Families in Naracoorte are set to gain dozens of additional childcare places, with a new $12.7 million early years hub to nearly triple the capacity of a local community-run service.
Naracoorte Child Day Care Centre will relocate from its current Park Terrace home to the former Naracoorte TAFE site, where a purpose-built centre will offer 90 early childhood education and care places.
That represents an additional 55 places for local families, alongside a broader range of health, wellbeing and family services available from the same location.
The community-based not-for-profit will construct, own and operate the new hub, which is expected to open in early 2029.
Director Rachelle Fairs said the expansion would allow the organisation to better respond to the needs of families across the region.
“As a small community not-for-profit, we believe in responding to and delivering outcomes for children and families in our region,” Rachelle said.
“We are excited to deliver a new service that will better support our community.”
Along with long day care, the hub will support the rollout of three-year-old preschool and offer an expanded preschool program of up to 30 hours each week.
Families will also be able to access allied health services, parenting programs and other community support from the site, reducing the need to travel between different providers.
The project is being jointly funded by the Australian and South Australian governments, with $6.6 million coming through the Federal Government’s Building Early Education Fund and $6.1 million through the State Government’s Flying Start and Thriving Regions Fund initiatives.
The Federal Government’s $1 billion Building Early Education Fund was established to build and expand early childhood education and care services in areas where additional capacity is needed, particularly in regional communities and outer suburbs.
Naracoorte joins a growing list of regional South Australian communities receiving new or expanded early learning facilities, with projects also underway or planned in Kadina, Kimba, Quorn and Bordertown.
South Australian Education Minister Lucy Hood said improving access to childcare and support services had been raised during visits to the South East.
“This is a really significant investment for Naracoorte families, bringing early learning, health and family services together in one place,” she said.
The existing Naracoorte Child Day Care Centre will continue operating from its Park Terrace site while the new facility is developed, meaning current families will not need to relocate until the hub is ready to open.
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