NEW SOUTH WALES

DATA QUALITY STATEMENT

In 2012, New South Wales (NSW) was responsible for two data collections in relation to preschool programs, both of which collected data using a Unit Record Level (URL) data collection methodology:

• NSW Department of Education and Communities (NSW DEC): ‘Government School Census’

• NSW Department of Education and Communities (NSW DEC): ‘Children's Services Data Collection’.

a] Government School Census

Institutional Environment
The organisation responsible for the Government School Census was NSW DEC. Data for the Government School Census were collected under the Children (Education and Care Services National Law Application) Act 2012 (NSW) and Education and Care Services National Regulations.

Relevance
The data collected by NSW DEC enabled reporting across the NSW government schools sector for a variety of reporting requirements, as well as to measure progress against Australian Government ECEC targets and Council of Australian Governments (COAG) reforms.

Scope: The scope of the early childhood component of the Government School Census included all children aged 3 to 5 years old who were attending a preschool program at a government school in NSW. Children are eligible to enrol at a government preschool if they turn 4 on or before 31 July of that year. Priority is given to children from disadvantaged backgrounds who are unable to access other children’s services, particularly Indigenous children and children from families who experience financial hardship.

Children enrolled in an Early Intervention class at a NSW government school were included in the Government School Census for the first time in 2012. Early intervention classes provide early childhood education in a preschool setting for children with a disability.

The scope for data provided on workers included all paid primary contact teachers and School Learning Support Officers delivering preschool programs at government schools in NSW. Only Primary contact teachers were considered in-scope for the National ECEC Collection.

Coverage: All government schools in NSW participated in the Government School Census. For the purposes of the National ECEC Collection, data were sourced from all government schools offering a preschool program, and therefore full coverage was achieved for the NSW government sector.

Data collection methods: The 2012 Government Schools Census collected data using a URL data collection methodology for the following statistical entities:

• Child: data at the child record level

• Service provider organisation: data at the service provider record level

• Worker: data at the worker record level.

Timeliness
The Government School Census is an annual collection and in 2012 was undertaken on 3 August, with a reference period of 30 July to 3 August. Completion of the data processing and validation stage took approximately 3 months after the collection date, at which time the data were delivered to the ABS.

Data sourced from the Government School Census for the purposes of the National ECEC Collection are published by the ABS in Preschool Education, Australia, 2012 (cat. no 4240.0).

Accuracy
All NSW DEC government school-based preschools were required to participate in the Government School Census by completing an on-line census form. There were three sections to the preschool component of the Government School Census:

• general preschool data (e.g. number of children enrolled, number of Indigenous children)

• class or group data (overall session details for service and individual attendance by child, along with date of birth, sex, Indigenous status, language background other than English and disability)

• teacher data (e.g. qualifications and length of employment).

During the collection period, NSW DEC extracted children’s details from the Enrolment Registration Number (ERN) system. Preschool teachers checked enrolment data, allocated children to class groups and entered enrolment details for any children missing from the ERN. Teachers also entered additional information, such as change of address details, and then electronically submitted the census to the secure DEC Collection portal.

NSW DEC ensured that all preschools submitted compulsory data. Preschools were notified about the data collection through the regular Principals’ newsletter and reminder faxes. Detailed instructions on collecting and entering the data using the secure DEC Collections portal were available to preschools at all times during the survey period. The online census contained a number of validation rules to prevent inconsistencies and omissions. During the data collection period, preschool support workers could phone NSW DEC to clarify counting rules and data collection procedures. In addition, data anomaly reports were generated identifying problems such as incorrect age, low attendance or duplicate children. All anomalies were checked and data corrected if required. Signoff was required from all Principals whose school provided a preschool program.

Coherence
For the purposes of the National ECEC Collection, data collected through the 2012 Government School Census were comparable with data collected in 2011, as both collections were undertaken using a URL data collection methodology. Children enrolled in an early Intervention class at a NSW government school were included in the Government School Census for the first time in 2012. An analysis of the coherence of this collection with other jurisdictional collections should be undertaken on an individual basis, taking into account any data elements that are not consistent with the ECEC NMDS specifications. Deviations between the 2012 ECEC NMDS and data collected from the Government Schools Census are outlined in table 6.2.1.
 

