Preschool Education methodology

In 2025, the Australian Government Department of Education submission to the NECECC included child care administrative data.

Child care administrative data is information, collected in the Child Care Subsidy System (CCSS), on child care services and the children and families that use Australian Government approved child care. The CCSS is the Australian Government's primary mechanism for managing child care payments. Child care administrative data contains payment and related data on CBDC (which includes the former long day care type care and occasional child care) services related to the delivery of early childhood education and care (ECEC) programs - also referred to as 'preschool' or 'kindergarten'.

While the Australian Government Department of Education has portfolio responsibility for child care, responsibility for the operation of the child care administrative data is shared with Services Australia, an agency of the Australian Government Department of Social Services.

Child care administrative data is collected for the purposes of administering Child Care Subsidy (CCS) (which replaced the Child Care Benefit under A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999 (Cwlth), A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999 (Cwlth) and Family Assistance Legislation (Jobs for Families Child Care Package) Act 2017. Payments are administered by Services Australia.

The CCSS is the national system that enables child care services to exchange child care information online with the Australian Government to enable the payment of CCS, on behalf of parents, to approved child care services. It also provides information about the national supply and usage of child care. All approved child care services must use the CCSS, but for the purposes of this Data Quality Statement, reference will be confined to CBDC services required to meet the National Quality Framework (NQF).

CBDC services must regularly submit data to the CCSS, through software developed by registered third-party software providers, or directly via a web portal, and record child demographic, enrolment and attendance information.

Scope: The scope of the child care administrative data extracted for the NECECC included all children aged 3 to 6 years as of 1 July of the collection year, who were enrolled during the NECECC reference week in an approved CBDC service that operates in accordance with the NQF.

Coverage: All approved CBDC services are required to provide data related to the administration of CCS (such as enrolments and attendances) through the CCSS. CBDC providers approved for CCS but which do not operate in accordance with the NQF and services not approved for CCS (such as state-run preschools) are not included in the child care administrative data.

Data collection methods: The 2025 child care administrative data used a URL collection methodology for children and services and is drawn from the Services Australia Enterprise Data Warehouse.

The 2025 child care administrative data for the reference week Monday 28 July – Sunday 3 August 2025 was extracted in September 2025. The Australian Government Department of Education processed and validated the data before submitting it to the ABS in October 2025.

CBDC services are required by A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999 (Cwlth) and Family Assistance Legislation (Jobs for Families Child Care Package) Act 2017 legislation, to submit certain records (weekly enrolments and attendance records etc.), for all children in attendance at the service. Record details, such as child dates of birth and reference numbers as well as service reference numbers, are checked and cross-referenced, ensuring there is only one current enrolment at a service for the same parent/guardian and child combination.

Data on families' Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin is captured within the Services Australia data warehouse. Within the Services Australia data collections, families may identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander or choose not to provide this information. Those children whose families choose not to identify are classified as having neither Aboriginal nor Torres Strait Islander origin rather than origin being ‘unknown/not stated’ for the publication as per previous years.

In 2025 the Australian Government Department of Education has not provided attendance data for the NECECC for the following jurisdictions: Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory. This decision has been agreed to bilaterally with these jurisdictions. Attendance data for these jurisdictions can be sourced from the 2025 National Preschool Attendance Collection (NPAC). The ABS has assessed the quality of 2024 NPAC attendance data for these jurisdictions and determined it to be a suitable alternative to NECECC reporting.

The collection of child URL data ensures duplications are minimised and the total child count is as robust as systematically possible. Deviations between the NECECC standards and child care administrative data collected are outlined in the table below:

Privacy and confidentiality requirements within Family Assistance Law limit the publication of child care administrative data at certain granularities. De-identified aggregate data (which includes child care administrative data) are published as part of Preschool Education and Microdata: Preschool Education on the ABS website. A selection of child care administrative data is published quarterly and is available on the Australian Government Department of Education website Quarterly reports on usage, services, fees and subsidies - Department of Education, Australian Government.

The information in this report has been sourced from the Australian Government Department of Education in consultation with the ABS. Further information is available from the Australian Government Department of Education website www.education.gov.au.

In 2025, the New South Wales Department of Education (NSW DoE) submission to the NECECC consisted of data from two data collections:

• Mid-Year Census – NSW Public Preschools and Early Intervention Classes (Mid-Year Census).
• Early Childhood Education (ECE) Annual Preschool Census.

NSW DoE is responsible for the administration of Mid-Year Census. Data was collected under the Children (Education and Care Services) National Law (NSW) and the Education and Care Services National Regulations.

The data collected by NSW DoE enables reporting across the NSW government school sector for a variety of reporting requirements, as well as to measure progress against Australian Government preschool education targets and reforms. 

Scope: In 2025, the scope of the preschool component of the Mid-Year Census includes all children enrolled in a preschool program or Early Intervention class at a NSW public preschool on the census date of 1 August 2025. Children are eligible to enrol at a NSW public 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, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and children from families who experience financial hardship. While most children are aged 4 or 5, if there is spare capacity, places may be offered to 3-year-old children.

Children enrolled in an Early Intervention class at a NSW public preschool have been included in the Mid-Year Census since 2012. Early intervention classes provide preschool education in a preschool setting for children with a disability and/or additional needs.

Coverage: The 2025 NSW Mid-Year Census data included all NSW public preschools and Early Intervention classes. 

Data collection methods: The 2025 Mid-Year Census collected data using a unit record level (URL) data collection methodology for children and service providers.

The census date for the Mid-Year Census was Friday 1 August 2025, with a two-week reference period from Monday 4 August to Friday 15 August. Fortnightly data was converted to a one-week average to enable valid and reliable national comparisons.

The NSW DoE compiled, processed and validated the data before submitting it to the ABS in November 2025.

All NSW public preschools were required to participate in the Mid-Year Census by completing an online census form. There were four sections to the preschool component of the Mid-Year Census:

• Harvested data from the Enrolment and Registration Number (ERN) system.
• General preschool data that is not collected from harvested data.
  • for example, the number of children accessing Integration Funding Support (IFS) and the number of children that are still waiting for a position in the preschool this year.
• Class or group data.
  • overall session details for service and individual enrolment and attendance by child, along with daily fees paid, date of birth, sex, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status, language background other than English status, refugee status, disability status, health care card status and suburb.
• Teacher and School Learning Support Officer (SLSO) data.
  • For example, qualifications and length of employment.

Indigenous students are identified at enrolment through the enrolment form. In 2015, the Indigenous status question on the form was changed to match the standard national question, with users required to select one of four answers corresponding to the first four values of the ECEC NMDS item person-indigenous status. The corresponding Indigenous status question on the ERN system matched the standard national question.

NSW public preschools were required to answer the question by selecting a single value from an on-screen drop-down list. The values available for selection comprised the first four values of the ECEC NMDS as well as a supplementary value Unknown/Not Provided to accommodate instances where the parent or carer did not provide this information on the enrolment form. Some records for school-based preschools did not distinguish between Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children. Records for these children were coded as Indigenous not further defined.

During the collection period, NSW DoE extracted children's details from the ERN system. Preschool staff checked enrolment data and allocated children to class groups. For any enrolment details that were missing from the ERN system, these details were recorded, and preschool staff were encouraged to update the ERN system accordingly. Staff also entered additional information, such as Health Care Card and disability status and attendance, and then electronically submitted the census to the secure NSW DoE Collection portal.

NSW DoE ensured that all NSW public preschools submitted compulsory data. NSW public preschools were notified about the data collection through online notices. Detailed instructions on collecting and entering the data using the secure NSW DoE Collections portal were available to preschools at all times during the survey period. The online census contained a number of validation rules to mitigate inconsistencies and omissions. During the data collection period, preschool support workers could phone NSW DoE to clarify business rules and data collection procedures. In addition, data anomaly reports were generated to identify problems such as, but not limited to, incorrect age, low attendance or duplicate children. All anomalies were checked and the data was corrected if required. Signoff was required from all principals whose school provided a preschool program. 

