AEDC data shows nearly half of Australian children are not meeting key developmental milestones – SNAICC in the News

Nearly half of all Australian children are not meeting key developmental milestones by the time they start school, according to the latest Australian Early Development Census (AEDC).

The 2024 Australian Early Development Census (AEDC), released in week of 16 June, surveyed more than 288,000 children and 16,700 teachers, finding that only 52.9 per cent of children nationally are on track in the areas of physical health and wellbeing, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive skills, and communication skills and general knowledge. While this reflects an improvement since the first census in 2009, it shows a decline from the previous survey in 2021. The proportion of children facing significant developmental challenges has also increased slightly across all areas, with rises between 0.2 and 1.5 per cent.

The census shows clear disparities; children from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds, in rural and remote areas, from lower socio-economic households, and non-English-speaking families continue to face greater developmental vulnerability. Additionally, nearly one in four Australian children live in a ‘childcare desert’, where three or more children compete for each available childcare place.

The 2024 AEDC took place between May 1 and July 31, 2024, and included 288,483 children and 16,723 teachers in 7,368 schools. The majority of the children captured in the 2024 AEDC were born in 2018 or 2019.

Calls continue for greater investment in Aboriginal-led early childhood services

Despite the overall national declines, the data shows that the developmental progress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children has remained relatively stable, indicating that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led, community-controlled programs are having a positive impact. Notably, while overall national trends worsened, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children did in fact record improvements in two key areas: language and cognitive skills, and communication skills and general knowledge. The census data shows that, in 2024, 33.9 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were assessed as developmentally on track across all five AEDC areas, a slight and statistically non-significant decrease from 34.3 per cent in 2021.

As reported by NIT and IBNews, Arrernte and Luritja woman Catherine Liddle, CEO of SNAICC – National Voice for our Children, says while the overall results are not good enough, the data is a clear indication that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led, self-determined programs are working—and must be recognised as central to the solution. She pointed to the stabilisation in outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children—in contrast to the national decline—as evidence that community-led approaches are effective and making an impact.

Catherine is calling on governments to act now by scaling up investment in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations, particularly those focused on early childhood education and care. She said the evidence shows that change is happening and that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led and self-determined initiatives are effective. Catherine said that governments must listen, invest and act now if we’re serious about closing the gap for our children.

Speaking to NITV, Catherine acknowledged the significance of community and local solutions, saying that communities on the ground are saying; this is what we need; this is what our children will respond to; this is how we build our services, how we build our communities, and how we grow our local economies. She said that real progress now hinges on governments’ leaning in, doubling down and recognising that these reforms are working.

ECA stresses the importance of equitable reform in early education

Chief Executive of Early Childhood Australia (ECA), Samantha Page, also responded to the census results, telling ABC’s RN Breakfast that a country as prosperous as Australia should expect more than just over half of its children to be developmentally on track by the time they start school. As reported by the ABC, Ms Page said a considered and coordinated national effort is needed to address the issue. While she welcomed the federal government’s universal early childhood education reform—including access to three days a week of subsidised care—she said that the rollout must be equitable. She said that the children most at risk, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, those living in rural and remote communities, and children from non-English-speaking backgrounds, must be prioritised. Ms Page said that these are the children who stand to benefit most from high-quality early learning, and that we must ensure they don’t miss out.

For full coverage, find the relevant news stories linked below.