Preschool enrolment Data dictionary

Proportion of children enrolled in a preschool program in the year before formal schooling (YBFS) who have disability, compared with proportion of children aged 4–5 years who have disability in community¹.

2024

2021

All children, with and without disability, aged 4 years plus children aged 5 years who were not repeaters, enrolled in preschool programs.

Preschool enrolment: Number of children aged 4–5 with disability enrolled in a preschool program.

Representation in community: Number of children aged 4–5 with disability.

Preschool enrolment: Number of children aged 4–5 enrolled in a preschool program.

Representation in community: Number of children aged 4–5.

Preschool enrolment: The number of children aged 4–5 with disability enrolled in a preschool program, divided by the number of children aged 4-5 enrolled in a preschool program.

Representation in community: The number of children aged 4–5 with disability, divided by the number of children aged 4–5.

Expressed as a percentage.

100 x (Numerator ÷ Denominator)

1. The Strategy would like to see the following tracked – Proportion of children with disability enrolled in a preschool program the year before full‑time schooling vs representation in community. Available data do not allow the exact measure listed by the Strategy to be tracked. Currently an alternative measure is reported.
2. Data are reported by state and territory governments and are not directly comparable because the definition of disability varies across jurisdictions.
3. 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. The state specific YBFS definition uses the preschool and school age entry provisions of the state or territory in which the child usually resides.
4. Data on children enrolled in preschool programs are for July/August in the respective year.
5. Disability refers to 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. In NSW, a child with disability and/or additional needs is defined as a child for whom the preschool has documentation or written diagnosis/assessment on letterhead signed by relevant professional/specialist. This number does not include children receiving a preschool program in a long day care setting.
7. For Victoria, disability data cannot be identified for 3-year-old children who attend the Early Start Kindergarten (ESK) Program, although ESK children are included in the denominator.
8. From 2023, South Australia introduced a mid-year intake into preschools. Caution should be used in interpreting state-specific year before full-time schooling (YBFS) estimates in 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.
9. Tasmania data include government enrolments only.