Indicator:

Children 'developmentally vulnerable' or 'at-risk' on selected domain

Policy context:

The Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) is a national measure of early childhood development, collected for children commencing their first year of compulsory education (Pre-Primary in Western Australia).¹ Since 2009, the AEDC has been collected every three years across public, private, and independent schools in Australia.¹ʼ²

All children included in the AEDC are scored on five domains of development that are associated with predictors of good social, health and educational outcomes into adulthood.¹

These domains are

1. Physical health and wellbeing

2. Social competence

3. Emotional maturity

4. Language and cognitive skills

5. Communication skills and general knowledge.¹ʼ²

These domains of development are considered to provide a snapshot of a child’s level of school readiness, which is an important predictor of ongoing educational and occupational achievement.³ʼ⁴

Children are classified as ‘developmentally vulnerable’ on a domain if they score below the 10th percentile (based on national data), and ‘developmentally at risk’ on a domain if they score between the 11ᵗʰ and 25ᵗʰ percentile.¹ Hence ‘developmentally vulnerable or at risk’ comprises children who scored on the 25ᵗʰ percentile or below.

Fostering the different areas of early development connected to each of the five domains may require differing policies and services. The AEDC data on developmental vulnerability across each of the five domains can therefore be used as an indicator of the wellbeing of children in a given region and used to inform policy and planning to improve health and education outcomes.¹ʼ²

References:

1. Department of Education and Training. Australian Early Development Census National Report 2015: A snapshot of early childhood development in Australia. Canberra ACT. 2016 [cited 2018 Jun 4]. Available from: https://www.aedc.gov.au/resources/detail/2015-aedc-national-report

2. Department of Education and Training. About the AEDC. Canberra ACT. 2018. Available from: https://www.aedc.gov.au/about-the-aedc

3. Hertzman C, Power C, Matthews S, Manor O. Using an interactive framework of society and life course to explain self-rated health in early adulthood. Social Science & Medicine, 2001; 53(12):1575-85. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(00)00437-8

4. Davies S, Janus M, Duku E, Gaskin A. Using the Early Development Instrument to examine cognitive and non-cognitive school readiness and elementary student achievement. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 2016; 35:63-75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2015.10.002

Data source:

Compiled by UWA and Telethon Kids Institute based on Australian Early Development Census data

Numerator:

Children 'developmentally vulnerable' or 'at-risk' on selected domain

Denominator:

Children with a valid AEDC score on selected domain

Unit of measure:

Percent (%)

Geography:

SA2, SA3, LGA

Data confidentiality:

# AEDC data are not reported for locations in which three or fewer children had been assessed.

* Suppression of AEDC data occurs when one or more of the following have not been met:

• Fewer than fifteen children in an area had valid AEDC scores;

• Fewer than two teachers had completed AEDC instruments for children in that location;

• AEDC instruments were completed for less than 80% of all non ‘special needs’ children

Additional minor suppressions have occurred where necessary to preserve confidentiality of related suppressed cells.

Notes:

Indicators are available for each of the five AEDC domains.

Indicator:

Children 'developmentally vulnerable' or 'at-risk' on one or more/ two or more AEDC domain/s

Policy context:

The Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) is a national measure of early childhood development, collected for children commencing their first year of compulsory education (Pre-Primary in Western Australia).¹ Since 2009, the AEDC has been collected every three years across public, private, and independent schools in Australia.¹ʼ²

All children included in the AEDC are scored on five domains of development that are associated with predictors of good social, health and educational outcomes into adulthood.¹

These domains are

1. Physical health and wellbeing,

2. Social competence,

3. Emotional maturity,

4. Language and cognitive skills and

5. Communication skills and general knowledge.¹ʼ²

These domains of development are considered to provide a snapshot of a child’s level of school readiness, which is an important predictor of ongoing educational and occupational achievement.³ʼ⁴

Children are classified as ‘developmentally vulnerable’ on a domain if they score below the 10th percentile (based on national data).¹

The overall number of children who are developmentally vulnerable on any one or more/2 or more of the five domains can act as an indicator of how well early childhood development is being supported generally in a region. The AEDC data on children who are developmentally vulnerable across any one or more/2 or more of five domains can therefore be used as an indicator of the health and wellbeing of children in each region and used to inform policy and planning to improve outcomes.¹ʼ²

References:

1. Department of Education and Training. Australian Early Development Census National Report 2015: A snapshot of early childhood development in Australia. Canberra ACT. 2016. Available from: https://www.aedc.gov.au/resources/detail/2015-aedc-national-report

2. Department of Education and Training. About the AEDC. Canberra ACT. 2018. Available from: https://www.aedc.gov.au/about-the-aedc

3. Hertzman C, Power C, Matthews S, Manor O. Using an interactive framework of society and life course to explain self-rated health in early adulthood. Social Science & Medicine, 2001; 53(12):1575-85. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(00)00437-8

4. Davies S, Janus M, Duku E, Gaskin A. Using the Early Development Instrument to examine cognitive and non-cognitive school readiness and elementary student achievement. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 2016; 35:63-75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2015.10.002

Data source:

Compiled by UWA and Telethon Kids Institute based on Australian Early Development Census data

Numerator:

Children 'developmentally vulnerable' or 'at-risk' on one or more/ two or more AEDC domain/s

Denominator:

Children with a valid AEDC score on selected domain

Unit of measure:

Percent (%)

Geography:

SA2, SA3, LGA

Data confidentiality:

# AEDC data are not reported for locations in which three or fewer children had been assessed.

* Suppression of AEDC data occurs when one or more of the following have not been met:

• Fewer than fifteen children in an area had valid AEDC scores;

• Fewer than two teachers had completed AEDC instruments for children in that location;

• AEDC instruments were completed for less than 80% of all non ‘special needs’ children

Additional minor suppressions have occurred where necessary to preserve confidentiality of related suppressed cells.