Data collected through the 2025 Mid-Year Census and submitted to the NECECC were broadly comparable with data collected between 2018 and 2024, as these collections were undertaken using the same URL data collection methodology. 

An analysis of the coherence with other jurisdictional collections should be undertaken on an individual basis, taking into account any data elements that are not consistent with the NECECC standards.

NSW public preschools were notified about the Mid-Year Census through online notices. Detailed instructions on collecting and entering data using the secure NSW DoE Collections portal were available to preschools at all times during the collection period.

Data sourced from the Mid-Year Census are published as part of Preschool Education and Microdata: Preschool Education on the ABS website.

High level aggregate data is also available on the NSW Department of Education Insights Hub and Schools: In-Brief and Schools and students - Statistical Bulletin publications. 

The information contained within this report has been sourced from the NSW DoE in consultation with the ABS. Further information is available at the NSW DoE website https://education.nsw.gov.au/.

In January 2017, the NSW Government introduced Start Strong, a new community and mobile preschool funding model. Start Strong is a needs-based funding investment aimed at making 600 hours of preschool participation more affordable. Start Strong targets funding to children enrolled in community and mobile preschools who are aged 3 years or over, with additional equity funding directed to children who are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander or from low-income families, as well as children with disabilities and/or additional needs. Additional loadings are also provided to children in outer regional, remote and very remote locations, as well as children with additional language needs.

NSW DoE is responsible for the 2025 Early Childhood Education (ECE) Annual Preschool Census. Data was collected under Funding Specifications, which are contracts with each service provider outlining the terms of renewable funding under the Early Childhood Education Grants Program. These community and mobile preschools are regulated under the Children (Education and Care Services) National Law (NSW) and the Education and Care Services National Regulations. 

The data collected by NSW DoE was used for state government reporting commitments and to assist with the evaluation and planning of service provision. For community and mobile preschools, the information obtained was used to determine funding for the current financial year. The data was also used for a variety of State and Commonwealth reporting requirements, as well as to measure progress against Commonwealth preschool education targets and reforms. 

Scope: The scope of the ECE Annual Preschool Census included all children aged 0 to 6 years, enrolled in a preschool program on the census date of 1 August 2025, in community and mobile preschools regulated and funded by NSW DoE. However, the scope for NECECC is 3 to 6 years old children. Services are required to give equal priority of access to children who are:

1. at least 4 years old on or before 31 July in that preschool year and not enrolled or registered at a school.
2. at least 3 years old on or before 31 July and from low income or Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander families.
3. with additional language needs.
4. with disabilities and/or additional needs.
5. at risk of significant harm (from a child protection perspective). 

There is no order of priority assigned to the list above.

Coverage: Participation in the ECE Annual Preschool Census was mandatory for NSW community and mobile preschools, which were NSW government-funded (but not necessarily NSW Government-run) preschool services, including preschools operated by Catholic and Independent schools, preschools operated by local governments and community-managed preschools. 

ECE programs not funded by the NSW Government, including some preschools delivered in non-government schools, were not in scope of the collection. These services are not excluded from applying for NSW Government funding, provided that they meet eligibility criteria, consistent with the objectives of universal access. If these services do enter into a funding agreement with the NSW Government under relevant preschool funding programs, they would be required to participate in the ECE Annual Preschool Census.

The majority of preschool programs in NSW are delivered by commercial CBDC providers. Although NSW DoE provides funding to these services, the Australian Government is the primary funder of CBDCs. As a result, no data was collected from these services by the NSW Government as part of the ECE Annual Preschool Census. Data on commercial CBDCs were collected for the NECECC by the Australian Government Department of Education using the Child Care Subsidy System (CCSS).

Some services operate both a community preschool and a CBDC under the one service approval. Because of the latter, they are registered for the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) but were requested to provide information in the ECE Annual Preschool Census only for children who did not receive the CCS.

Data collection methods: The 2025 ECE Annual Preschool Census used a unit record level (URL) collection methodology for children and service providers.

The ECE Annual Preschool Census is an annual collection and was undertaken in 2025 from Monday 21 July to Friday 29 August, with a reference period of Monday 28 July to Friday 8 August. A reference fortnight was adopted to reflect the preschool delivery model in NSW whereby delivery of a preschool education program can vary between weeks. Fortnightly data was converted to a one-week average to enable valid and reliable national comparisons.

The NSW DoE compiled, processed and validated the data before submitting it to the ABS in November 2025.

The Early Childhood Contract Management System (ECCMS) is the online system used by NSW DoE and service providers to manage preschool service contracts and funding.

There are four main sections to the census component of ECCMS:

• Service location details (drawn from core ECCMS, not editable by users, and standardised and cleansed post census).
• Service location operating details.
• Individual child details, e.g. name, address, daily fees, low-income status, enrolment and attendance.
• Individual worker details, e.g. qualification field and level, main role and main work activity.

Information on Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status was provided to the community and mobile preschool by a child's parent or carer in accordance with the record keeping requirements of the Education and Care Services National Regulations. Services were required to answer the question by selecting a single value from an on-screen drop-down list. The values available for selection comprised the first four values of the NMDS as well as supplementary values such as Not Stated, Inadequately Described and Don’t Know, to accommodate instances where the parent or carer did not provide this information to the service.

Prior to data submission, an authorised user from the service must enter a declaration that the entered data was correct. Following data submission, NSW DoE undertook a data validation phase where submitted data was cross-checked for consistency with service operational characteristics and past submissions. Where large variations or unusual data was apparent, service providers were contacted to confirm data accuracy. If data was incorrect, the census was reopened to allow the user to correct and resubmit data. All data validation rules were coded into SQL stored procedures and Python notebooks. NSW DoE maintained an anomalies database and data anomaly dashboard to track communications and submissions, and the status of potential errors. Comprehensive independent manual reviews and peer reviews were undertaken to verify the data and ensure its accuracy.

Data collected for the NECECC in 2025 is broadly comparable with data collected between 2018 and 2024. In 2025, data items continued to be collected at the lowest (most granular) level of the service delivery hierarchy, i.e. service location (introduced in 2016).

An analysis of the coherence with other jurisdictional collections should be undertaken on an individual basis, considering data elements that are not consistent with the NECECC standards.

NSW DoE provided a range of information and support to service providers throughout all stages of the collection. These included: 

• regular emails to services in the lead up to and during the collection phase in 2025.
• a dedicated census webpage providing summary information, portal access and links to resources and contact information.
• detailed instructions on the process of data entry, including explanations and examples of concepts, were provided online within the application via summary 'tooltips' and extensive online help, as well as an ECE Annual Preschool Census Quick Reference Guide.

During the 6-week collection phase, service providers could also contact a dedicated 1300 phone number and email for assistance.

Data sourced from the ECE Annual Preschool Census are published as part of Preschool Education and Microdata: Preschool Education on the ABS website.

Selected results from the census may be published in media releases, on the Department’s website and in Ministerial speeches, including in Parliament.

The information contained within this report has been sourced from the NSW DoE in consultation with the ABS. Further information is available at the NSW DoE website https://education.nsw.gov.au/.

The 2025 NECECC data submission from the Victorian Department of Education (Vic. DE) was sourced solely from administrative systems, which included the Kindergarten Information Management System (KIMS) and the new ARRIVAL system.

Vic. DE was responsible for the data collection in 2025. Data was collected in accordance with Funding and Service Agreement requirements.

Data was collected through ARRIVAL and KIMS to enable accurate funding provision and reporting of key data across the Victorian Preschool sector, as well as to collect data to meet national reporting requirements.

Scope: The data covers all children aged 3 to 6 enrolled in Vic. DE funded preschool programs during the reference period. This includes children enrolled in a funded three-year-old kindergarten program, which commenced in 2020, with full statewide roll out by 2022. These three-year-old enrolments have been included in the Victorian NECECC submission since 2021.

