Preschool Boost for Flying Start
What is the Preschool Boost for Flying Start?
Flying Start is the Government of South Australia’s most significant early childhood reform in a generation. Launched to address a gap that has persisted for far too long, it represents a genuine shift in how the state thinks about and invests in the years before school. It’s broad in scale, ambitious in scope and built on a growing body of evidence that early intervention delivers results that follow children well into adulthood.
At the core of Flying Start is universal 3-year-old preschool: up to 15 hours per week of teacher-led, play-based early learning for 3-year-olds across South Australia. It is not a top-up, it is not a pilot scheme. This is a structural change delivered through a network of partner early childhood education and care (ECEC) services such as long day care centres and sessional preschools so that families can access quality early learning in a way that suits them and their circumstances.
The goal driving all of this is straightforward: fewer SA children arriving at school already behind. Flying Start and the Preschool Boost sitting within it, is the Government of South Australia’s plan to change that trajectory, giving every child a stronger foundation before they ever set foot in a classroom.
Find out more about Flying Start at the Office for Early Childhood Development website.
Government-Funded Support for 3-Year-Old Preschool
SASHC is a Preschool Boost Menu supplier.
That means the Government of South Australia has already assessed us against its quality and evidence standards so ECEC services don’t need to run their own procurement process. If you’re delivering Flying Start 3-year-old preschool, SASHC is already on the menu and ready to engage.
Funding for SASHC comes directly from a service’s Preschool Boost allocation. That means no cost to the ECEC service and no gap payment for families. The program is fully government-funded, one less barrier between children and the support they need.
Speech Pathology Through the Preschool Boost Program
Every child in your service deserves a voice. SASHC is a listed Preschool Boost menu supplier under South Australia’s Flying Start reforms. Eligible early childhood education and care services across Adelaide can access evidence-informed speech pathology supports through their Preschool Boost funding, at no cost to families.
Being a Preschool Boost Menu supplier means the South Australian Government has already assessed SASHC against its quality and evidence standards, so ECEC services don’t need to run their own procurement process. If you’re delivering Flying Start 3-year-old preschool, SASHC is already on the menu and ready to engage.
We work alongside your educators, inside your routines, and build something that lasts.
What children in your care deserve
Communication is the foundation of everything. The ability to express a need, make a friend, follow a story, join in a game. When it’s not there yet, children feel it. So do the educators who care for them.
That’s where we come in.
Empowering Tiny Talkers is SASHC’s speech pathology program for Flying Start partner services that works where children are in your rooms, in your routines, with your team. We build educator and family capability so that communication support doesn’t stop when we walk out the door.
How we work alongside your team
We deliver through three connected streams. Not in isolation, but together, because that’s how lasting change happens.
Children, in the room
Small groups, embedded into the rhythms of your day. A speech pathologist working side by side with your educators and not in a separate room, not in a one-off pull-out session. Sessions run weekly or fortnightly, 30 to 40 minutes, targeting communication, language, listening, and social connection through play.
Educators, building confidence
Your team is with children every moment we’re not. We invest in them. In-room coaching, structured learning sessions twice per term, and practical frameworks they can use every day. The goal is educators who notice early, respond well, and feel confident doing it.
Families, in the loop
Twice per term, we bring families into the picture. Not with jargon but with real strategies, practical demonstrations, and honest conversation about where their child is and how to support them at home. Consistency across environments is where the real gains happen.
What changes when we work together
We’re here to build foundations for children, for your educators, for families that hold long after the program ends.
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For the children in your care
Stronger communication, greater participation, more confidence in social situations, and a better shot at arriving at school ready to learn. -
For your educators
The knowledge to spot early signs, the strategies to respond, and the confidence to support every child, including those with emerging or identified communication needs. Not a one-day training. Capability that sticks. -
For families
Understanding of where their child is, what to expect, and what they can do at home to keep the momentum going. Communication that doesn’t live only at preschool.
Why SASHC
We believe no child should struggle to be understood. And no educator should feel alone when they notice something isn’t quite right.
SASHC is a paediatric allied health practice with two Adelaide sites, Cumberland Park and Mawson Lakes. Our speech pathologists specialise in early childhood and are experienced in working within ECEC settings. We don’t work in silos. We work with your team.
We are an approved Preschool Boost Menu supplier. This program is government funded. There is no cost to your service and no gap payment for families.
Getting started
No long procurement process. No complex referral pathways. Just a conversation.
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Get in touch
Contact our Clinical Services Manager. We’ll confirm eligibility and availability for your area and answer any questions. -
Plan it together
We work with you to schedule sessions that fit within the ECEC routines, identify children whose families have provided consent, and set the program up for success. -
We show up
Our speech pathologist arrives, works alongside your team, and embeds into your day. You’ll barely notice the disruption. You’ll notice the difference. -
The foundations hold
Educators leave with tools they can use. Families leave with strategies that work at home. Children leave with a stronger foundation for everything that comes next.
Common questions from ECEC services
Is there a cost to our service or to families?
No. The program is government-funded through the Preschool Boost for Flying Start. There is no cost to your ECEC service and no gap payment for families.
Who delivers the sessions?
A qualified speech pathologist from SASHC. And your educators, alongside them. That’s the whole point. We don’t work in isolation. We work with your team.
How does it fit into our day?
We design sessions around your routines, not the other way around. Group sessions run 30 to 40 minutes, weekly or fortnightly. Educator and parent sessions run twice per term. The scheduling is done collaboratively.
Which children can participate?
The program is designed for all preschool-aged children at Flying Start partner services: A universal, whole-service model. That includes children with emerging difficulties and those with identified communication needs.
Where does SASHC service?
Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Adelaide, and Mid North. Get in touch to confirm availability for your Flying Start service.
Ready to build something that lasts?
No child should struggle to be understood. No educator should feel alone when they spot something isn’t right.
If you’re ready to bring real, embedded speech pathology support to the children in your care, we’re ready to show up.
Contact our Clinical Services Manager to register your service or find out more.
