Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth Peter Garrett visited the Mount Rogers Early Links to Learning Playgroup in Canberra to launch the second data collection for the Australian Early Development Index (AEDI).

 

More than 7500 government and non-government schools across Australia are expected to participate in the second national study into young children. This national approach, which is a world first initiative, will provide insights into the development of children as they start school.

 

Director of the Centre for Community Child Health Professor Frank Oberklaid said the 2012-14 index was the second delivery of the AEDI following the first collection in 2009 and an opportunity to build a more detailed picture of children’s development in communities.

 

“While the 2012-14 AEDI is the second delivery of the index, it will be the first set of comparative data results. This will not only provide a greater understanding of current conditions within communities but also emerging trends,” Professor Oberklaid said.

 

This is Australia’s, and the world’s, most comprehensive collection of information on the development of children as they start school. This information will enable communities and governments to understand what is working well and what may need to change to better support families.

 

The AEDI measures five key areas of young children’s development: physical health and wellbeing, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive skills, and communication skills and general knowledge.

 

Data on children in their first year of full-time school will be collected on an ongoing basis every three years and will help ensure governments and communities continue to have the information they need to make a difference to the lives of young children and their families.