Vic. DE. commenced the staged rollout of the pre-prep program in 2025, which replaces the four-year-old program. This program provides between 16 and 30 hours of funded kindergarten, and was available to children in six local government areas in 2025.

Coverage: Data was collected from all service providers with current Funding and Service Agreements with Vic. DE. These funded services represent the vast majority of preschool service providers in Victoria. A small number of CBDC providers operating programs for children in the year before school were not funded by Vic. DE and as a result, no data was collected from these services.

Data collection methods: KIMS uses a unit record level (URL) data collection methodology for children and service providers.

Service providers use the live ARRIVAL to maintain up-to-date service and enrolment information, which is integrated with KIMS to calculate funding. Providers were required to ensure enrolment data was finalised prior to the Census reference week. Data used in the NECECC submission was extracted from the systems between September 2025 and November 2025 and includes only children enrolled during the reference week (28 July to 1 August 2025).

The Vic. DE compiled, processed and validated the data before submission to the ABS in November 2025.

Data accuracy was maintained through the KIMS collection process. Service submissions included built-in workflow checks for completeness, and the information was further validated against data held in ARRIVAL. 

Vic. DE has used a URL collection methodology since 2011, which means data collected in 2025 is comparable with previous years to 2011.

Vic. DE introduced the Free Kinder program in 2023. The program provides free kindergarten for children enrolled in participating sessional kindergarten programs, and fee offsets for families with children enrolled in participating CBDC services. As a result, fee data collected prior to 2023 is not comparable with fee data from 2023 onwards.

The commencement of the pre-prep program across six local government areas in 2025 means total attended, enrolled and offered hours are not comparable to prior years.

Where CBDC services are missing from the Victorian DE’s NECECC data submission, Victorian CBDC data may, where possible, be supplemented in Preschool Education using CBDC data from the Australian Government Department of Education.

An analysis of the coherence with other jurisdictional collections should be undertaken on an individual basis, taking into account any data elements that are not consistent with the NECECC standards. Deviations between the NECECC standards and data collected from the KIMS are outlined in the table below.

Extensive explanatory information regarding the data collection was provided in KIMS and on the Vic. DE website. For further clarification, service providers could contact their regional office or the KIMS helpdesk.

Vic. DE provides information on funding criteria and data collection responsibilities in the publication 'The Kindergarten Guide', which is available on the Vic. DE website https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx.

Data sourced from the KIMS in 2025 are published as part of Preschool Education and Microdata: Preschool Education on the ABS website.

Key figures from the KIMS data extracts are also published in Vic. DE Annual reports, in Victorian budget papers and as part of the Report on Government Services on the Australian Government Productivity Commission website.

Selected data are published on the Victorian Child and Adolescent Monitoring System Portal.

The information contained within this report has been sourced from Vic. DE in consultation with the ABS.

In 2025, the Queensland Department of Education (Qld DoE) submission to the NECECC consisted of data from the annual Early Childhood Education and Care Services Census (ECECSC), which collected childcare enrolment data, workforce data, and preschool program and enrolment data.

The organisation responsible for the 2025 ECECSC is Qld DoE. Data for the 2025 ECECSC were collected under the Education and Care Services Act 2013 (Qld), the Education and Care Service National Law 2011 (Qld) and the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006 (Qld).

Data collected from the ECECSC enables Qld DoE to report on a variety of matters, such as the performance of the preschool sector to the Qld and Australian Governments and the community. The data are used to provide evidence for policy and program development and planning and to monitor outcomes of early childhood initiatives such as the department's Early Childhood Workforce Strategy and the implementation of the Education and Care Services National Law.

Scope: The 2025 ECECSC includes all children who were enrolled in a licensed or approved child care service or State-delivered preschool program provided by a government school or through distance education. This included children that were enrolled in CBDC, preschool, State-delivered preschool, Limited Hours Care, eKindy and State-delivered early childhood development programs at the time of the ECECSC.

Children aged 3 to 6 enrolled in a preschool program were considered in-scope for the ECECSC.

Coverage: The 2025 ECECSC achieved an overall response rate of 100%. This included 2,457 services that provided a funded kindergarten program. 

Data collection methods: The 2025 ECECSC used a unit record level (URL) data collection methodology for funded approved programs.

The ECECSC is an annual collection and in 2025 used the reference period of 28 July to 3 August 2025. 

Fortnightly data were converted to a one-week average to enable valid and reliable national comparisons.

The Qld DoE compiled, processed and validated the data before submitting it to the ABS in October 2025.

For the 2025 ECECSC, data were collected from service providers via an online survey tool.

As part of the internal validation process for 2025, Qld DoE included online guides as well as explanatory notes within the online census to assist service providers with definitions and responses. Edit checks were built into the online census, which ensured that valid data was supplied. Data supplied by service providers also underwent a range of validation and edit checks post enumeration to ensure that the information was complete, internally consistent and fell within fixed known parameters.

Since 2015, Qld DoE has required a response to the Indigenous Status question for preschool children. This has eliminated issues with missing data from some records from earlier years and significantly reduced instances of "unknown" values for this item.

Data on out-of-pocket early childhood education program fees are subject to reliability issues and should be interpreted with caution. This is due to the difficulties in accurately collecting fee data net of Queensland Kindergarten Funding (QKF) subsidies which are recognised as third-party payments that can be deducted after the Child Care Subsidy.

From January 2024, the Queensland government introduced free Kindy (for 15 hours per week, 40 weeks per year) for all eligible-aged Queensland children. As a result, from 2024, NECECC data shows a higher number of children aged 4 or 5 years with nil or low out-of-pocket early childhood education program fees compared with earlier years. 

Free Kindy replaced the 2023 scheme which provided affordability subsidies to eligible children. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and children with a health care card, these subsidies aimed to provide free kindergarten for 15 hours a week, 40 weeks per year.

Where possible, data for children enrolled in a Queensland CBDC have been linked to records from the childcare subsidy system (CCSS) and that data has been adjusted to estimate the impact of Queensland subsidies on out-of-pocket fees.

An analysis of the coherence with other jurisdictional collections should be undertaken on an individual basis, considering data elements that are not consistent with the NECECC standards. There were no deviations between the NECECC standards and the ECECSC data collected. 

In line with the arrangement between the Australian Government Department of Education and Qld DoE, attendance data for the 2025 NECECC has not been provided by Qld DoE. Instead, attendance data can be sourced from the 2025 National Preschool Attendance Collection (NPAC). The ABS has assessed the quality of 2024 NPAC attendance data and determined it to be a suitable alternative for NECECC reporting.

Qld DoE provide a range of information to assist in the collection and reporting of data. Explanatory notes, together with printable copies of ECECSC collection forms for staff, were available from the Qld DoE website https://earlychildhood.qld.gov.au/sector-news-and-resources/reports-and-research/early-childhood-education-and-care-services-census.

Data sourced from the 2025 ECECSC are published as part of Preschool Education and Microdata: Preschool Education on the ABS website. Data from the ECECSC are published on the Qld DoE website: https://qed.qld.gov.au/publications/reports/statistics/early-years.

The information contained within this report has been provided by the Qld DoE in consultation with the ABS. Further information is available at the Qld DoE website: https://earlychildhood.qld.gov.au/sector-news-and-resources/reports-and-research/early-childhood-education-and-care-services-census.

In 2025, South Australia's Department for Education (SA DfE) submission to the NECECC consisted of data from the Annual Census of Children's Services (ACCS).

The organisation responsible for the ACCS is SA DfE.

Information gathered by the ACCS included patterns of service usage and characteristics of children and families. The data was required by the SA Government for forward planning and the analysis of needs and gaps in current service provision. The data from this collection also enables reporting across the SA preschool sector.

