FILE STRUCTURE

The microdata in TableBuilder is structured as a single-level file that counts children. The microdata in the DataLab has two single-level files, containing records for children and preschool program episodes.

In TableBuilder, children enrolled in and attending preschool programs can disaggregated by:

· Summation options, which includes: Fees per week – continuous, Fees per hour – continuous, Hours enrolled per week – continuous, Hours attended per week – continuous, and a state-specific Year Before Full-time Schooling (YBFS) estimate.
· Child information, which includes: Sex, Age, Child’s month and year of birth, Indigenous Status, Fees per week – categorical, Fees per hour – categorical, Annualised hours enrolled, Annualised hours attended, Maximum hours available per year at one provider, Child aged 4-5 excluding 5 year old repeaters (original YBFS) and Child in state-specific YBFS provision.
· Child geography, derived from the child’s usual place of residence, which includes: Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage (IRSD) (Australia and State), Remoteness Area and State/Territory.
· Service provider details, which includes: State/territory of the main provider, Service delivery setting, Remoteness Area, Sector and Provider funding overview.

The microdata in the DataLab contains the above data items and additional data items, both for the records of children and preschool program episodes.

Complete data item lists for TableBuilder and the DataLab can be accessed from the Downloads tab. These contain details for each data item including the full output classification and any special codes used.

STATE-SPECIFIC YEAR BEFORE FULL-TIME SCHOOLING (YBFS) DATA ITEMS

In 2016, a new state-specific YBFS definition was researched and developed to better reflect the YBFS concept needed for national reports by government. This new state-specific YBFS definition uses the preschool and school age entry provisions of the state or territory in which the child usually resides. This improves on previous definitions by accounting for the differences across Australia in the age at which children are to be enrolled in school.

For a detailed explanation of the new state-specific YBFS definition please see Appendix 4 – State-specific year before full time schooling of Preschool Education, Australia, 2016 (cat. no. 4240.0). The microdata in TableBuilder and the DataLab contains two new data items calculated for the new state-specific YBFS definition. The 'State-specific YBFS estimate' data item is a count of children in the state-specific YBFS age cohorts after adjustment factors have been applied for both New South Wales and Victoria as explained in the Appendix. The data item 'Child in state-specific YBFS provision' is a count of children in the state-specific YBFS age cohorts without any adjustments.

The data item for the original YBFS definition used prior to 2016 is also available in the microdata in TableBuilder and the DataLab, and has been renamed to 'Child aged 4-5, excluding 5 year old repeaters'.