Family day care in South Australia

Family day care educators operate their own business from their home, with the support of an approved family day care provider.

In South Australia the Department for Education is a major provider of family day care (FDC).

Proposed changes to family day care services will not go ahead

In April 2022, the Department for Education decided not to proceed with the transfer of Family Day Care (FDC), including Guardianship Family Day Care and Respite Care Program (RCP) services, to a non-government provider.

Since 2019, the department had been undertaking an approach to market process, engaging with industry to investigate the potential for a transition of department-run services to a non-government provider. This process will no longer go ahead.

As the transfer to a non-government provider will no longer occur, the Department for Education will remain the approved provider of FDC services across South Australia. This means that the department will continue to operate FDC services in South Australia as per business as usual.

There will be no changes for educators, care providers or the families who access these services.

Strengthening services for the future

We know that the community values family day care and respite care.

Moving forward, we will maintain our focus on continuing to strengthen these services across South Australia.