Scope: The scope of the 2025 ACCS included children aged 3 to 5 years who were enrolled and attending (or expected to attend) government managed (including preschools integrated with a community managed child care service) or government funded preschool services operating in non-government organisations that are not Child Care Subsidy (CCS) approved. Out of scope were preschool services that receive no funding for their preschool program from SA DfE or any CCS approved services. Note that from 2024 CCS approved services are out of scope of the ACCS which is consistent with the National Preschool Attendance Collection (NPAC).

Children who are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin, and children and young people who are the subject of custody or guardianship order under the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017 (SA), are eligible under the SA DfE’s Preschool Enrolment Policy to commence a government managed or government funded preschool after their third birthday and are entitled to up to 600 hours of preschool in the two years before full-time school. These children have been included as in scope.

Some state funded preschool programs operating in non-government preschools also provide preschool to 3 year old children. SA DfE does not obligate these services to provide data for these children in the ACCS unless they are enrolled in a preschool program in their year before full time school and are receiving preschool funding from SA DfE for these children. Any data received for 3 year old children from these non-government services (regardless of whether they are in their year before full-time school) in the ACCS was submitted in the NECECC.

Coverage: In 2025, the ACCS achieved full coverage of all government managed and government funded preschools not CCS approved, including Independent and Catholic schools with funded preschool programs.

Unfunded Independent and Catholic school managed preschool providers, CCS approved CBDC providers and any other non-government preschool services with no SA DfE funded preschool program are not invited to participate in the ACCS. There are a relatively small percentage of South Australian children who have received a preschool program delivered by one of these unfunded services.

Data collection methods: The 2025 ACCS used a unit record level (URL) data collection methodology for children and service providers.

The ACCS is an annual collection and in 2025 was undertaken on 1 August, with reference period of 28 July to 8 August 2025. This reference fortnight was adopted by the SA DfE to reflect the preschool delivery model in SA. Fortnightly data was converted to a one-week average to enable valid and reliable national comparisons.

SA DfE compiled, processed and validated the data before submitting it to the ABS in November 2025.

In 2025, the ACCS collected data through the use of three systems, one for non-government preschool providers and two for SA DfE preschools. SA DfE operated standalone and school-based preschools enter their data into the Early Years System (EYS) or the Education Management System (EMS). The DfE preschools using the EYS undertake a data submission process into the Early Childhood Data System (DAC), whereas EMS users have their data extracted and uploaded into the DAC by the DfE corporate office. Non-government sessional preschool providers who are not CCS approved services submit their data into the DAC via the SA DfE Non-Government Preschool Data System (NGPDS).

The NGPDS was developed as a web-based preschool data reporting system that serves the dual purpose of collecting data requirements for grant funding administration as well as to satisfy State and National reporting obligations. The EYS, EMS and NGPDS have been developed with the capability of importing data from other administrative systems (e.g. Child Care Subsidy Systems or CCSS) to reduce respondent burden and input error. The EYS, EMS and NGPDS have validation rules built in to ensure services are submitting accurate data that is compliant with the NECECC standards.

SA DfE collated data collected from both systems using a data repository known as the Early Childhood Data System or Data Administration Centre (DAC). The DAC allows for Assessments and Collections staff to administer a data collection and to run checks and validations on the data received from service providers. The DAC also performs sequential match coding for children enrolled in preschool across multiple services. Service provider details are stored and maintained in the Location Services System (LSS), from which data for the 2025 Collection were also obtained.

Indigenous children are identified by the SA DfE through the standard question "Is the child of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin?" on the Preschool Enrolment Form.

Most data collected through the 2025 ACCS were generally comparable with equivalent data in the 2014 to 2024 NECECC. Due to system developments and data improvements, some data may not be comparable to 2013 data. With the exception of 2013, these years were undertaken using similar URL data collection methodologies.

The SA DfE preschools transitioned to a single intake preschool enrolment policy in 2013, which impacted on counts in 2014. 

From 2014 to 2024, children were entitled to 4 terms of preschool in the year before they start school as follows:

• if a child turns 4 before 1 May, they may start preschool in Term 1 in that year
• if a child turns 4 on or after 1 May, they are eligible to start preschool from the beginning of Term 1 in the following year.

In 2023, the SA DfE implemented a mid-year intake preschool enrolment policy for government managed preschools. Under the revised policy, children are entitled to 4 terms of preschool in the year before they start school as follows:

• if a child turns 4 before 1 May, they may start preschool in Term 1 in that year
• if a child turns 4 between 1 May and 31 October, they may start preschool in Term 3 in that year
• if a child turns 4 after 31 October, they may start preschool in Term 1 of the following year.

From 2024 onwards, the timing of the data collection for Preschool Education, results in South Australia having a significant number of 4 year old children who have completed their year of preschool. The cohort of children who turned 4 years of age between 1 July 2024 and 31 October 2024 and commenced preschool as part of the mid-year intake were reported as 3 year olds in the 2023 collection, and are not included in the Preschool Education, 2023 tables. This cohort of children commenced school in July 2024 and are therefore not included in the Preschool Education, 2024 tables. Caution should be used when comparing the count of 4 year old preschool enrolments and attendances with previous years for South Australia. 

Children who commenced preschool in Term 1 aged between 5 years and 2 months and 5 years and 6 months can be enrolled in a government preschool in their YBFS where preschool entry has been delayed a year by parental choice.

An analysis of the coherence with other jurisdictional collections should be undertaken on an individual basis, taking into account any data elements that are not consistent with the NECECC standards. There were no deviations between the NECECC standards and data collected from the 2025 ACCS.

In line with the arrangement between the Australian Government Department of Education and SA DfE, attendance data for the 2025 NECECC has not been provided by SA DfE. Instead, attendance data can be sourced from the 2025 National Preschool Attendance Collection (NPAC). The ABS has assessed the quality of 2024 NPAC attendance data and determined it to be a suitable alternative for NECECC reporting.

The SA DfE provided a range of information to assist in the reporting of data, such as the 2025 ACCS Booklet and Coding Instructions. Key material was provided in the form of manuals and fact sheets to support the correct interpretation and explanation of concepts. The NGPDS is an intuitive system and user training has been provided via a webpage that contains user guides, video tutorials, and ACCS instructions. A dedicated EYS/NGPDS Support Team was in place to support users with technical issues or queries with either the EYS or NGPDS and the Assessments and Collections team were available to respond to any data related questions.

Data sourced from the ACCS are published as part of Preschool Education and Microdata: Preschool Education on the ABS website.

The information contained within this report has been provided by SA DfE in consultation with the ABS. Further information is available on the SA DfE website https://www.education.sa.gov.au.

In 2025, the Western Australia Department of Education (WA DoE) submission to the NECECC consisted of data from the WA August School Census.

The organisation responsible for the WA August School Census is the WA Department of Education (WA DoE). Data for 2025 were collected under the School Education Act 1999 (WA).

Scope: The scope of the preschool component of the WA August School Census consisted of children who were enrolled in a preschool program within a government or non-government school, including community based preschools operating under provisions of the School Education Act 1999.

Coverage: Full coverage was achieved for all registered and funded schools (both government and non-government) and community-based preschools operating under provisions of the School Education Act 1999. As preschool programs provided in CBDC settings are not funded or regulated by WA DoE, these service providers were not included in the WA August School Census.

Data collection methods: The 2025 WA August School Census used a unit record level (URL) data collection methodology for children and service providers.

The WA August School Census is an annual collection and in 2025 was undertaken on 1 August, with reference period 21 July to 1 August 2025. Fortnightly data was converted to a one-week average to enable valid and reliable national comparisons.

The WA DoE compiled, processed and validated the data before submitting it to the ABS in October 2025.

