Quality Early Education for All

% Developmentally vulnerable
Figure 8: Developmental vulnerability by preschool participation status
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
no preschool
preschool
10
5
0
1 2 3 4 5
SEIFA (Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas) Quintile
(1 = most disadvantaged, 5 = least disadvantaged)
Source: CCCH and TICHR, 2009
Measuring change over time
A number of changes have been observed in the seven years the AEDC has been in operation.
Improvements in language, communication and knowledge:
• The percentage of children developmentally vulnerable in the language and cognitive skills (school-based)
domain has fallen from 8.9 per cent to 6.5 per cent from 2009 to 2015.
• The percentage of children developmentally vulnerable on the communication skills and general knowledge
domain fell from 9.2 per cent to 8.5 per cent from 2009 to 2015.
Decreases in social and emotional wellbeing and physical health:
• Vulnerability in the physical health and wellbeing domain increased from 9.3 to 9.7 per cent from 2012–2015.
• Vulnerability on the social competence domain increased from 9.3 per cent in 2012 to 9.9 per cent on 2015.
• Vulnerability in emotional maturality increased from 7.6 per cent in 2012 to 8.4 per cent in 2015.
The improvement in the language and cognitive skills and communication skills and general knowledge domains is
welcomed, the commensurate decrease in other domains is cause for concern.
There is a widening divide between the most and the least disadvantaged communities (Figure 9).
• Over 15 per cent of children in the most disadvantaged quintile are developmentally vulnerable, an increase
from 13 per cent in 2009.
• Levels of developmental vulnerability in the least disadvantaged communities are just over 6 per cent.
Quality Early Education for All 29