House of Assembly Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1) 54 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Estimates Replies Preschool Occasional Care Preschool Occasional Care In reply to Dr CLOSE House of Assembly Port Adelaide Deputy Leader of the Opposition Preschool Occasional Care In reply to Dr CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (25 July 2019). (Estimates Committee B) The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER House of Assembly Morialta Minister for Education Preschool Occasional Care The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education): I am advised of the following: The occasional care cost per child actual result is calculated by dividing the actual expenditure recorded in the department's general ledger for occasional care by the number of actual places in occasional care. For budget purposes, the estimated budget for occasional care is allocated against the estimated number of children, to determine a budget allocation. Occasional care staffing allocations are provided to preschools through an allocation in applicable preschool's Resource Entitlement Statement (RES). From a review of actual costs for occasional care the department has identified that occasional care costs have been charged against the general preschool budget line, as opposed to the specific occasional care budget line. After adjusting for these costs, the recalculated cost per child in occasional care is $1,182. The cost per child in preschool services is reduced from $10,492 to $10,417. Note there is no net financial impact in the reported expenditure for Program 1 Early Childhood Development.