Government and community preschools’ data was obtained through a daily data harvesting process from each school’s administrative system, which is fed into the Student Information Database (SID). The SID is the primary source of URL data for public schools. The SID data was uploaded into the WA DoE Student Census System where the data was checked, verified and endorsed as accurate by each school principal. For non-government schools, child URL data was extracted from school enrolment records at the census date. Non-government schools uploaded URL data using a comma-separated value file to the WA DoE's Student Census System.

Following the validation checks detailed below, government, non-government and community preschool data collected through the WA August School Census were then stored in the Student Census System data warehouse, and extracted for the purposes of the NECECC.

Internal validation processes for the WA August School Census occurred at three different points of the process. The WA DoE Student Census System had a series of in-built validation rules, some of which required the school to edit data before continuing, while other rules generated warnings alerting the user to anomalies. A second set of validation processes were run by the WA August School Census team, using both routine and ad-hoc validation methods to examine data while it was assembled into working files. The third set of validation rules were built into the custom software which loaded the census data into the Student Census System data warehouse.

Data for the NECECC’s ‘Service provider organisation—early childhood education program delivered by a qualified teacher indicator’ data element are obtained using an annual Kindergarten Provision Survey that is conducted at the same time as the WA August School Census.

Indigenous students are identified at enrolment using a standard enrolment form question. The coding of the responses is as per the National Schools Statistics Collection (NSSC), i.e. 1 - 4, and 9 for not stated or inadequately described. Schools' student information systems do not allow valid entries other than prescribed. WA DoE is confident it achieves a very high level of accuracy of its Indigenous identification, with results showing a high level of concordance with other independent measures/estimates (e.g. ABS's ERPs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians).

This is attributed to a strong push within the WA school sector (in which most preschools reside) to address:

• learning needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
• Aboriginal Education Officer involvement in schools to liaise with local Aboriginal communities to assist them enrol their children where applicable
• a student-centred funding model in the WA public school system which provides a higher rate of funding for students (including those in preschool) who are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander students to address their needs.
• Schools' census data are also subjected to audit by the WA DoE

The 2025 data are fully comparable to the data collected in 2018 to 2024.

Other changes over time which affected the comparability include:

• From 2015, data about preschool hours enrolled and attended were each collected specifically for the reference week. In 2014, however, hours enrolled was collected in relation to a 'typical' week and hours attended was collected in relation to the reference week. Consequently, enrolled and attended hours data in 2014 were not fully consistent (e.g. there were some cases where attendance hours exceed enrolment hours or hours offered). The 2015 to 2024 data are not affected by this limitation.
• From 2015, maximum preschool program hours available were specifically for the reference week, rather than for a 'typical' week as used in 2014.
• In 2017, the ‘Child—hours of an early childhood education program received from qualified teacher/s indicator’ was collected for preschool students in WA government schools as part of a national trial. The data was only collected in 2017.
• From 2025, the ‘Child – early childhood education program hours attended (per week)’ was not collected and reported for the reference week. Hours attended in the reference week are fully comparable from 2018 to 2024.

Data from 2014 to 2025 about preschool enrolment and attendance hours are not comparable to 2013 data due to a materially different methodology:

• From 2014, URL data about preschool hours enrolled and attended were collected as part of the WA August School Census for all children enrolled at government, non-government and community-based preschools. This process replaced the less refined process used in 2013 that collected child attendance information in aggregated form through a series of questions in the Kindergarten Provision Survey. Attendance hours data from 2013 are therefore not comparable to attendance hours data in 2014 to 2024.
• From 2014, maximum preschool program hours available were collected from service providers via the Kindergarten Provision Survey rather than being derived from the number of hours enrolled by preschool students (used prior to 2014).

Due to WA policy on enrolment and attendance there may be an under-count of children enrolled in preschool. This is because in WA, a child is only considered to be enrolled if they were enrolled at the school and had either attended at least one half-day in the two weeks immediately preceding the WA August School Census day or were absent due to illness or extended holiday with a known return date before the end of the school term.

In line with the arrangement between the Australian Government Department of Education and WA DoE, attendance data for the 2025 NECECC has not been provided by WA DoE. Instead, attendance data can be sourced from the 2025 National Preschool Attendance Collection (NPAC). The ABS has assessed the quality of 2024 NPAC attendance data and determined it to be a suitable alternative for NECECC reporting.

An analysis of the coherence with other jurisdictional collections should be undertaken on an individual basis, considering data elements that are not consistent with the NECECC standards. Deviations between the NECECC standards and data collected from the WA August Student Census are outlined in the table below.

For all schools, the collection instrument contained significant guidance and computation rules to prevent inconsistent responses in relation to prior data entries. WA DoE and non-government sector staff who assisted schools to complete the WA August School Census were trained to provide phone and email support through the WA DoE Customer Service Centre system.

Data are published as part of Preschool Education and Microdata: Preschool Education on the ABS website. Aggregated data are also available from the WA DoE website.

The information contained within this report has been provided by WA DoE in consultation with the ABS. Further information is available on the WA DoE website http://www.education.wa.edu.au.

In 2025, the Tasmanian Department for Education, Children and Young People (Tas. DECYP) submission to the NECECC consisted of data from the Tasmanian 2025 ECEC Data Collection.

The organisation responsible for the Tasmanian ECEC Data Collection was the Tasmanian Department for Education, Children and Young People (Tas. DECYP). Data for the 2025 Tasmanian ECEC Data Collection were collected under the Education Act 2016 (Tas.).

The data collected by Tas. DECYP in the Tasmanian 2025 ECEC Data Collection were used to report on Tasmanian achievements against performance targets, as well as progress against Australian Government preschool education targets and COAG reforms. For preschools, the information obtained was also used in determining the funding of services by the Tasmanian government.

Scope: The scope of the preschool education component of the Tasmanian ECEC Data Collection consisted of all children enrolled in a preschool program in 2025. The Tasmanian ECEC Data Collection was managed in conjunction with the Tasmanian Catholic Education Office and Independent Schools Tasmania. This ensures preschool children at non-government schools are accurately represented.

Data for 3 year old children were included in the 2025 Tasmanian ECEC Data Collection if they were granted an exemption to start preschool before they turned 4 years old as at 1 January 2025. This exemption is granted if:

• the student is assessed as gifted, or
• the student was previously enrolled in a preschool program interstate in 2024 or 2025, to enable contiguous school education

Coverage: The Tasmanian ECEC Data Collection included all registered Tasmanian schools, which is defined as all Government, Catholic, and Independent schools, along with Education and Care providers registered as a school in Tasmania.

Data collection methods: The 2025 Tasmanian ECEC Data Collection was conducted using a unit record level (URL) data collection methodology for children and service providers.

The Tasmanian ECEC Data Collection is an annual collection and in 2025 was undertaken on 1 August 2025, with a reference period of 28 July to 8 August 2025. This reference fortnight was adopted to reflect the preschool delivery model in Tasmania. Fortnightly data was converted to a one-week average to enable valid and reliable national comparisons.

Tas. DECYP compiled, processed and validated the data before submitting it to the ABS in November 2025.

Child level: The process of obtaining and processing data in Tasmania commenced with government service providers uploading information from each child enrolment form into the Tas. DECYP student management system 'EduPoint' which stored the information in a data warehouse. The data warehouse contains in-built data quality checks that provide timely data feedback to schools. Data from the warehouse were then used to populate the Tasmanian ECEC Data Collection. Independent schools manually entered student, timetable and attendance information into a custom Excel template, which was securely transferred to DECYP and then imported into the secure online application. Catholic sector (centralised and non-centralised schools) provided Tas. DECYP an extracted dataset of children's information and attendance from their student management system which was then loaded into the secure online application.

Service Provider level: The data of government and non-government service providers were reviewed and cleaned by Tas. DECYP staff. This process included numerous system quality checks such as confirming student ages, hours enrolled, and verifying duplicate enrolments across schools. This set of students became the authoritative dataset for the census date (1 August). Preschool data was extracted from this census application to match with all other data collated for this Collection. Extensive quality assurance occurred for the attendance, to ensure that data was consistent with other Tas. DECYP data sources.

