Target 3
By 2025, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children enrolled in Year Before Full time Schooling (YBFS) early childhood education to 95%.
Nationally in 2023, 101.8% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the Year Before Fulltime Schooling (YBFS) age cohort were enrolled in a preschool program (figure CtG3.1).
This is an increase from 76.7% in 2016 (the baseline year).
Note: these proportions should be used with caution. Please refer to the Target data specifications and the How to interpret the data page for more information.
Nationally, based on progress from the baseline, the target shows good improvement and is on track to be met. This assessment is provided with a high level of confidence. Please refer to the How to interpret the data page for more information.
The state and territory assessments below reflect progress from the baseline (improvement, worsening or no change). There are no state and territory targets. The Australia assessment reflects progress from the baseline towards the national target.
| NSW | Vic | Qld | WA | SA | Tas | ACT | NT | Aust | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment of progress 2016 to 2023 |  | | | | | | |  |  |
| Confidence level | High | High | High | High | High | High | High | High | High |
improvement 
no change worsening not applicable as required data not available. good improvement and target on track to be met (Aust only). 
improvement but target not on track to be met (Aust only).
Note: These assessments of progress are provided with a 'High' or 'Low' level of confidence. An assessment reported with a High level of confidence is considered to be more reliable than one reported with a Low level of confidence. Please see the 'How to interpret the data' page for more information.
Historical and ongoing target context
Enabling Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to participate in early childhood education and care is vital for supporting future development, helping children to be strong members of their families and communities (SNAICC 2022, 2024). Early childhood education supports cognitive development and social and emotional maturity and can improve children’s lifelong outcomes across health, education and wellbeing (Biddle and Bath 2013; Sims et al. 2011).
Over recent years, there has been significant progress in ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are enrolled in early childhood education. However, this socio-economic outcome goes beyond enrolment to require that education services are high quality and culturally appropriate. Access to culturally safe and responsive early childhood education is essential for the holistic development and identity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children (SNAICC 2022; SNAICC et al. 2023).
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child rearing practices emphasise the importance of cultural transmission, language acquisition and connection to Country and community from an early age. Education that aligns with these practices often encourages collectivism, autonomy, exploration, spirituality, and respect for Elders (Lohoar et al. 2014; SNAICC and Mason-White 2012).
Colonisation has had an ongoing and significant impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parenting practices and the education experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Historical policies of assimilation and the forcible removal of children from their families and communities over many decades, has led to intergenerational trauma and inequality (Malin and Maidment 2003). One aim of these historical government policies was to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people adopted the identity, values and behaviours of non-Indigenous people (ALRC 2010). Colonisation continues to manifest in current school curriculums and approaches to education, affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student engagement (Brown 2019).
Socio-economic outcome three recognises the strengths of promoting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander connection to family, culture and identity in early childhood education. Factors that increase access, availability and affordability of high quality, culturally appropriate education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children include:
- Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledges and identities into all education services through connecting with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders, communities, organisations and culture to continue cultural practices of child rearing and language (PC 2022; SNAICC and Mason-White 2012).
- Prioritising investment in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled Organisations, and support for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce to use their knowledges and expertise to deliver nurturing and culturally safe environments and education services (SNAICC 2023, 2024; SNAICC et al. 2023; VACCA 2021).
References
ALRC (Australian Law Reform Commission) 2010, Changing Policies Towards Aboriginal People , ALRC, https://www.alrc.gov.au/publication/recognition-of-aboriginal-customary-laws-alrc-report-31/3-aboriginal-societies-the-experience-of-contact/changing-policies-towards-aboriginal-people (accessed 21 February 2024).
Biddle, N and Bath, J 2013, CAEPR Indigenous Population Project - 2011 Census Papers , Education Part 1: Early childhood education, Paper 7, https://caepr.cass.anu.edu.au/sites/default/files/docs/2011CensusPaper07_Education_Part1_Web_1.pdf (accessed 2 April 2024).
Brown, L 2019, ‘Indigenous young people, disadvantage and the violence of settler colonial education policy and curriculum’, SAGE Publications Ltd, Journal of Sociology , vol. 55, no. 1, pp. 54–71.
Lohoar, S, Butera, N and Kennedy, E 2014, ‘Strengths of Australian Aboriginal cultural practices in family life and child rearing’, Child Family Community Australia , vol. Paper No. 25.
