Australian Early Development Index (AEDI)

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Australian Education Ministers' 2010 Biennial Forum

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The Australian Early Development Index, the AEDI, is a population based measure of children’s development prior to school. In 2009 the AEDI was completed nationally for the first time, collecting data on more than 260,000 children from communities across Australia. Together with other socio-demographic and community indicators the AEDI results are a powerful tool that can be used by the whole community, including Governments and schools, to influence planning and policy around early childhood development. In this way the AEDI results can help to ensure that children are better prepared for school, increasing the proportion of children that arrive at school ready and able to learn. The AEDI is being used by communities both prior to and at school, to inform early years policy and practice.

The AEDI results have provided an opportunity to bring people in the community together to look at the needs of our children and focus on how we can support them and prepare them for school. We’ve been able to focus on community results, look at the vulnerabilities of the children, and plan how best to support them.

Up here, cut up there, good girl.

By setting up the playgroup we’re hoping to lay the foundations for an effective transition to school program, and increase the engagement of children upon school entrying, by providing a language rich, play based program, by establishing home/school relationships at a early age, and by providing parenting support, friendship, encouragement and advice to them. The Northern Stars Playgroup is now self sufficient, having the support of the Principal and the Early Stage One Executive it will continue to be seen as a vital, extended transition program for that community. In terms of my role in the region, I’m using the AEDI data in my discussions with Principals and prior to school services to identify other transition to school strategies that address the identified vulnerabilities.

The Australian Early Development Index allows us a unique opportunity to examine early childhood development at a community level. In this community the AEDI has provided evidence to support the development of strategies and action plans in the early years, and also to provide a common language with which we can talk about the needs of young children. In undertaking the role of promoting and facilitating an understanding of the AEDI results, and their implications, we’ve used a range of strategies to engage key education staff. Senior education officers have all examined the results from the 2009 data capture. This has enabled them to look really closely at how the children within the local communities that they work in, have developed by the time they start full time school. In the first instance senior educational staff with regional responsibility for targeted programs were provided with a copy of the community results for their region early in 2010. Regional representatives were shown how to use and to interpret the AEDI data. An emphasis was placed on how the AEDI results could be used by schools as they planned supports and interventions for the children coming into school. School Principals and executive staff have also participated in workshops to deliver a greater understanding of the AEDI community results, and as well as that, their individual school profiles so that they can interpret the AEDI results and look at the similarities between their school profile and the broader community. Schools have been supported in using their school profile in an effort to find new ways of working together to improve outcomes for young children as they transition into school.

These examples demonstrate what a powerful tool the AEDI can be when used with other data for policy development, planning, and service delivery in the early years. They also highlight the value of collaborations between the various tiers of Government and the community to help children arrive at school ready and able to learn.

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