All teachers in Tasmania must be registered by the Teachers Registration Board of Tasmania. As a result of the registration process, some long-term teachers have teaching certification or relevant 3 year degrees. The registration process requires all long-term teachers to demonstrate, through teaching experience, that they meet the criteria for an equivalent 4 year degree standard. If a long-term teacher meets this criterion, the teachers are deemed to have a 4 year teaching qualification for registration purposes.

Some specific validation methods applied in the data collection application and by Tas. DECYP included:

• data code compliance with the NECECC standards
• detection of inconsistent data coding, e.g. teachers with no qualifications and students with dates of birth outside expected date ranges, indicating coding errors
• comparisons of student enrolment counts with previous year data
• review of school summary tables by student data by various categories, i.e. Indigenous status, enrolment hours
• students in repeat years of preschool

Indigenous students are identified at enrolment in Tasmanian government schools using the national ACARA schools’ enrolment question: "Is the student of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin?". The responses available are: No; Yes, Aboriginal; Yes, Torres Strait Islander; or Yes, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. If a student or family doesn't answer the question, then the response is "Not Stated".

For non-government schools, the same question is asked, with available responses from the non-government Kinder enrolment system: Aboriginal but not Torres Strait Islander origin; Torres Strait Islander but not Aboriginal origin; Both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin; Neither Aboriginal nor Torres Strait Islander origin; and Not stated/inadequately described. Again, if there is no response, it is coded as "Not Stated".

Finally, Tasmania undertakes significant quality assurance on the data to ensure correct coding. Overall student numbers are in line with expectations, and each school is reviewed to ensure the question and responses are representative.

The Tasmanian ECEC Data Collection submission to the NECECC were comparable with data collected in 2013 to 2024, as all collections were undertaken using a consistent unit record level (URL) data collection methodology.

An analysis of the coherence with other jurisdictional collections should be undertaken on an individual basis, taking into account any data elements that are not consistent with the NECECC standards. Deviations between the NECECC standards and data collected from the 2025 Tasmanian ECEC Collection are outlined in the table below.

To support data custodians participating in the Tasmanian ECEC Data Collection, a guide was sent to service providers to assist users with the data collection system. 

Data sourced from the Tasmanian ECEC Data are published as part of Preschool Education and Microdata: Preschool Education on the ABS website. 

Government student Kinder numbers are published in the Tasmanian Department for Education, Children and Young People’s Annual report.

The information contained within this report has been sourced from Tas. DECYP in consultation with the ABS. Further information is available at the Tas. DECYP website https://www.decyp.tas.gov.au/ or email dsi.support@decyp.tas.gov.au.

In 2025, the Northern Territory Department of Education and Training (NT DET) submission to the NECECC consisted of data from the Age/Grade Census.

The 2025 Age/Grade Census consisted of three components:

• Student Census
• Staff Census
• Preschool Census (Students and Staff).

The organisation responsible for the Age/Grade Census is the Northern Territory Department of Education and Training (NT DET). Data for the Census were collected under the Education Act (NT) 2016.

Data collected from the Age/Grade Census enables reporting on NT schools and the preschool sector for a variety of reporting requirements. The preschool data collected from the Age/Grade Census is used for the Supplementary Recurrent Assistance Enrolment Data Collection, the Report on Government Services (RoGS), National Partnership Agreements, government budget paper estimates and the NT DET annual report.

Scope: The scope of the preschool component of the Age/Grade Census includes all children aged 3 to 6 years (inclusive as at 1 July 2025), enrolled in preschool who have attended a government or a non-childcare subsidy (CCS) registered non-government preschool at least once during the 4 week reference period 16 June - 1 August 2025 (the reference period did not apply during the NT school holidays 23 June - 14 July 2025). One remote government school operates on different school terms and had the reference period 2 June - 8 August 2025 (excluding school holidays 23 June – 1 August 2025). One non-government school had the reference period 9 June – 1 August 2025 (excluding school holidays 23 June – 18 July 2025).

In the NT, children are eligible to enrol in preschool at the beginning of the year if they turn 4 years of age on or prior to 30 June of the same year. Furthermore, if an NT child turns 4 years of age after 30 June, they can enrol in preschool on or after their fourth birthday. Children in very remote schools may be enrolled in a preschool program when they turn three years of age. Parents may accompany their child and remain with them at each preschool session if they choose. This can assist both children and families to transition into the school environment and is an important strategy to engage children in remote areas in early childhood education programs.

In addition, the NT DET approved the delivery of a three-year-old preschool program at four preschools across the NT in 2024, after the trial program at six schools over the past few years. This program was discontinued at the end of 2024. As a result, the optional ‘Child—early childhood education program 2YBFS flag’ was reported as 'not stated/inadequately described' for all children in 2025. In 2024, this was reported as 'Yes' for three year old children enrolled in preschool at the participating schools and 'No' for all other preschool children.

Coverage: All government and registered non-government preschools participated in the Age/Grade Census. While the data collection methodology used for non-government preschools differed from that applied to government preschools, the data collected were at the same level of detail and are comparable with data from government preschools.

CBDC providers that deliver preschool programs were not within scope for the Age/Grade Census. For the purpose of the NECECC, the Australian Government Child Care Subsidy System (CCSS) was used for coverage of this sector.

Data collection methods: The 2025 Age/Grade Census used a unit record level (URL) data collection methodology for children and service providers.

The Age/Grade Census is an annual collection and in 2025 was undertaken on 1 August. The four-week reference period of 16 June – 1 August 2025 was used to determine which children are to be included in the collection. For the schools operating on different school terms, the reference period for the government school was 2 June - 8 August 2025, whilst the reference period for the non-government school was 9 June – 1 August 2025

Subsequently, the preschool data is converted to a two-week reference period (21 July – 1 August 2025 for the majority of NT schools). For instance, the hours offered is calculated over the two-week reference period not the four-week reference period. The attendance is calculated over the week including Friday 1 August. Fortnightly data was converted to a one-week average to enable valid and reliable national comparisons.

The NT DET compiled, processed and validated the data before submitting it to the ABS in November 2025.

Child level data: In 2025, data extracts from the Student Census record level information were submitted from each government and some non-government schools' Student Administration and Management System (SAMS). Non-government schools without SAMS, provided child, teacher and service provider record level information via Excel spreadsheets. Additional data for staff and preschool (students and staff) were collected through an online survey tool for government schools. All data was processed centrally for inclusion in the Age/Grade Census collection.

It should be noted that seasonal attendance patterns for the NT show lowest attendance during August. This is partially due to sporting and community events and the transient lifestyle of remote and very remote populations.

After data was processed by NT DET, school principals (or their delegates) were required to check the data, edit if necessary, and confirm accuracy. Business rules guided the processing of data. All three components of the Age/Grade Census required formal sign-off from school principals (or their delegates) for the final data lodgement, stating it was a true and accurate representation of their school for the reference period. This ensured the quality and validity of the data being provided. Internal validation of the early childhood data was subsequently undertaken.

Detailed validation processes used by NT DET in 2025 were as follows: 

• school validation: schools were provided with a validation report and were required to confirm the information was correct. Schools were required to carry out validation reporting to maintain data quality, targeting such areas as child Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status, gender and age
• system validation: the validation process included historical comparison of trends, comparison of enrolments and schooling level proportions, cross-checking missing data and application of national reporting rules

Students’ Indigenous status is identified through the enrolment form. Government schools use the following question:
 

Where no answer is recorded, schools are asked to follow up with the parent/guardian to confirm the Indigenous status of the child. This is done throughout the year and forms part of the validation process for the Age/Grade Census. Students without a valid Indigenous status are flagged in validation reports. If the parent/guardian does not wish to disclose the Indigenous status it is recorded as Not Stated.