Malin, M and Maidment, D 2003, ‘Education, Indigenous Survival and Well-Being: Emerging Ideas and Programs’, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit, Santa Lucia, Australia, The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education , vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 85–100.
PC (Productivity Commission) 2022, ‘Review of the National School Reform Agreement’, Study Report, Canberra, December, 2022.
Turner, A, Wilson, K and Wilks, J 2017, ‘Aboriginal Community Engagement in Primary Schooling: Promoting Learning through a Cross-Cultural Lens’, Australian Journal of Teacher Education, vol. 42, no. 11, pp. 96–116, (.
Sims, M 2011, Early childhood education services for Indigenous children prior to starting school , Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and Australian Institute of Family Studies, https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/c091cf6b-c4ca-4e36-ac61-25150b0b92b9/ctgc-rs07.pdf (accessed 12 February 2024).
SNAICC 2022, ‘Aboriginal Cultural Safety Framework for Early Childhood Education’.
—— 2023, SNAICC Submission on the Review of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap Draft Report.
—— 2024, Funding Model Options for ACCO Integrated Early Years Services.
——, Family Matters Leadership Group, Monash University, and University of Technology Sydney 2023, Family Matters Report 2023.
—— and Mason-White, H 2012, Learning from Good Practice: Implementing the Early Years Learning Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children , https://www.snaicc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/02902.pdf (accessed 14 March 2024).
VACCA (Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency) 2021, Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency’s Submission to Victoria’s Draft 30-year Infrastructure Strategy.
Disaggregations
Data tables appear under figures
By sex
Nationally in 2023, a similar proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander boys in the state-specific YBFS age cohort (102.6%) compared to girls (100.9%) were enrolled in a preschool program (figure CtG3.2). The proportions have increased at a similar rate for boys and girls since the 2016 baseline year.
By remoteness area
Nationally in 2021, the rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged in the state-specific YBFS age cohort who were enrolled in a preschool program, per 100 children aged four years in the community, were highest in outer regional areas and remote areas. The rates have increased across all remoteness areas since the 2016 baseline year (figure CtG3.3).
(State and territory rates, by remoteness area, are available for 2016 and 2021 only.)
By Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage (IRSD) quintile
Nationally in 2021, the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged in the state-specific YBFS age cohort who were enrolled in a preschool program, per 100 children aged four years in the community, was highest in the second least and least disadvantaged socio‑economic areas of Australia (102.4 and 90.5 per 100 children, respectively). The enrolment rates have increased across all socio-economic areas since the 2016 baseline year, other than for the least disadvantaged areas (where the rate is similar to 2016) (figure CtG3.4).
(National rates, by IRSD, are available for 2016 and 2021 only.)
By disability status
In 2023, the rates of disability were higher for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children enrolled in a state and territory government-funded preschool program in the YBFS, than for non-Indigenous children, across the states and territories for which data was available (table CtG3A.9).
Target data specifications
Outcome: | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are engaged in high quality, culturally appropriate early childhood education in their early years. |
|---|---|
Target: | By 2025, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children enrolled in Year Before Full‑time Schooling (YBFS) early childhood education to 95%. |
Indicator: | The proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the state‑specific YBFS age cohort who are enrolled in a preschool program. |
Measure: | This measure is defined as: Numerator – the estimated number of children in the state-specific YBFS age cohort enrolled in a preschool program Denominator – the estimated number of children in the state-specific YBFS potential population and is presented as a percentage. |
Target established: | National Agreement on Closing the Gap July 2020 |
Latest dashboard update: | 31 July 2024 |
Indicator type: | Target |
Interpretation of change: | A high or increasing proportion is desirable. |
Data source(s): | Name (numerator): Preschool Education, Australia Frequency: Annual Name (denominator): Estimates and Projections for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population (revised 2021 data by remoteness and socio‑economic status in the July 2024 dashboard update). Frequency: Annual Documentation (links): https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/education/preschool-education-australia (The data source for children with disability are State and Territory government department collections.) |
Data provider: | Provider name: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Provider area: Preschool education (Demography for population data for remoteness area and socio‑economic status). The data for children with disability is provided by State and Territory government departments. |
Baseline year: | 2016 This is an existing National Indigenous Reform Agreement (NIRA) target. While the official baseline for this target is 2015, data are only comparable from 2016 onwards (see Data quality considerations). |
