The Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) is a nationwide initiative that measures the development of children in their first year of full-time school, providing comprehensive data on the health, well-being, and learning outcomes of Australian children.
First introduced in 2009, the AEDC is conducted every three years across all states and territories of Australia, covering approximately 305,000 children.[1] The results of the AEDC are used by policymakers, educators, and health professionals to inform the development of programs and policies aimed at improving the early childhood development outcomes of all Australian children.[2] [3]
The AEDC focuses on five key areas of early childhood development called domains: physical health and wellbeing, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive skills (school-based), and communication and general knowledge. By collecting data on these domains, the AEDC generates a national snapshot of the developmental progress of Australian children, highlighting areas of strength and identifying where additional support may be needed.
The AEDC is a collaborative effort between the Australian Government and state and territory governments, and is managed by the Australian Department of Education.[4]
The AEDC was developed by the Australian Department of Education, in collaboration with the Centre for Community Child Health at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne. Dr. Sally Brinkman played a key role in the development and implementation of the Australian Early Development Index (AEDI) first piloted in 2004, which was then adapted in the way data was collected and reported to become the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) in 2009.[5] One of the key features of the AEDC is that the data is made publicly available for communities to use. This means that educators, health professionals, researchers, and community organizations can access and use AEDC data to inform their work and better understand the needs of children in their communities.[6] [7]