The South Australian Government has announced a major plan to expand outside school hours care across all public primary schools in the state over the next decade, beginning with 68 schools in the first four years. The initiative aims to ensure families in both metropolitan and regional areas have consistent access to supervised care before and after school.
Education Minister Blair Boyer said that thousands of South Australian families rely on OSHC every week, with demand particularly high in regional communities where many schools currently lack the service.
Premier Peter Malinauskas described the plan as a long-term investment in families, children, and the workforce. He said the staged rollout would first focus on schools without existing OSHC programmes, before expanding to all public primary schools over ten years.
“Thousands of SA working families rely on OSHC every week—mine included. But we know that many public schools don’t currently have an OSHC – particularly in our regional communities” — Blair Boyer
OSHC programmes provide supervised care outside standard school hours, offering activities such as recreational play, homework support, and structured learning experiences. The services are often run by schools, community organisations, or external providers and play a key role in helping working families balance school schedules with employment commitments.
Minister Boyer highlighted the wider benefits of the programme. “OSHC is a really important service – for kids, for families and for our economy,” he said.
The government said the rollout will also create opportunities to strengthen the workforce in regional areas, where recruiting qualified educators has been challenging in the past. Local councils and community organisations are expected to play a significant role in supporting delivery, alongside schools themselves.
Parents’ groups have long advocated for more consistent access to OSHC, emphasising that the availability of school-based care can influence employment decisions, school choice, and family wellbeing. For many families, the lack of local services adds both cost and logistical challenges to daily routines.
Further details on the rollout and timelines for individual schools are expected to be released in the coming months. If implemented as planned, every public primary school in South Australia will offer OSHC within the next decade, providing a substantial boost to the state’s education infrastructure and support for working families.
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