Preschool enrolment

Notes

• n.a. (not available) Data not available for children aged 4–5 with disability in the community as these are derived from the Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers.

1. Data are reported by State and Territory governments and are not directly comparable because the definition of disability varies across jurisdictions.
2. The YBFS population is an estimate of a single year cohort for the population that will transition to full time schooling in the following year. The preschool starting age varies across jurisdictions (see table 3.1 in the 'Service overview' of SCRGSP 2023). The state-specific YBFS definition uses the preschool and school age entry provisions of the state or territory in which the child usually resides.
3. Data on children enrolled in preschool programs are for July/August in the respective year.
4. Data on representation in the community are sourced from: ABS Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers. These data are comparable across jurisdictions.
5. "Children with disability" refers to a child that has a need for additional assistance in any of the following areas (learning and applying knowledge, education; communication; mobility; self-care; interpersonal interactions and relationships; other - including general tasks, domestic life, community and social life) compared to children of a similar age, that is related to underlying long term health condition or disability (long term is longer than six months).
6. State and Territory data are based on the location of the child's main service (other territory locations are included in State and Territory and Australian totals).
7. In 2018, the counting rules in the NSW annual preschool censes were changed for children with disability. Therefore, data cannot be compared across years. A child with disability and/or additional needs is defined as a child for whom the preschool has documentation (NDIS Reference number) or written diagnosis/assessment on letterhead signed by relevant professional/specialist  (Source: The NSW Mid-Year Census for government preschools (2022) and ECEC Preschool Census (2022)). This number does not include children receiving a preschool program in a long day care setting.
8. For Victoria, data with disability cannot be identified for 3 year old children who attend the Early Start Kindergarten (ESK) Program, although ESK children are included in the denominator.
9. Tasmania data include government enrolments only.
10. From 2023, South Australia introduced a mid-year intake into preschools. Caution should be used in interpreting state-specific YBFS estimates for South Australia, the Department of Education in South Australia will collaborate with the ABS to update and re-release YBFS data adjusted for YBFS mid-year intake enrolments.

Sources

1. State and Territory governments (unpublished) as reported in SCRGSP (Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision) 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025. Report on government services. Part B: child care, education and training. Chapter 3. Early Childhood Education and Care.
2. ABS 2024, Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia: Summary of Findings, 2022, Cat. no. 4430.0, Canberra; ABS (unpublished).

Notes

• n.p. (not published) Data have been suppressed to avoid identifying individual people.
• * Should be used with caution: Estimate has a relative standard error (RSE) between 25% and 50%.

1. Data are reported by State and Territory governments and are not directly comparable because the definition of disability varies across jurisdictions.
2. The YBFS population is an estimate of a single year cohort for the population that will transition to full time schooling in the following year. The preschool starting age varies across jurisdictions (see table 3.1 in the 'Service overview' of SCRGSP 2023). The state-specific YBFS definition uses the preschool and school age entry provisions of the state or territory in which the child usually resides.
3. Data on children enrolled in preschool programs are for July/August in the respective year.
4. Data on representation in the community are sourced from: ABS Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers. These data are comparable across jurisdictions.
5. MoEs for community representation of children with disability based on AIHW analysis of ABS Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia, 2022, TableBuilder, accessed October 2024.
6. "Children with disability" refers to a child that has a need for additional assistance in any of the following areas (learning and applying knowledge, education; communication; mobility; self-care; interpersonal interactions and relationships; other - including general tasks, domestic life, community and social life) compared to children of a similar age, that is related to underlying long term health condition or disability (long term is longer than six months).
7. State and Territory data are based on the location of the child's main service (other territory locations are included in State and Territory and Australian totals).
8. In 2018, the counting rules in the NSW annual preschool censes were changed for children with disability. Therefore, data cannot be compared across years. A child with disability and/or additional needs is defined as a child for whom the preschool has documentation (NDIS Reference number) or written diagnosis/assessment on letterhead signed by relevant professional/specialist  (Source: The NSW Mid-Year Census for government preschools (2022) and ECEC Preschool Census (2022)). This number does not include children receiving a preschool program in a long day care setting.
9. For Victoria, data with disability cannot be identified for 3 year old children who attend the Early Start Kindergarten (ESK) Program, although ESK children are included in the denominator.
10. Tasmania data include government enrolments only.
11. From 2023, South Australia introduced a mid-year intake into preschools. Caution should be used in interpreting state-specific YBFS estimates for South Australia, the Department of Education in South Australia will collaborate with the ABS to update and re-release YBFS data adjusted for YBFS mid-year intake enrolments.

Sources

1. State and Territory governments (unpublished) as reported in SCRGSP (Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision) 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025.
2. ABS 2024, Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia: Summary of Findings, 2022, Cat. no. 4430.0, Canberra; ABS (unpublished).