The Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) is a nationwide census of early childhood development captured as children transition into their first year of school.
Conducted every 3 years, the 2021 data collection is the fifth census, with previous collections in 2009, 2012, 2015 and 2018.
In 2021, Queensland saw its highest rate of participation, with 98.6% of Australian schools participating in the AEDC collection. For Queensland, the data is representative of approximately 65,000 children, or 98.4% of the 2021 Prep cohort.
Key findings
The results of the 2021 AEDC indicate that:
- Queensland had the greatest level of improvement across all jurisdictions.
- Queensland has seen a significant increase in the proportion of children who are starting school on track on all developmental domains.
- Queensland vulnerability rates are still higher than the national average, but the gap has narrowed.
- Vulnerability is not equally distributed across all cohorts of children.
Accessing 2021 data
The
AEDC 2021 Queensland data report provides a summary of the 2021 AEDC data. Download the report to find out about early childhood development using insights from the AEDC Queensland data. You can also view comparisons between Queensland's 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018 and 2021 data and read suggestions drawn from research to respond to early childhood development needs.
Access the AEDC 2021 Queensland Infographic (PDF, 546KB) for a brief overview of the highlights for Queensland.
2021 AEDC community data can be accessed on the AEDC national website.
AEDC data is published in a range of formats, including tables, maps and community profiles on the AEDC website. To access data for your community, search for your suburb using the
Data Explorer.
For more information, visit the
AEDC resources page.