Let me give you the conclusion first: follow these 6 steps today
In South Australia, preschool and kindergarten are referred to as the same stage. For year-before-school preschool, children usually receive up to 4 terms and up to 15 hours per week of government preschool opportunities in the year before starting primary school.
1. Look at the birthday cut-off point first: If a child turns 4 years old before May 1, he or she can start from Term 1 of that year; if he turns 4 years old between May 1 and October 31, he can start from Term 3 of that year; if he turns 4 years old after October 31, he usually starts from the next year. 2. Check the local preschool corresponding to the address: Use the preschool catchment finder of the South Australia Department for Education, and search by the child's main residential address, instead of guessing by the building closest to home. 3. Fill in ROI: Download the South Australia preschool Registration of Interest form, select Term 1 or Term 3 intake, and submit it to the local preschool; you can also apply for other preschools, but you should apply for the local preschool at the same time. 4. Waiting for offer: ROI is only for registration intention and does not guarantee admission. preschool will be processed by address, age, priority groups and other applicable criteria. 5. Accept the offer within the time limit: Offers are usually sent via email or letter; only by responding to the letter will the quota be reserved. 6. Do formal enrollment again: After accepting the offer, fill out the enrollment form and submit name/date of birth, address, immunizations, visa, health/disability/support and possible family law documents.
Official entry point:
Term 1 or Term 3: Look at birthdays first, then family arrangements
Term 1 intake
Children who turn 4 years old before May 1 can start year-before-school preschool from Term 1 of that year. If families wish to follow a full year-before-school arrangement, they should submit their ROI in time according to the Department's cut-off points, and do not wait until before the start of school to inquire about quotas.
Term 3 intake (mid-year)
Children who turn 4 between May 1 and October 31 can start in Term 3 of that year. South Australia's ROI form will clearly allow parents to choose Term 1 or Term 3; do not directly interpret "reaching 4 years old" as necessarily starting from Term 1.
If the child takes the mid-year preschool intake, the South Australian enrollment policy states that the child can start Reception at the mid-year intake in the next year and complete 6 terms of Reception. This choice will affect the rhythm of subsequent primary schools. It is recommended to check with the preschool and the primary school to which you are applying, rather than just looking at the preschool quota.
What to do if it’s my birthday and I’m not sure yet
Use the official age calculator, or give your date of birth directly to local preschool staff for confirmation. Do not use cutoffs from other states online; the first year of primary school in SA is called Reception, and the rules cannot be applied to Queensland Prep, Victoria Foundation or NSW Kindergarten.
Adelaide local preschool and catchment: address is key
Many government preschools in the Adelaide metro have local catchment. A catchment is the geographical area within which a preschool receives core intake, and children who live within the area usually have priority. The local preschool may be the preschool closest to home, or it may be another one based on the boundaries.
Search order
1. Open SA local school or preschool finder. 2. Use the Adelaide address where the child mainly lives long-term to query. 3. Open the preschool contact information in the results and confirm whether the preschool accepts the Term 1 or Term 3 intake you want. 4. If you also want to apply for another preschool, you can submit an additional ROI; but do not skip the local preschool because of this.
Government preschools will give priority to applications within local catchment, and will also give priority to Aboriginal children, children in care and other priority groups according to policy. Non-local families may receive an offer only if there are still spots after completing priority arrangements; distance, length of residence, siblings, and transportation needs may be considered.
If there is no place in the local preschool, the Department page will assist the child in enrolling in another nearby government preschool. Keep a record of the communication with the local preschool first, and then ask for alternative placement. Do not regard a failure to receive an email as the final result.
Official entry point: How to get placement in a preschool
How to fill in ROI, to whom and when to submit it?
ROI is not an official enrolment
ROI is about letting preschool know where you wish to apply. Filling out and submitting ROI does not mean getting an offer, nor does it mean that enrollment has been completed. Preschool will tell you when the results are expected to be notified; if there is a place, an enrollment offer and follow-up enrollment information will be sent.
What to prepare in the form
The April 2026 version of the Preschool Registration of Interest form will ask parents to prepare:
- The name of the preschool you are applying for, and your choice of Term 1 or Term 3 and calendar year;
- The child's full legal name, date of birth, gender, primary residential address, suburb/postcode, and how long they have lived at that address;
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status, whether you have been in care, whether you are an active Australian Defense Force parent/guardian;
- Country of birth and applicable visa subclass;
- parent/guardian name, relationship with child, phone number and email;
- Whether the preschool is a local preschool, whether it is the first choice, and the order of preschools in other applications.
