Early Years Directory

Family Day Care is a quality home-based early childhood education and care service. Qualified experienced educators provide a safe and nurturing space in their own family home for children to learn, grow and thrive. They build strong relationships to understand the needs of children and families and tailor individual learning to suit. The service provides for individual family needs by offering small group sizes and flexible hours, including weekends, overnights, and school holidays. Proudly operated by the Department for Education since 1975.

Did you know that young children need lots of bursts of energetic play each day for their health and development? Designed by leading Australian researchers in collaboration with the early learning sector, the Play Active program provides evidence-based support for early learning education centres and tips for caregivers to make sure children in their care get lots of opportunities for fun, energetic play, every day.

Toy libraries provide a range of quality fun and educational toys, games and puzzles for families to borrow. Support your child’s development by giving them access to toys covering all stages of growth and development.

Connect.Ed is a multidisciplinary allied health and education service offering play-based early intervention and professional development. Our trauma-informed team (including Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists and Psychosocial Therapists) supports children, educators and families through outreach-based services that build capacity and connection.

A South Australian based program gently introducing babies aged 0–2 to nature led, sensory rich play. Our experiences are designed to nurture a child’s connection with both nature and their caregiver, while laying foundations for calm regulation, curiosity, and lifelong learning.

I Can Jump Puddles is a community-based service committed to empowering families through early intervention that seamlessly integrates into everyday life. Our mobile, family-centered approach brings therapy directly to places you live, learn and play, helping children and parents thrive within their natural routines. We work closely with families, recognising that parents and children are the true experts of their own lives. Offering allied health services such as Speech Therapy, Developmental Education, and Occupational Therapy, we use a Lead Practitioner approach—one trusted health professional who works closely with the family, calling on other specialists when necessary to avoid overwhelming the family.

Babies are born with remarkable abilities to communicate. Sometimes the social and communication skills of babies can develop differently to what we typically expect. The Inklings program is for babies aged 6-18 months showing differences in their social interaction and communication, offering 6 to 10 sessions with a supportive, trained practitioner. Provided free to eligible families, Inklings supports caregivers in understanding the different ways their baby communicates thoughts, feelings and needs. Caregivers can build on their own strengths in responsive and nurturing communication with their baby. Inklings may benefit caregivers with babies who are not yet communicating in ways that we might expect for their age, or those who are worried about their baby’s social interaction and communication development.

The Mount Lofty Kindergym is a community based, volunteer driven play space for 0-5 year olds. We have been running for 36 years and counting! Located in Uraidla, SA, at the Uraidla Show Hall during terms 2 and 3, and the Uraidla Institute in terms 1 and 4. No booking required.

Families Growing Together help South Australian families by empowering them with the knowledge and skills they need to connect and grow together. This helps them lay strong foundations for their children and young people. All workshops are free, in relaxed and informal settings, and can be presented face-to-face or online.