careers hub and financial support conditions setting out the details to check.