• Indigenous, Standard 06/02/2020

National Indigenous Reform Agreement: PI 10-Proportion of Indigenous children who are enrolled in (and attending, where possible to measure) a preschool program in the year before formal schooling, 2020
Indigenous, Standard 17/11/2019

Preschool Education, Australia 2018 (ABS 2019a) is compiled from data from the National Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Collection (NECECC). Data for the NECECC have been compiled according to the national standards outlined in the Early Childhood Education and Care National Minimum Data Set (ECEC NMDS)

Statistics in this publication are presented according to Sector, Statistical Geography and Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA).

Preschool Education, Australia 2018 (ABS 2019a) is compiled from data from the NECECC. The NECECC is mainly derived from administrative and supplementary survey data provided by state and territory and Australian government departments with responsibility for early childhood education and care.  A data quality statement for each jurisdiction can be found within the ABS’ explanatory notes.

Estimates and Projections, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 2006 to 2031 (ABS 2019) is compiled based on population estimates derived from the 2016 Census of Population and Housing and Post Enumeration Survey, and assumptions derived from analysis of data sourced from a variety of institutional environments. Detailed quality information for this product is available via the ABS website, see Data Quality Statement.

For information on the institutional environment of the ABS, including the legislative obligations of the ABS, financing and governance arrangements, and mechanisms for scrutiny of ABS operations, see ABS Institutional Environment.

The collection is released within approximately 8 months of the August reference period.

Preschool Education, Australia 2018 (ABS 2019a) contains estimates of children enrolled in, and attending preschool in Australia collected through the NECECC.

If the information required is not available as a standard product or service from the ABS website, then the ABS Consultancy Services can help you with customised services. Inquiries should be made to the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070.

Preschool Education, Australia 2018 (ABS 2019a) and National Early Childhood Education and Care Collection: Concepts, Sources and Methods, 2013 (ABS 2014) contain detailed information on the data sources, terminology and other technical aspects associated with the National ECEC statistics.

In 2008, the importance of education in the early years of a child's development was formally acknowledged through the Council of Australian Governments' (COAG) endorsement of a new National Partnership on Early Childhood Education (NP ECE). The NECECC was part of data improvement projects under the NP ECE and the National Information Agreement on Early Childhood Education and Care (NIA ECEC). The aim of the NECECC is to provide comparable state and territory statistics on early childhood education. Preschool Education, Australia 2018 (ABS 2019a) presents counts of children enrolled and attending preschool programs and episodes of enrolment and attendance at preschool programs across Australia.

The scope of the collection consists of all service providers delivering a preschool program. A preschool program for the NECECC is defined as a structured, play based learning program, delivered by a degree qualified teacher, primarily aimed at children in the year before they commence fulltime schooling. This is irrespective of the type of institution that provides it, or whether it is government funded or privately provided. Programs may be delivered in a variety of service settings including separate preschools or kindergartens, Centre based day care (formerly long day care) centres or in association with a school. Centre based day care centres that do not operate a preschool program are considered out of scope.

The operational collection scope of child information for the NECECC is all children who at 1 July were between 3 and 6 years of age (inclusive) and were enrolled during the reference period at a preschool program. To be considered as enrolled, the child must have attended the preschool program for at least one hour during the reference period, or be absent due to illness or extended holiday leave and expected to return.

The collection date for the NECECC is the first Friday in August of each year, with a reference period of one week in the same week as the collection date. Some jurisdictions preferred to incorporate a reference period of two weeks that included the collection date, to better reflect their preschool program delivery model. A summary of jurisdictional collection reference periods for 2018 can be found within the ABS’ explanatory notes.

Regional and remote areas are based upon the ABS’ Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) 2016.

Data for the NECECC have been compiled according to the national standards outlined in the ECEC NMDS in order to maximise consistency of data across the various jurisdictional collections. Alignment with these standards may not be completely achieved by all jurisdictions, and care should be taken when comparison across jurisdictions are made. Data limitations for the collection include:

• a small level of under-coverage of the preschool programs in some sectors
• comprehensive child unit record level data may not be available for all jurisdictions in all years, particularly for the non-government sector or unfunded preschools
• differences between data element collection methodologies and alignment to national data standards across jurisdictions.

Care needs to be taken interpreting data relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children due to reporting issues associated with both the identification and reporting of Indigenous status.

Where information on the child’s usual place of residence is not available - that is, where insufficient information on the child’s address was collected or, where no address details have been provided, remoteness area is assigned using the address of the service at which the child is enrolled. For more information on the collection methodologies and current data limitations for each state and territory, see Preschool Education, Australia 2018 (ABS 2019a). More information on the ECEC NMDS can be found on the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare website.

All ERP data sources are subject to non-sampling error. Non-sampling error can arise from inaccuracies in collecting, recording and processing the data. In the case of Census and Post Enumeration Survey (PES) data every effort is made to minimise reporting error by the careful design of questionnaires, intensive training and supervision of interviewers, and efficient data processing procedures. The ABS does not have control over any non-sampling error associated with births, deaths and migration data.  For more information see the Demography Working Paper 1998/2 - Quarterly birth and death estimates, 1998 (cat. no. 3114.0) and Australian Demographic Statistics (cat. no. 3101.0).

Non-Indigenous estimates are available for census years only. In the intervening years, Indigenous population projections are based on assumptions about past and future levels of fertility, mortality and migration. In the absence of non-Indigenous population figures for these years, it is possible to derive denominators for calculating non-Indigenous rates by subtracting the projected Indigenous population from the total population. For non-Indigenous population estimates, the projected Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population (3238.0, Series B) is subtracted from the ABS 2016 Census-based Estimated Resident Population (3101.0). Such figures have a degree of uncertainty and should be used with caution, particularly as the time from the base year of the projection series increases.

There can be differences in the data across jurisdictions due to the differing collection methodologies and alignment with the ECEC NMDS across jurisdictions.

Data for previous years (2015, 2016, and 2017) have been revised using existing published numerator data from the relevant year of the NECECC and updated denominator data derived from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population estimates and projections based on the 2016 Census of Population and Housing.

In 2016 the ABS made two enduring changes to the NECECC to enhance the accuracy of child counts. Data reported in 2016, 2017 and 2018 were collated using the same method. Due to these changes 2015 data is not directly comparable to later years.

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)

numerator — ABS (unpublished)National Early Childhood Education and Care Collection.

denominator — ABS (unpublished) Experimental Estimates and Projections, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 1991 to 2021 (cat. no. 3238.0).

ABS 2014. National Early Childhood Education and Care Collection: Concepts, Sources and Methods, 2013. ABS Cat. no. 4240.0.55.001. Canberra: ABS.

ABS 2016. Preschool Education, Australia 2015. ABS Cat. no. 4240.0. Canberra: ABS.

ABS 2017. Preschool Education, Australia 2016. ABS Cat. no. 4240.0. Canberra: ABS.

ABS 2018. Preschool Education, Australia 2017. ABS Cat. no. 4240.0. Canberra: ABS.

ABS 2019. Estimates and Projections, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 2006 to 2031. ABS Cat. no. 3238.0. Canberra: ABS.

ABS 2019a. Preschool Education, Australia 2018. ABS Cat. no. 4240.0. Canberra: ABS.