Latest reporting period: | 2023 (2021 for disaggregations by remoteness and by Index of Relative Socio‑economic Disadvantage (IRSD) quintile) |
Target year: | 2025 |
Disaggregations: | State and territory and Australia, by Indigenous status. State and territory and Australia, by Indigenous status, by sex. State and territory and Australia, by Indigenous status, by remoteness area. State and territory and Australia, by Indigenous status, by IRSD quintile. State and territory and Australia, by Indigenous status, children with disability. |
Computation: | Numerator divided by Denominator multiplied by 100. For remoteness and socio‑economic status, data on the number of children in the YBFS cohort is not available and therefore the four‑year‑old population is used as a proxy to calculate rates. Counting rules The state-specific YBFS age cohort is an estimate of a single year cohort for the population that will transition to full‑time schooling in the following year. The state‑specific YBFS definition uses the preschool and school age entry provisions of the state or territory in which the child usually resides. See Preschool Education, Australia methodology (http://www.abs.gov.au/methodologies/preschool-education-australia-methodology/) Numerator (all):
Numerator (Indigenous status, sex):
Numerator (disability):
Denominator (Indigenous status, sex):
Denominator (remoteness and socio‑economic status)
Disaggregations:
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Data quality considerations: | Data for Preschool Education, Australia is collected through the National Early Childhood Education and Care Collection (NECECC). The data is not fully comparable over time, or across jurisdictions, due to differences and changes in coverage and methodologies. See Preschool Education, Australia methodology (http://www.abs.gov.au/methodologies/preschool-education-australia-methodology/) for a description of the data collection methodologies and quality declarations. Enrolment proportions may exceed 100% for some areas due to the numerator and denominator being from different sources. The dashboard uses an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population denominator based on ABS projections from the 2016 Census for selected indicators. These projections are the best available data, however they underestimate the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the years after the 2016 Census (compared to the 2021 Census‑based population estimates). As a consequence, proportions for this indicator are overestimated from 2017. The data on the dashboard will be revised following the release of 2021 Census‑based population projections by the ABS. Please refer to the How to interpret the data page for more information. Data values have been randomly adjusted using perturbation to avoid the release of confidential data. Discrepancies may occur between sums of the component items and totals. Methods for the identification of Indigenous status vary by jurisdiction. For data supplied via the Australian Government's child care subsidy system (CCSS), children of families who choose not to identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander are classified as ‘non-Indigenous’ rather than ‘unknown/not stated’. Nationally in 2023, YBFS preschool enrolments with a ‘not stated’ Indigenous status were 0.4% of all YBFS preschool enrolments. (South Australia had the largest proportion with 4.4%, followed by Tasmania with 2.8%.) From 2018, and previously from 2016, the ABS improved the approach to data linkage in the NECECC. Improvements were made to the way records were linked (when representing the same child), within data provided by a jurisdiction, or across centre based day care data provided by both the Australian Government and state and territory governments. These changes reduced over‑counts of children enrolled in a preschool program. The calculation of preschool enrolment rates for this indicator differs to the calculations used for reporting under the Preschool Reform Agreement (PRA) and the annual Report on Government Services (RoGS). The calculations reported for the PRA do not restrict to the year before full‑time schooling, and the RoGS does not prorate for unknown Indigenous status. The data on preschool enrolments does not necessarily reflect whether a child regularly attends the preschool program. Tasmania and the Australia Capital Territory have relatively small Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations compared to the other states and territories which means year-to-year variability in single year of age populations may be more pronounced. This may result in year-to-year variability of the rate of preschool enrolment in these jurisdictions and should be used with caution. Please see the How to interpret the data page for more information. In 2023, South Australia introduced a mid-year intake to their preschool policy, which will be factored into future reporting as data is available. Disaggregations:
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Future reporting: | Future reporting will seek to include the following additional disaggregations:
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Supporting indicators
Contextual information
Material for download
- Children are engaged in high quality, culturally appropriate early childhood education in their early years data tables (XLSX - 111 Kb)
- Children are engaged in high quality, culturally appropriate early childhood education in their early years dataset (CSV - 269 Kb)
To assist with interpretation of the data provided (Excel data tables and CSV dataset) please refer to the target data specification (above) and the indicator data specifications (provided in each supporting indicator page – linked above).