Non-government schools are not required to use the same enrolment form as government schools so the wording may vary slightly.

Data collected through the 2025 Age/Grade Census were comparable with data collected in 2019 to 2024. These collections were undertaken using a consistent URL data collection methodology, noting that further clarification around the definition of repeaters and the YBFS cohort have been incorporated into this submission.

An irregularity in the derivation of SLKs by the NT DET was found in surnames with spaces in the first 5 characters. In consultation with the ABS, these were rectified for this submission, resulting in the correction of 43 records in 2025.

An analysis of the coherence of this collection with other jurisdictional collections should be undertaken on an individual basis, considering any data elements that are not consistent with the NECECC standards.

Deviations between the NECECC standards and data collected from the Age/Grade Census are outlined in the table below.

The NT DET provided a range of information to service providers to assist in the collection and reporting of data, such as manuals and fact sheets, to support correct interpretation and definition of concepts. Detailed reports and instructional papers on the requirements, processes and rules for submitting data through the Age/Grade Census were provided to service providers to assist with data provision.

Data sourced from the Age/Grade Census are published as part of Preschool Education and Microdata: Preschool Education on the ABS website.

The Age/Grade Census preschool data is also available via the NT DET’s annual report and NT Department of Treasury and Finance Budget Papers Agency KPIs. The data is summarised and excludes CBDCs.

The information contained within this report has been provided by the NT DET in consultation with the ABS. Further information is available at the NT DET website https://education.nt.gov.au/.

In 2025, the ACT Education Directorate (the Directorate) submission to the NECECC included data from the August 2025 Census of ACT public schools and independent schools.

The Directorate School Administration System was the primary data source for both the school enrolment census and the NECECC. Data for the 2025 census was collected under the Education Act 2004 (ACT), the Children and Young People Act 2008 (ACT), and the ACT Childcare Services Standards 2009.

Scope: All children between 3 and 6 years of age (as at 30 April) officially enrolled and active in an ACT public preschool on 1 August 2025. It is ACT policy that preschool is provided to 4 and 5-year-old children enrolled in the year before full time schooling for 15 hours per week. A small proportion of 3-year-old children are offered an additional year of preschool based on need.

Children enrolled in the Jervis Bay preschool program were included in the census as the school is administered by the Directorate on behalf of the Australian Government. 

Children who were absent for more than 4 continuous school weeks prior to the census date were included only if the principal had received written documentation signed by the child's guardian indicating that the child would return to school.

Coverage: Full coverage for 2025 was achieved for all ACT Government managed preschools.

Data collection methods: URL data collection methodology was employed for children and service providers.

In August each year, the Directorate conducts the ACT Public School Census, this year it was conducted on Friday 1 August, with a reference period of 28 July to 8 August 2025. Fortnightly data was converted to a one-week average to enable valid and reliable national comparisons..

The Directorate compiled, processed and validated the data before submitting it to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in October 2025.

Child level data: On 1 August 2025, the ACT public school enrolment data was captured from the school administration system and cross checked with schools for accuracy. Individual child information was captured from data supplied via an enrolment form which was entered in the student administration system. The principal of each school was required to sign off on their school's total enrolment count. Any inconsistencies were followed up and corrected.

The ACT managed the quality of its data processing as follows: 

• ACT's system included automatic edits and mandatory fields, such as date of birth, sex, family details, attendance status and Indigenous status
• ACT cross-checked addresses for the preschools ensuring one existed for each service provider
• Child addresses were geo-coded to produce valid SA1 and MB codes.

The ACT carried out validation of 2025 data in several ways, including but not limited to: 

• avoidance of manual data entry through an automatic transfer of child information when the child had previously attended another ACT public school (where possible)
• checking of date of birth against year level, with outliers followed up
• follow up of duplicate records where one child was attending two schools
• matching data back to the original census data and running aggregate counts for each field

Service provider level data: Service provider information for public preschools in the ACT was obtained and managed through the school administrative system..

The 2025 ACT Public School Census data was comparable to those collected in 2024, both were undertaken using a consistent URL data collection methodology.

In late April 2025, the ACT changed the wording of the enrolment form question about students’ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status. Consequently, some students included in the 2025 NECECC may have their responses recorded using the updated question, while others, particularly those already enrolled before the change, retained information collected under the previous wording. Fewer than 1% of students in the NECECC are estimated to be impacted by this change.

In line with the arrangement between the Australian Government Department of Education and the Directorate, attendance data for the 2025 NECECC has not been provided by the Directorate. Instead, attendance data can be sourced from the 2025 National Preschool Attendance Collection (NPAC). The ABS has assessed the quality of 2024 NPAC attendance data and determined it to be a suitable alternative for NECECC reporting.

ACT Preschools were notified of the data collection through the Directorate intranet. The Directorate provided government schools with a manual to assist users with the ACT Public School Census module, including instructions and validation techniques.

Data sourced from the ACT Public School Census is published as part of Preschool Education and Microdata: Preschool Education on the ABS website. School-level preschool enrolment counts are reported in the ACT Public School Census publication.

The information contained within this report has been provided by the Directorate in consultation with the ABS. Further details are available from the Directorate website https://www.education.act.gov.au.

The Directorate, in partnership with the ABS collected data from ACT independent schools. 2025 data was collected under the Education Act 2004 (ACT), the Children and Young People Act 2008 (ACT), and the ACT Childcare Services Standards 2009.

Scope: Children between 3 and 6 years of age (as at 30 April) officially enrolled and active in a preschool program at an ACT independent school on 1 August 2025. Children who were absent for more than 4 continuous school weeks prior to the census date were included only if the principal had received written documentation signed by the child's guardian indicating that the child would return to school.

Coverage: Full coverage for 2025 was achieved for all preschool programs provided by an ACT independent school (who did not use the Child Care Subsidy System (CCSS)) on 1 August 2025.

Data collection methods: URL data collection methodology was employed for children and service providers.

The ACT Independent Preschool Collection is an annual collection with a reference period of 28 July to 8 August in 2025. Fortnightly data was converted to a one-week reference period to enable valid and reliable national comparisons.

The Directorate compiled, processed and validated the data before submitting it to the ABS in October 2025.

In 2025, the Directorate carried out validation of the 2025 data from each participating independent school. Service provider information for independent preschools in the ACT was provided by each school, either through this collection or via the CCSS.

This is the 13th year the data for ACT Independent preschools has been included in the National ECEC Collection. In previous years data has been collected from most ACT Independent schools who provide a preschool program, however from 2024 onwards only ACT independent schools who do not use the CCSS are included. Apart from this change, the data has been collected on a comparable basis to 2024. There were no deviations between the NECECC standards and data collected.

In line with the arrangement between the Australian Government Department of Education and the Directorate, attendance data for the 2025 NECECC has not been reported by the Directorate. Instead, attendance data can be sourced from the 2025 National Preschool Attendance Collection (NPAC). The ABS has assessed the quality of 2024 NPAC attendance data and determined it to be a suitable alternative for NECECC reporting.

In 2025, the data was collected by the Directorate directly from independent schools. All schools, with one exception, applied the same methodology as in previous years. One school transitioned to a new student administration system in 2025, resulting in a different methodology that may affect comparability with prior years. The Directorate worked with each participating independent school to collect the data and verify details.

Data sourced from the ACT Independent Preschool Collection for the 2025 National ECEC Collection is published as part of Preschool Education and Microdata: Preschool Education on the ABS website. 

The Directorate collected information contained in this report directly from independent schools. Further details are available from the Directorate website https://www.education.act.gov.au.

In 2025 the Catholic Education Office of the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn submission to the NECECC consisted of data from the ACT Catholic Preschool Collection.

The organisation responsible for the ACT Catholic Preschool Collection was The Catholic Education Office of the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn. Data for 2025 was collected under the Education Act 2004 (ACT), the Children and Young People Act 2008 (ACT), and the ACT Childcare Services Standards 2009.

