All early childhood education and care services complete the Census, including long day care, kindergarten, family day care, outside school hours care (OSHC) and state and non-state schools that provide kindergarten programs.
Collected information is used for planning and program development, monitoring outcomes of early childhood initiatives, such as kindergarten, the implementation of the National Quality Framework and reporting under the Preschool Reform Agreement.
In 2024, the Census recorded an amazing response rate of 100.0%. This was only the second time in the history of the collection that a 100.0% response rate was achieved.
Following quality assurance processes, the Department of Education will use collected data to inform policy and program development, monitor trends and report on service delivery.
It is important to complete the Queensland census as this data will determine Queensland's funding allocation for Kindergarten from the Australian Government and inform the department's decision making in the year ahead on the important issues of funding, workforce planning and program development. The quality of the information you supply is as important to the sector as it is to the department.
Queensland ECEC Service Census data: Access previous years' census data (2020–2024) reported by Department of Education region and service provider type.
2025 data collection
This year's Census begins on Monday
28 July 2025.
The reference period for 2025 is
from 28 July 2025 to 3 August 2025.
Services will have until
Sunday 17 August 2025 to complete the survey.
Please refer to the following documentation to help you complete the survey:
Preparation
Staff forms
Child Record Collection upload
Additional information
Contact
For further enquiries regarding the Early Childhood Education and Care Services Census, please contact us on: