South Australia uses the national ratios unchanged: 1:4 from birth to 24 months, 1:5 from over 24 months to under 36 months, 1:11 from 36 months to preschool age and 1:15 over preschool age (regulation 123). Its own rules are in Part 7.6 of the Regulations. The most used is regulation 325A: a centre can count an educator who steps away for up to 30 minutes in total a day, as long as they can return to the children immediately. The regulator is the Education Standards Board (ESB).
This page covers what is different in South Australia: short absences, preschool teacher rules, school-age care qualifications and the services ESB regulates outside the NQF.
South Australia applies the Education and Care Services National Law through the Education and Early Childhood Services (Registration and Standards) Act 2011, and uses the Education and Care Services National Regulations. Regulation 318 applies Part 7.6 to South Australia. The Education Standards Board is the regulatory authority for NQF services, including long day care, family day care, preschools and outside school hours care.
| Age of children | Ratio in SA | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Birth to 24 months | 1:4 | r 123(1)(a) |
| Over 24 months and under 36 months | 1:5 | r 123(1)(b) |
| 36 months or over, up to preschool age | 1:11 | r 123(1)(c) |
| Over preschool age | 1:15 | r 123(1)(d) |
Unlike NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT and WA, South Australia does not change any band. The SA ratio calculator applies these figures across the service. See the age groups guide for how “preschool age” is defined.
Nationally, regulation 122 counts only educators working directly with children. Regulation 325A relaxes this for centre-based services in SA. A centre is taken to meet the ratio while an educator is not working directly with children if:
For a rating assessment the service is taken to comply with regulation 123. The 30 minutes is a total for the day, not 30 minutes per break, and it does not change the duty of adequate supervision. Queensland, Tasmania and WA have similar but different rules. Compare them in the ratios guide.
For preschools, regulation 324 applies instead of the national qualification rule in regulation 126. Regulation 319 defines a preschool as a government preschool or a preschool program run by a non-government school.
Long day care centres follow the national early childhood teacher requirements.
For children over preschool age in a centre-based service, regulation 321 requires the first of every 2 educators in the ratio to be a qualified educator, and at least one qualified educator at the service to be a first qualified educator. Both terms refer to qualifications on ACECQA’s South Australian lists for educators working with children over preschool age.
ESB also regulates South Australian early childhood services that sit outside the NQF, which it calls residual services. Examples include occasional care, in-home care, rural and mobile care, and individual family day care. They are regulated under a modified version of the National Law set out in Schedule 2 of the Education and Early Childhood Services (Registration and Standards) Act 2011, and under service-specific standards.
The national ratios apply without change: 1:4 from birth to 24 months, 1:5 from over 24 months to under 36 months, 1:11 from 36 months to preschool age, and 1:15 for children over preschool age (regulation 123).
Within limits. Under regulation 325A a centre is taken to meet the ratio while an educator is away from working directly with children for no more than 30 minutes in total in a day, provided the educator can attend to children immediately during each period away.
The Education Standards Board (ESB), the regulatory authority under the National Law in SA. It also regulates residual services outside the NQF, such as occasional care and in-home care.
Yes. Under regulation 324, in a government preschool the first and second educators in the ratio for preschool-aged children must be early childhood teachers; in a prescribed preschool (school-run on a school site, rural, or under 16 children) the first and third must be.
Under regulation 321, the first of every 2 educators in the ratio for children over preschool age must be a qualified educator, and at least one must be a first qualified educator, as defined by ACECQA's South Australian qualification lists.
WIDEN Law answers National Quality Framework questions with inline citations to the National Law, the Regulations and the NQS, so you can check the source provision yourself.
14-day free trial, no card →This page is a research summary, not legal or compliance advice. It is written in our own words from the sources linked on the page; confirm the position with your regulatory authority before relying on it for a compliance decision.