Indicator:

Children developmentally on track on selected domain

Policy context:

The Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) is a national measure of early childhood development, collected for children commencing their first year of compulsory education (Pre-Primary in Western Australia).¹ Since 2009, the AEDC has been collected every three years across public, private, and independent schools in Australia.¹ʼ²

All children included in the AEDC are scored on five domains of development that are associated with predictors of good social, health and educational outcomes into adulthood.¹

These domains are

1. Physical health and wellbeing,

2. Social competence,

3. Emotional maturity,

4. Language and cognitive skills and

5. Communication skills and general knowledge.¹ʼ²

These domains of development are considered to provide a snapshot of a child’s level of school readiness, which is an important predictor of ongoing educational and occupational achievement. ³ʼ⁴

Children are classified as ‘developmentally vulnerable’ on a domain if they score below the 10th percentile (based on national data)1. Children are classified as developmentally ‘on track’ if they score above the 25th percentile (based on national data) on each of the five domains.¹

The overall number of children who are developmentally on track across all five domains can act as an indicator of how well early childhood development is being supported generally across the state. The AEDC data on children who are developmentally on track can therefore be used as an indicator of the health and wellbeing of children in a given region and used to inform policy and planning to improve outcomes.¹ʼ²

References:

1. Department of Education and Training. Australian Early Development Census National Report 2015: A snapshot of early childhood development in Australia. Canberra ACT. 2016. Available from: https://www.aedc.gov.au/resources/detail/2015-aedc-national-report

2. Department of Education and Training. About the AEDC. Canberra ACT. 2018. Available from: https://www.aedc.gov.au/about-the-aedc

3. Hertzman C, Power C, Matthews S, Manor O. Using an interactive framework of society and life course to explain self-rated health in early adulthood. Social Science & Medicine, 2001; 53(12):1575-85. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(00)00437-8

4. Davies S, Janus M, Duku E, Gaskin A. Using the Early Development Instrument to examine cognitive and non-cognitive school readiness and elementary student achievement. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 2016; 35:63-75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2015.10.002

Data source:

Compiled by UWA and Telethon Kids Institute based on Australian Early Development Census data

Numerator:

Children developmentally on track on selected domain

Denominator:

Children with a valid AEDC score on selected domain

Unit of measure:

Percent (%)

Geography:

SA2, SA3, LGA

Data confidentiality:

# AEDC data are not reported for locations in which three or fewer children had been assessed.

* Suppression of AEDC data occurs when one or more of the following have not been met:

• Fewer than fifteen children in an area had valid AEDC scores;

• Fewer than two teachers had completed AEDC instruments for children in that location;

• AEDC instruments were completed for less than 80% of all non ‘special needs’ children

Additional minor suppressions have occurred where necessary to preserve confidentiality of related suppressed cells.

Indicator:

Children attending preschool program for 15 hours or more

Policy context:

Educational institutions for children aged 0-4 years are structured, play-based learning programs delivered by degree-qualified teachers for children in the years leading up to full-time schooling.¹

Preschool participation increases school readiness, which is associated with better ongoing educational attainment and achievement as well as life outcomes more generally.²⁻⁴

Children from disadvantaged families are less likely to be enrolled in preschool and tend to have lower attendance rates.⁵

Given the association between educational attainment and health outcomes across the lifespan, preschool participation levels can be used as an early indicator of child development and vulnerability to poor health outcomes.

Therefore, it can be utilised by policy makers to reveal where children may be at risk of having poorer outcomes and to allocate resources and services to areas where they may be required to ensure healthy child development.

References:

1. Australian Bureau of statistics. Canberra ACT. Preschool Education, Australia, 2016, cat. no. 4240.0 2017 [cited 29 May 2018]. Available from: http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4240.0Explanatory%20Notes12016?OpenDocument

2. Rosier K, McDonald M. Promoting positive education and care transitions for children. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies; 2011 [cited 2018 Jun 11]. Available from: https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/promoting-positive-education-and-care-transitions-children

3. Hertzman C, Power C, Matthews S, Manor O. Using an interactive framework of society and life course to explain self-rated health in early adulthood. Social Science & Medicine, 2001; 53(12):1575-85. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(00)00437-8

4. Davies S, Janus M, Duku E, Gaskin A. Using the Early Development Instrument to examine cognitive and non-cognitive school readiness and elementary student achievement. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 2016; 35:63-75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2015.10.002

5. Commissioner for Children and Young People. “It’s like a big circle trap.” Discussion paper on Children and Young People’s vulnerability. 2018 [cited 26 June 2018]. Available from: https://www.ccyp.wa.gov.au/media/2961/report-vulnerability-discussion-paper-march-2018.pdf

Data source:

Compiled by UWA and Telethon Kids Institute based on Australian Bureau of Statistics, ABS 1410.0 - Data by Region

Numerator:

Children attending preschool program for 15 hours or more

Denominator:

Total enrolled in a preschool program (4 & 5 year olds)

Unit of measure:

Percent (%)

Geography:

SA2, SA3, LGA, HR, RDC

Data confidentiality:

The ABS applies small random adjustments to all cell values to protect the confidentiality of data. These adjustments may cause the sum of rows or columns to differ by small amounts from the table totals.