Advocacy

General News

In The Field

Policy

Research

AEDC data collection is now underway

FDC-Friendly

Freya Lucas

May 08, 2024

Save

The Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) is a nationwide census of early childhood development which takes place every three years.

The national data collection examines how young children have developed by the time they start school and provides evidence to support health, education, community services with data to develop and refine policy and planning for children.

Collection for the 2025 AEDC takes place from 1 May 2024 to 31 July 2024, with teachers of children in their first year of school completing the AEDC for children in their class.

Teachers answer questions that measure early childhood development across five key areas, referred to as domains, namely:

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

The 2024 AEDC National results will be published in 2025. For early childhood educators, the AEDC data can be a useful predictor of future development and learning. Alongside other data sources, the AEDC data can help educators to:

discover how well early childhood programs are preparing children for school
develop target resources and services to support children's and families' wellbeing.

Visit the AEDC website to learn more.

Don’t miss a thing

NSW Early Learning Commission conducts 220 unannounced visits

More than 100 regulatory officers conducted unannounced inspections at over 220 early learning services in a single-day compliance operation, as the NSW Early Learning Commission intensifies oversight across the sector.

Failing the Most Vulnerable: Two WA Childcare Providers Penalised Over Supervision Breaches

In February the Western Australian State Administrative Tribunal handled two separate disciplinary proceedings brought by the CEO of the Department of Communities against out-of-school-hours care (OSHC) providers. Both cases highlight critical failures in active supervision, particularly concerning highly vulnerable children diagnosed with autism who managed to wander away from their respective services unnoticed.

Keeping children safe with one simple lesson

Water safety remains at the forefront of national concern, as drowning continues to be the leading cause of accidental death for children aged 0-4.

Ecological identity: a new lens on an age-old practice

The journey to embed ecological identity is a personal one, as identity sits close to one’s heart and is shaped from our own foundational years. For myself, it was founded in warm summer afternoons playing in the rockpools along the beaches in Sydney, discovering the names of all the little creatures that lurked there, including the starfish that suctioned to my curious fingertips.

Childcare centres may have clear rules for staff numbers, but there are loopholes to get around them

There is a growing number of “serious incidents” in Australian early childhood services, including day cares.

NSW Early Learning Commission conducts 220 unannounced visits

Failing the Most Vulnerable: Two WA Childcare Providers Penalised Over Supervision Breaches

Keeping children safe with one simple lesson

Water safety remains at the forefront of national concern, as drowning continues to be the leading cause of accidental death for children aged 0-4.

Ecological identity: a new lens on an age-old practice

Childcare centres may have clear rules for staff numbers, but there are loopholes to get around them

There is a growing number of “serious incidents” in Australian early childhood services, including day cares.

Don’t miss a thing

NSW Early Learning Commission conducts 220 unannounced visits

NSW Early Learning Commission conducts 220 unannounced visits

Failing the Most Vulnerable: Two WA Childcare Providers Penalised Over Supervision Breaches

Keeping children safe with one simple lesson

Ecological identity: a new lens on an age-old practice

Childcare centres may have clear rules for staff numbers, but there are loopholes to get around them

Exploring the Junior Landcare 2026 calendar: a year of environmental learning for early years

What Can Australia Learn from Ontario’s Child Care Ratios?

Integrated school and early learning hubs linked to stronger transitions and family engagement

Workforce planning in ECEC: from compliance requirement to strategic advantage

Fiona Alston

Feb 19, 2026

AEDC data collection is now underway

The Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) is a nationwide census of early childhood development which takes place every three years.

Don’t miss a thing

Related Articles

NSW Early Learning Commission conducts 220 unannounced visits

Failing the Most Vulnerable: Two WA Childcare Providers Penalised Over Supervision Breaches

Keeping children safe with one simple lesson

Ecological identity: a new lens on an age-old practice

Childcare centres may have clear rules for staff numbers, but there are loopholes to get around them

Related Articles

NSW Early Learning Commission conducts 220 unannounced visits

Failing the Most Vulnerable: Two WA Childcare Providers Penalised Over Supervision Breaches

Keeping children safe with one simple lesson

Ecological identity: a new lens on an age-old practice

Childcare centres may have clear rules for staff numbers, but there are loopholes to get around them

Don’t miss a thing

Related Articles

Loading...

NSW Early Learning Commission conducts 220 unannounced visits

Failing the Most Vulnerable: Two WA Childcare Providers Penalised Over Supervision Breaches

Keeping children safe with one simple lesson

Ecological identity: a new lens on an age-old practice

Childcare centres may have clear rules for staff numbers, but there are loopholes to get around them

Exploring the Junior Landcare 2026 calendar: a year of environmental learning for early years

What Can Australia Learn from Ontario’s Child Care Ratios?

Integrated school and early learning hubs linked to stronger transitions and family engagement

Workforce planning in ECEC: from compliance requirement to strategic advantage

Keep Exploring