When will it be due?
The South Australian Department recommends: If your child is going to start preschool in the next year, try to submit the ROI before June 30 of the previous year. The current page also states that preschools accept registrations throughout the year, including mid-year start, so if you miss June 30, you should contact the preschool as soon as possible and do not give up automatically.
Deliver action
- Download the form and fill it out on a computer; filling in via mobile phone requires an application that can edit PDF.
- Fill out one form for each preschool applied for.
- Submit it to the preschool via email or in person according to the preschool's requirements; if you are not sure of the delivery address, use the official service contact to check.
- Save the submitted PDF, sending time and receipt from the other party; if there is no receipt, call to confirm receipt.
After receiving the offer: accept the quota and then do formal enrollment
Offer stage
Offers may arrive via email or letter. First check the child's name, preschool, Term 1/Term 3 intake, response deadline and any pre-enrolment interview/information session. To accept a spot, you must respond within the timeframe specified in the offer.
Formal enrolment stage
After accepting the offer, the preschool will provide an enrollment form. Staff may invite families to a pre-enrolment interview or information session; if language assistance is needed, an interpreter may be requested at this stage.
Formal enrolment usually verifies:
- The child’s full legal name, date of birth and primary residential address;
- Current approved immunization record;
- family law/court orders (if applicable);
- visa information (if applicable);
- health, disability or other support needs files (if applicable).
Do not use a mailing address, a business address, or an address where you only rent a room for your child's primary long-term residence. Information must be true and accurate; the Department page states that if a parent knowingly provides false information to obtain a spot, the principal/director may withdraw the offer.
Official entry point: Confirming enrolment to school, preschool or kindergarten
File list: Create an enrolment folder in advance
Create a folder in the Adelaide family's mobile phone or cloud disk. The file name is the child's legal name. Prepare at least the following items:
If a birth certificate or other primary form of identification is missing, do not replace it with a screenshot that is not listed on the official page; contact the preschool directly to explain the situation and ask for acceptable replacement proof.
Immunization: No Jab, No Play is a separate enrollment gate
The early childhood immunization page of the South Australian Department for Education explains that according to the South Australian Public Health Act 2011, children must meet immunization requirements before they can be enrolled in or attend early childhood services such as preschool.
On new enrollment, the service cannot enroll a child without the parent providing current immunization records. Children who are already enrolled may not be able to continue attendance after reaching the schedule point without an up-to-date record, catch-up evidence with a future end date, or a Chief Public Health Officer approved exemption.
Key supply points currently recorded include:
- enrolment;
- 7 months later to 9 months ago;
- After 13 months to 15 months ago;
- After 19 months to before 21 months;
- After 4 years 2 months to before 4 years 8 months.
If the child is not at these age points when first enrolled/attended, the official page says records should be downloaded no earlier than 1 month before enrollment. Treat the immunization record in advance as a formal enrollment document; it is not an ROI grabbing technique and cannot be used as a replacement for a catchment or offer.
Official entry point: Immunisation requirements for early childhood services
EAL, new to Adelaide: Take the initiative when signing up, don’t wait for the children to “adapt on their own”
If children or parents mainly speak Chinese or other languages at home, both ROI and formal enrollment can directly tell preschool that the child is learning English as an additional language. South Australia's preschool enrollment page lists bilingual support for children who speak minimal English; the Department's EAL page explains that students and families from non-English backgrounds can obtain English language support, and there are community liaison officers to assist families in understanding the Australian education system and curriculum policies.
Actual communication can be done like this:
1. After submitting the ROI or receiving the offer, indicate the common language used by the family, where the child received early learning in the past, and whether the child can express basic needs in English. 2. Make an interpreter request before the pre-enrolment interview/information session; the Department’s enrollment page clearly states that preschool can assist in arranging an interpreter. 3. Ask the preschool: who is the main contact person, whether there is bilingual support, how the child expresses going to the toilet/being uncomfortable/needing help, and how parents receive notices. 4. If the child has recently arrived in South Australia, bring the visa information and any existing health/development/support documents, but do not regard the school-level IELP/NAP as an automatic enrollment arrangement for preschool.