Data Element	Details of Deviation
Address line (Child)	Full child address information was not collected for a small proportion of children; only the suburb/town/locality name. This impacted on the ability to determine child disadvantage status and remoteness classifications, which affected comparability across jurisdictions.
Preschool program fees	Preschool Fees were introduced to government preschools in January 2012. The 2012 Government School Census did not have the capability to collect this data element.
Level of highest qualification relevant to ECEC (Worker)	The collection of this data element was self-reported. Only one qualification was recorded for each worker. Teachers and School Learning Support Officers were asked to report their Highest qualification in Early Childhood.

Counts of Children:
It is possible for a child to be concurrently enrolled in and attending two or more preschool programs and attend preschool across years. In order to address collection requirements, it is important to be able to identify accurately matched episode records for a child both within a collection cycle and between years.

Children in a Preschool Program in 2012:

For NSW, counts of children enrolled in and attending preschool programs in 2012 were able to be derived as data were collected using an appropriate URL data collection methodology.

Children in a Preschool Program in the Year before Full-time Schooling:

As NSW had two years of comparable data collected using URL methodology and had child/client database, counts of children enrolled in and attending preschool programs in the year before full-time schooling were also able to be derived.

Interpretability
NSW DEC preschools were notified about the Government Schools Census through the regular Principals’ newsletter and reminder faxes. Detailed instructions on collecting and entering data using the secure NSW DEC Collections portal were available to preschools at all times during the collection period.

Accessibility
Data sourced from the Government School Census for the 2012 National ECEC Collection are published at the state and territory level in Preschool Education, Australia, 2012 (cat. no 4240.0) on the ABS website.

b] Children's Services Annual Data Collection

Institutional Environment
The organisation responsible for the Children's Services Annual Data Collection was NSW DEC. Data for the Children's Services Data Collection were collected under the Service Specifications, which are contracts with each service provider outlining the terms of renewable funding under the Children’s Services Program. These preschools are regulated by NSW DEC under the Education and Care Services National regulations and the Children (Education and Care Services) National Law (NSW).

Relevance
The data collected by NSW DEC were used for state government reporting commitments and to assist with the evaluation and planning of service provision. For preschools, the information obtained was used to determine funding for the following year. The data was also used for a variety of State and Commonwealth reporting requirements, as well as to measure progress against Commonwealth ECEC targets and COAG reforms.

Scope: The scope of the Children's Services Data Collection included all children aged 0 to 6 years attending a preschool program regulated and funded by NSW DEC. Enrolment priority is given to children who are in their year before full-time schooling, children who are at risk of harm and children from disadvantaged backgrounds (i.e. Indigenous status, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD), and children from low income families and children with a disability).

The scope for data provided on workers included all paid workers employed in service providers that were regulated and funded by NSW DEC.

Coverage: NSW government funded preschools were mandated to participate in the Children's Services Data Collection. The collection included government funded Catholic and Independent schools with preschool programs and Community managed preschools.

A substantial proportion of preschool programs in NSW are delivered by commercial LDCs that do not receive funding from NSW DEC. As a result, no data were collected from these services by the NSW Government as part of the Children’s Services Data Collection. Data on commercial LDCs were collected using the Child Care Management System (CCMS).

Service providers that were registered for the CCB and CCR were requested to provide information in the Children's Services Data Collection only for children who did not receive the CCB or the CCR. Preschool programs not funded by the NSW government and preschools delivered in non-government schools were also not in scope of the collection, therefore complete coverage was not achieved by the Children’s Services Data Collection.
 
Data collection methods: The 2012 Children’s Services Annual Data Collection collected data using a URL data collection methodology for the following statistical entities:

• Child: data at the child record level

• Service provider organisation: data at the service provider record level

• Worker: data at the worker record level

Timeliness
The Children's Services Data Collection is an annual collection and in 2012 was undertaken between 30 July and 26 August with a reference period of 30 July to 10 August 2012. This reference fortnight was adopted by NSW DEC to reflect the preschool delivery model in NSW. Data collected in the reference fortnight was then derived by NSW DEC to a one week reference period for data items expressed in units of time, e.g. preschool fees charged per week and hours worked per week in preschool program delivery. Completion of the data processing and validation stage took approximately 3 months after the collection date, at which time the data were delivered to the ABS.

