New data from the 2024 Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) show the percentage of children developmentally vulnerable has increased on all five domains since the 2021 study. However, there has also been an overall increase in the percentage of children developmentally on track on five AEDC domains since the baseline established in 2009.
The AEDC captures data on five key areas or ‘domains’ of early childhood development:
Physical health and wellbeing – Children’s physical readiness for the school day, physical independence and gross and fine motor skills
Social competence – Children’s overall social competence, responsibility and respect, approach to learning, and readiness to explore new things
Emotional maturity – Children’s pro-social and helping behaviours, and absence of anxious and fearful behaviour, aggressive behaviour, hyperactivity and inattention
Language and cognitive skills (school-based) – Children’s interest and skills in literacy and numeracy, and memory
Communication skills and general knowledge – Children’s communication skills and general knowledge based on broad developmental competencies and skills
The AEDC is a national measure of children’s development as they enter their first year of full-time school. Data has been collected nationally every 3 years since 2009. The 2024 study included 288,483 children and 16,723 teachers in 7,368 schools.
Children receive a score for each of the five domains and then are classified into one of three groups: developmentally on track, developmentally at risk or developmentally vulnerable.
Physical health and wellbeing
The 2024 study results show 78.2% of children are developmentally on track in the physical health and wellbeing domain. This means that those children almost always physically cope with the school day, are generally independent, have excellent motor skills, and have adequate energy levels.
The data show the percentage of children developmentally on track on this domain increased slightly in 2018 and 2021, followed by a small decrease of 0.3 percentage points in 2024.
The AEDC data also provides insight into the developmental outcomes of First Nations children. The percentage of First Nations children developmentally on track on the physical health and wellbeing domain increased from 60.6% in 2009 to 63.1% in 2024. They report that this shows that efforts to improve early development for First Nations children and helping them to thrive in the early years, is making a difference.
Language and cognitive skills
The 2024 data show that 81.7% of children are developmentally on track in the language and cognitive skills domain. To be developmentally on track means those children are interested in books, reading and writing, and basic math. They can also read and write simple sentences and complex words, and can count and recognise numbers and shapes.
The language and cognitive skills (school-based) domain showed large improvements between 2009 and 2012 with results peaking in 2015. Over the last three collections (2018 to 2024), there was a decrease in the percentage of children developmentally on track (from 84.4% to 81.7%).
First Nations children showed improvements on the language and cognitive skills (school-based) domain in 2024. Results show 59.7% were developmentally on track in 2024, compared to 48% in 2009.
Developing skills and attributes
In the other three domains (Social competence; Emotional maturity; and Communication skills and general knowledge) children who are developmentally on track show skills and attributes like getting along with other children, respect for adults, able to follow class routines and capable of helping others. They also almost never show aggression, anxiety or impulsive behaviour. They have excellent communication skills, can tell a story and communicate easily with both their peers and other adults.
While the 2024 results show the percentage of children developmentally vulnerable has increased on all 5 domains, they also uncover opportunities for further action.
The report notes that choosing policies, programs and services which can positively influence children’s development in more than one domain increases the likelihood of improving the percentage of children classified as developmentally on track on all five domains.
‘On track on five AEDC domains (OT5) reflects children’s developmental strengths and recognises the importance of holistic development. It can help identify where things are working well to support children’s development,’ the report reads.