For preschool-age children, the most important first step is to let the local preschool know the language and adaptation needs, and write support into actual communication; do not delay submitting ROI because the child has little English.
Official entry point: English as an additional language support for students and families
3-year-old preschool and 4-year-old preschool: don’t mix them in one table
South Australia's 3-year-old preschools are being rolled out in phases from 2026 to 2032. There are already partnering long day care services and some government/sessional preschools offering programs in 2026, but not every Adelaide preschool, every suburb or every 3-year-old will be available at the same time.
If a child is already participating in a government 3-year-old preschool partnered long day care, that program will usually be received there; a child cannot be enrolled in two Flying Start 3-year-old preschool programs at the same time. Location, hours, and fees should be confirmed using Office for Early Childhood Development's current provider information.
The Term 1 / Term 3 age cut-off point and ROI main process of this guide mainly correspond to year-before-school / 4-year-old preschool. 3-year-old rollout, service eligibility, hours and provider fee need to be checked separately:
CCS Boundary: Preschool enrollment and Child Care Subsidy are two different things
Let’s separate the two questions first:
preschool question: Is the child eligible? Where is the local preschool? To whom will the ROI be given? Which one to choose between Term 1/Term 3? How to formally enroll after the offer. This process is handled by the South Australian Department for Education / Preschool.
CCS question: Whether the service used by the family is approved child care, whether the family and the child are eligible for Commonwealth CCS, how the subsidy is paid to the provider, and how much gap fee parents have to pay. This is handled by Services Australia.
South Australia Office for Early Childhood Development explains: If 3-year-old preschool is provided through partnering long day care, families can apply for CCS according to Commonwealth rules; if government and non-government sessional preschool does not charge CCS, the fee is usually set by the provider on a term basis. Don’t assume that just because the program name has preschool, you can take CCS every hour in sessional government preschool.
Families using long day care can:
- View the CCS portal and myGov/Centrelink operations at Services Australia early education;
- Check residence, care, approved service and immunization conditions at Who can get Child Care Subsidy;
- Ask the provider directly: whether the preschool program is within the approved long day care service, how the fees are split, and whether CCS enrollment has been confirmed on the Centrelink side.
This guide does not calculate specific CCS amounts for families, nor does it treat CCS as a guarantee of a preschool place in South Australia. First get the service's written charges and enrolment information, and then check it according to Services Australia rules.
Submit previous page checklist
Source, update date and disclaimer
This guide was verified on 11 July 2026 (AEST) based on the official pages of the South Australian Department for Education, Office for Early Childhood Development and Services Australia. Policies, form versions, catchment, quotas, service arrangements, fees and Commonwealth payment rules are subject to change; the latest written information from relevant government departments and preschool / approved providers shall prevail.
Main official sources:
- SA Preschool enrolment
- Register to enrol in preschool
- How to get placement in a preschool
- Preschool ROI form, April 2026
- Confirming enrolment
- Immunisation requirements
- EAL support
- Flying Start 3-year-old preschool
- Services Australia early education
This material is general information and does not constitute educational, medical, legal, immigration, tax or benefit advice. Airbotix does not represent the South Australian Government, any preschool or Services Australia, and does not guarantee admission offers, places, fees, CCS eligibility or language support outcomes.
About Airbotix Family Guides
Airbotix Family Guides starts from the real choices Australian parents are dealing with, collating cities, ages and stages of growth into straightforward family guides.
Airbotix's curriculum takes children from using content to making something of their own through games, creativity, coding, robotics and AI projects. To learn about the brand and courses, please visit airbotix.ai. If you want to inquire about courses, activities and cooperation, you can contact Rain Sales WeChat. For questions about registration, catchment, immunization, EAL and CCS, please refer to the official government portal in this guide and your child’s written response from preschool.
Choose the entrance you need now
Learn about Airbotix Family Guides on the official website; for courses or study directions, please contact Rain; for registration qualifications, quotas and the latest policies, please return to the official South Australia page.
Airbotix official website
See brands, courses and more Family Guides.
airbotix.ai ↗Contact Rain
Scan the QR code to add Airbotix Sales WeChat to inquire about courses, activities and cooperation.
Rain · Sales WeChat ↗South Australia official Preschool page
Check out the SA Department for Education's enrollment, catchment and documentation requirements.
SA preschool education ↗