Data sourced from the Children's Services Annual Data Collection for the purposes of the National ECEC Collection are published by the ABS in Preschool Education, Australia, 2012 (cat. no 4204.0).

Accuracy
In 2012 service providers completed the Children's Services Annual Data Collection through the online Children’s Services Data Collection (CSDC) system. The CSDC system allowed service providers to:

• enter data for each child and ECEC worker, and to automatically calculate totals

• enter individual child and ECEC worker details progressively throughout the representative fortnight

• generate a copy of the data entered, for their own records.

ECEC workers were required to report one qualification, being their highest qualification in early childhood education.

After completion of all fields, data entry restrictions were automatically applied to ensure required information was entered before the data could be submitted. After data lodgement, users received an automated e-mail confirming that data had been submitted successfully and received by NSW DEC.

NSW DEC ensured that all services submitted compulsory data. The online census contained a number of validation rules to prevent inconsistencies and omissions. During the data collection period, service providers could phone a 1300 phone number to clarify counting rules and data collection procedures. In addition, all submitted data were cross-checked for consistency with operational characteristics such as approved number of places and operating hours at each service. Prior year data were also compared and, where large variations were apparent, service providers were contacted to confirm data accuracy. Regional staff also undertook random audits of service providers after the collection period.

Coherence
For the purposes of the National ECEC Collection, data collected through the 2012 Children's Services Annual Data Collection were comparable to data collected in 2011, as both collections were undertaken using similar URL data collection methodologies.

Specific data elements collected using methods which did not align with the ECEC NMDS specifications are outlined below and should be taken into account when comparing data collected from each dataset.

An analysis of the coherence of this collection with other jurisdictional collections should be undertaken on an individual basis, taking into account any data elements that are not consistent with the ECEC NMDS specifications. Deviations between the 2012 ECEC NMDS and data collected from the Children’s Services Annual Data Collection, are outlined in table 6.2.2.

Data Element	Details of Deviation
Address line (Child) Area of usual residence (Child)	Full address information was not collected for a small proportion of children; only the suburb/town/locality name. This impacted on the ability to determine child disadvantage status and remoteness classifications, which affected comparability across jurisdictions. Child address line data could only be supplied voluntarily, thereby affecting ability to accurately classify to CD and SA1 geographic locations.
Indigenous status (Child)	The Indigenous status of the child was not disaggregated below the level of ‘Indigenous’ and ‘non-Indigenous’.

Counts of Children:
It is possible for a child to be concurrently enrolled in and attending two or more preschool programs and attend preschool across years. In order to address collection requirements, it is important to be able to identify matched episode records for a child both within a collection cycle and between years accurately.

Children in a Preschool Program in 2012:

For NSW, counts of children enrolled in and attending preschool programs in 2012 were able to be derived as data were collected using a consistent URL data collection methodology.

Children in a Preschool Program in the Year before Full-time Schooling:

As NSW had two years of comparable data collected using URL methodology and had child/client database, counts of children enrolled in and attending preschool programs in the year before full-time schooling were also able to be derived. Data quality for child SLK and the repeater indicator improved considerably in 2012.

Interpretability
NSW provided a range of key information via manuals and fact sheets, such as the 2012 Census Booklet and Coding Instructions, to assist in the reporting of data, correct interpretation and explanation of concepts. Information and notification about the data collection were communicated to service providers via electronic mail and information package via postal mail detailed instructions on collecting and entering the data using the CSDC system. The Children's Services data collection tool - user guide, can be found at: <https://ecec.det.nsw.edu.au/CSDC/UserGuide.pdf>.

Accessibility
Data sourced from the Children's Services Annual Data Collection for the 2012 National ECEC Collection are published at the state and territory level in Preschool Education, Australia, 2012 (cat. no 4240.0) on the ABS website.

Information Source
The information contained within this report has been sourced from NSW DEC in consultation with the ABS. Further information is available at the NSW DEC website <http://www.educationandcommunities.nsw.gov.au/>.

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