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Australian Early Development Census

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​​​Conducted every 3 years, AEDC is the most comprehensive collection of its kind in the world. The information gained from the census helps to shape the future and wellbeing of our children by providing evidence to support education, health and community policy and planning.

2024 cens​us

The 6th AEDC data collection took place in all Queensland schools from 1 May to 21 June 2024.

AEDC 2024 national, state and community level data will be available to access from the national AEDC website in March 2025.

5 AEDC domains​

The AEDC measures how children are developing as they transition into their first year of school based on 5 key areas known as domains.

The 5 AEDC domains of child development are:

  • physical health and wellbeing
  • social competence
  • emotional maturity
  • language and cognitive skills (school-based)
  • communication skills and general knowledge.​

Combined, these domains provide a holistic picture of children’s development, which can be used to support curriculum and quality improvement planning.

What the AEDC data means for Early Childhood Education and Care services

AEDC data provides evidence to help guide Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), Queensland kindergarten learning guideline (QKLG) and National Quality Standard (NQS)​ planning. The data can inform educators​ about areas of developmental strengths and vulnerabilities in a community and support responsive environments and programs.

AEDC results can be used by early childhood education and care services to:

The department has worked with Early Childhood Australia to create ​ resources for early childhood education and care services.

What the AEDC data means for community organisations

AEDC data provide a snapshot of how children are developing in your community. By exploring the AEDC results, your community can work together to find out more about what works well in your area and what can be improved. This way, your community will be able to provide better support for local children and their families.

Specific examples of how communities have used the AEDC can be found in our AEDC community stories​.

Census history​

Previous collections have taken place in 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018 and 2021.

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 indicated 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
  • d​evelopmental vulnerability is not equally distributed across all cohorts of children.​

Download the AEDC 2021 ​Queensland data report (PDF, 3.3MB)​ for a summary of Queensland's 2021 AEDC data in context. Access the AEDC ​2021 Queensland infographic (PDF, 528KB) for a brief overview of the highlights for Queensland.

2021 AEDC community data can be accessed on the AEDC website.

For further information or assistance, email the Queensland AEDC team at aedc@qed.qld.gov.au.

Resources

​Access the collection of resources to help ECEC services, community organisations and schools understand their AEDC data and how it can be used to inform curriculum programming, planning and quality improvement.

The ​professional development package—​te​​aching in kindy: linking the AEDC and Queensland kindergarten learning guideline has been developed for kindergarten teachers working in an early childhood setting in the Queensland context.

A range of other resources, including fact s​heets, community stories and guidance on understanding and using the data, are available on the national AEDC website.

More information

Visit the AEDC website for more information.

Email​ the Queensland AEDC team within the department at aedc@qed.qld.gov.au.​​​

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Last updated 20 December 2024