Scope: The scope of the preschool component of the ACT Catholic Preschool Collection included all children between 4 and 5 years of age enrolled in a preschool program in a Catholic school. Children who were absent for more than 4 continuous school weeks prior to the census date were included if the Director received written documentation signed by the child's guardian indicating that the child would return to preschool.

Coverage: The 2025 ACT Catholic Preschool Collection included all primary Catholic schools delivering a preschool program or programs.

Data collection methods: The 2025 ACT Catholic Preschool Collection used a unit record level (URL) data collection methodology for children and service providers.

The ACT Catholic Preschool Collection is an annual collection and in 2025 was undertaken on 1 August, with a reference period of 28 July to 8 August 2025. Fortnightly data was converted to a one-week average to enable valid and reliable national comparisons.

Catholic Education compiled, processed and validated the data before submitting it to the ABS in October 2025.

In 2025 data was obtained from a point in time sweep of enrolment data stored in the ACT Catholic School system. Catholic Education carried out validation of 2025 data using data from Funnel used by preschools, along with consultation with Catholic Education personnel and service providers. Data from each Catholic school delivering a preschool was assessed by Catholic Education.

Indigenous students are identified at enrolment, through the enrolment form. The information is not mandatory. Data is collected and stored in the Xplor administration system.

The 2025 ACT Catholic Preschool Collection was the 13th time Catholic preschool data was included in the NECECC. An analysis of the coherence with other jurisdictional collections should be undertaken on an individual basis, considering any data elements that are not consistent with the NECECC standards. There were no deviations between the NECECC standards and data collected in the ACT Catholic Preschool Collection.

In line with the arrangement between the Australian Government Department of Education and the Catholic Education, attendance data for the 2025 NECECC has not been provided by the Catholic Education. Instead, attendance data can be sourced from the 2025 National Preschool Attendance Collection (NPAC). The ABS has assessed the quality of 2024 NPAC attendance data and determined it to be a suitable alternative for NECECC reporting.

In 2025, the data was collected by Funnel and Xplor systems, cross checked with personnel at Catholic Education and Centres. 

Data sourced from the ACT Catholic Preschool Collection are published as part of Preschool Education and Microdata: Preschool Education on the ABS website.

The information contained within this report has been provided by the Catholic Education Office in consultation with the ABS. Further information is available from the Catholic Education Office website https://cg.catholic.edu.au/ .

Children are included in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander counts if they are identified by a parent or guardian as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin. For further details refer to the jurisdictional data quality statements.

An estimate of the number of preschool program hours a child may have been enrolled/attending during the calendar year. It is calculated as a child's hours enrolled/attending in the reference week, multiplied by the number of weeks their service provider(s) operated in the calendar year.

For the purposes of NECECC, a child is defined as attending a preschool program if the child was enrolled and present for at least one hour during the reference period. Children who did not attend a preschool program during the reference period (e.g. children who were absent due to illness or extended holiday leave) are defined as not attending a preschool program. For further details refer to the jurisdictional data quality statements.

A child is defined as being enrolled if they were offered a place, formally enrolled or registered in the preschool program and:

• attended the preschool program for at least one hour during the reference period, or
• were absent during the reference period due to illness or extended holiday leave but were expected to return.

A child is defined as not being enrolled if they were absent during the reference period and not expected to return to the preschool program. 

An episode is the count of the occurrence of a specific characteristic. For example, a preschool episode refers to a preschool program provided to a child. When one child is enrolled in two different preschool programs, the child is enrolled in two episodes of preschool.

Estimated Resident Population is the official measure of the population of Australia and is based on the concept of usual residence. It refers to all people, regardless of nationality, citizenship or legal status, who usually live in Australia, with the exception of foreign diplomatic personnel and their families. It includes usual residents who are overseas for less than 12 months. It excludes overseas visitors who are in Australia for less than 12 months. Estimates of the Australian resident population by state and territory are generated on a quarterly basis by adding natural increase (the excess of births over deaths), Net Interstate Migration, and Net Overseas Migration occurring during the period to the population at the beginning of each period. Note that population figures included in this publication are preliminary and based on the 2021 Census. For more information, see the Methodology section of this publication, National, state and territory population and Regional Population by Age and Sex.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population projections included in this publication are based on the 2021 Census. For more information, see the Methodology section of this publication, Estimates and Projections, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.

Fees refer to the actual tuition fees charged for the child to attend a preschool program after subsidies have been deducted.

The IRSD used in this release was developed by the ABS and ranks areas in Australia according to most disadvantaged to least disadvantaged using variables from the 2021 Census of Population and Housing. A low score on this index indicates a high proportion of relatively disadvantaged people in an area. It cannot be concluded that an area with a very high score has a large proportion of relatively advantaged people, as there are no variables in the index to indicate this.

See Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

Preschool management type refers to the legal or social entity responsible for managing the delivery of a preschool program. The management type categories include the following:

Government managed

• state and territory and local government managed: Services that are managed by the state, territory or local government. Excludes state and territory government schools.
• state and territory government schools: Schools that are funded and managed by the respective state or territory government.

Non-government managed

• private not-for-profit - community managed: Services that are managed by organisations based in the community through a membership made up of community members (e.g. the parents). The membership elects a management committee and the committee is accountable to the membership. No profit is distributed to the management committee or the members, and any surplus funds are redirected to the service.
• private not-for-profit - other organisations: Services that are managed by non-profit organisations such as charity organisations, consortium of charity organisations and church groups. Excludes Independent and Catholic schools.
• private for-profit: Services provided or managed by a company or private individual.
• independent schools: Non-government schools that are governed, managed and accountable at the level of the individual school and are not affiliated with the diocesan Catholic Education Office.
• Catholic schools: Schools that are affiliated with the diocesan Catholic Education Office.
• other: Other services include employer sponsored services.

A preschool program is a structured, play-based learning program, delivered by a degree qualified teacher, aimed at children in the year or two before they commence full-time schooling. This is irrespective of the type of institution that provides it or whether it is government funded and/or privately provided. Preschool programs are often referred to by other terms such as early childhood education, early learning or kindergarten.

A degree qualified early childhood teacher who meets the requirements of the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care (the National Quality Framework). The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) publishes a list of approved and former approved early childhood teaching qualifications.

RAs divide Australia into broad geographic regions based on their relative access to services. They are based on the Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA) which measures the remoteness of a point based on the physical road distance to the nearest Urban Centre.

Sector is a classification derived from the service activity type and management type characteristics of service providers.

The service activity type is the main type of service available from, or provided by, a service provider. Service activity types include:

• Centre Based Day Care (CBDC): A centre based day care service is a centre based form of child care service providing all-day or part-time care for children (services may cater to specific groups within the general community). For-profit and not-for profit organisations, local councils, community organisations and employers may run these services. CBDC primarily provides services for children aged 0-5 years. Some CBDCs may also provide early childhood education and kindergarten programs and care for school children before and after school and during school holidays, where state and territory government regulations allow this. The service may operate from stand-alone or shared premises, including those on school grounds.
• Early childhood education program: Comprises services providing a structured, play-based learning program, aimed at children in the year or two before they commence full-time schooling. The terms most commonly used to describe early education programs in states and territories are:
   
  • Kindergarten – Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania
  • Kindergarten or Preschool – Victoria, South Australia
  • Preschool – New South Wales, Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory
     

SEIFA is a collection of four summary measures that have been created from 2021 Census information. The indexes can be used to explore different aspects of socio-economic conditions by geographic areas. The SEIFA index used in this publication is the IRSD. For more information on SEIFA, refer to the Methodology section of Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), Australia 2021.

The state-specific year before full-time schooling (YBFS) population is made up of an age range of children specific to each state based on that state’s preschool and school starting age provisions.

Unit record level data collections contain data for each individual statistical entity in a collection population.