The Flying Start Workforce Grants program, now in its second round, offers early childhood workforce attraction and retention grants for regional, rural, and hard-to-staff communities in South Australia.

Applications for round 2 of this program should demonstrate how the applying organisation will meet the 3 key elements detailed below:
• workforce attraction
• local need
• partnerships and collaboration

Grant objectives
• To design and deliver initiatives in partnership that benefit the broader ECEC sector’s workforce attraction and retention needs, beyond one ECEC service
• To enable communities to determine and implement initiatives that align with their specific workforce contexts and needs
• To develop strategies to maintain and support a stable ECEC workforce in regional, rural, and hard-to-staff communities
• To promote initiatives that enhance workplace flexibility and ability to work across multiple ECEC sites so that services’ access to skilled labour is maximised
• To implement programs to increase the number of qualified educators, teachers and trainers in regional, rural, and hard-to-staff communities
• To embed cultural safety, wellbeing, and mental health through ECEC workforce growth initiatives.

Available funding
Under round 2 of the Flying Start Workforce Grants program, one-off 12-month grants up to the value of $150,000 are available.

Applications close Monday 3 November 2025

For further information please visit FS-Workforce-Grants-Guidelines.pdf