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15/12/2009 Note: This article was updated Tuesday 15 December, 2009 to incorporate corrections relating to the usual weekly cost for preschool education for NSW and WA.
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION The early childhood years represent a series of transitions for children as they participate in a variety of educational and care settings prior to entry into formal schooling. (Endnote 3) In 2008, there were over three-quarters of a million children aged 3–5 years in Australia. Depending on age, these children could start school or attend preschool or preschool programs in long day care. In 2008, around 395,000 children aged 3–5 years attended preschool or a preschool program in long day care, which was equivalent to 50% of all children this age. A further 30% attended school, while 20% of children did not attend preschool (in either setting) or school. CHILDREN AGED 3-5 YEARS, EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION - 2008 (a) Preschool includes children who usually attend preschool or a preschool program in long day care. Source: Childhood Education and Care, Australia, June 2008 (ABS cat. no. 4402.0) PRESCHOOL ATTENDANCE Preschool programs aim to provide early educational activities specifically to help children prepare for school. (Endnote 3) In 2008, 72% of children aged 3–5 years who were not attending school, usually attended a preschool or preschool program in long day care. Attendance at preschool was most common for children in the year prior to school age, with 85% of children aged 4 years attending, compared with around 57% of 3 year olds. This indicates, in part, that many parents still believe in the beneficial role of preschool before the start of formal primary school education. Of those children who usually attended some form of preschool, 59% usually attended preschool only, 32% usually attended a preschool program in long day care, and the remaining 9% attended a preschool program in both settings. CHILDREN AGED 3-5 YEARS WHO USUALLY ATTENDED PRESCHOOL OR A PRESCHOOL PROGRAM - 2008 (a) The estimate for children aged 5 years attending both preschool and long day care with a preschool program has a relative standard error greater than 50% and is considered too unreliable for general use. (b) The estimate for children aged 5 years attending long day care with a preschool program has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution. Source: Childhood Education and Care, Australia, June 2008 (ABS cat. no. 4402.0)
HOURS OF ATTENDANCE AND COST TO PARENTS In 2008, information collected on the hours and cost of attendance for children attending long day care did not separately identify either hours of participation in a preschool program in long day care, nor any separate costs for participating in those programs. For more information see Childhood Education and Care, Australia, June 2008 (ABS cat. no. 4402.0). The following sections therefore look at attendance at designated preschools only. Of the 268,000 children who usually attended preschool in 2008, 30% attended for less than 10 hours per week, close to half (47%) attended for between 10–14 hours per week, while 23% attended for 15 hours or more per week. In terms of cost to parents, (taking into account the Child Care Benefit (CCB) and Child Care Tax Rebate (CCTR) entitlements) just over a third (34%) of all children who attended preschool had costs of $19 or less per week, while 28% of children had a usual weekly cost of $20–$59, with a further 24% of children in the highest cost bracket ($60 or more) per week. What type of preschools are children attending? For those children aged 3–5 years who usually attended preschool in 2008, 50% were enrolled in government preschools, while 43% of children attended non-government preschools. Around 7% of parents did not know what type of preschool their child attended. Children attending non-government preschools were more likely to have higher costs associated with preschool learning, compared with those children attending government preschools. Higher costs at non-government preschools are due, in part, to higher hourly rates and longer attendance hours per week. In 2008, 44% of parents who sent their child to a non-government preschool were paying $60 or more a week, compared with only 7% of parents who sent their child to a government preschool. Children who were attending non-government preschools were more likely to attend for 15 hours or more a week (34%) compared with children who attended government preschools (11%). Why choose that particular preschool? For many parents, the decision to send their child to a particular preschool was based on two important factors, the proximity of the preschool to home and the quality of education and care provided at the preschool. In 2008, 37% of parents who chose a government run preschool said the main reason they chose it was the convenience of having a preschool close to home, while a further 17% of parents considered the reputation and quality of the education program to be the main reason why they chose the government run preschool. For parents who sent their children to a non-government preschool, these two influencing factors were more equally aligned. One third (33%) said the main reason for choosing their preschool was the reputation of the education program, while 27% of parents said the proximity of the preschool to the family home was main reason for choosing their preschool. Geographical location Children living in the major cities of Australia were more likely to attend preschool for more hours per week (28% attending for 15 hours or more) and also were more likely to pay $60 or more (31%) for preschool education per week than children living in outer regional or remote parts of Australia (20% and 8% respectively). Among the states and territories, 49% of all children who attended preschool in New South Wales incurred a cost of $60 or more per week. This compares with only 4% of children in Western Australia, who had a weekly cost of $60 or more for preschool attendance. The cost difference between the two states is largely due to a higher proportion of children attending non-government preschools in New South Wales (62%) compared with Western Australia (22%). CHILDREN AGED 3-5 YEARS WHO USUALLY ATTENDED PRESCHOOL, USUAL WEEKLY HOURS AND COST OF CARE, BY SELECTED CHARACTERISTICS - 2008(a)
REASONS FOR NOT ATTENDING PRESCHOOL Around 155,200 (or 28%) of children aged 3–5 years, who were not attending school, did not usually attend a preschool or preschool program in 2008. The main reason given by around one-third of parents (36%) who did not send their child to preschool, was that they were not working and preferred to look after their child. Others felt that their child was too young/too old (8%) or that they preferred another form of care (8%). A further 7% of parents felt that the cost of preschool education was too expensive. PRESCHOOL ATTENDANCE: SOCIOECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS The National Partnership Agreement on Early Childhood Education aims to provide all children with access to affordable, quality education in the year before formal schooling. In particular, it aims to increase the proportion of disadvantaged children enrolled in preschool programs. (Endnote 1) In the areas of greatest relative disadvantage, 60% of children 3–5 years not attending school, usually attended preschool or a preschool program compared with almost 80% of children from areas with the lowest relative disadvantage. Children who spoke English as their main language at home were also more likely to attend preschool or a preschool program in long day care. Of those children who spoke English at home, 73% attended preschool or a preschool program, compared with 60% of children who spoke a language other than English at home. Educational attainment of parents Preschool participation rates (in either setting) varied according to the highest level of parental education. The participation rates varied more for mothers than they did for fathers, indicating, in part, that the education level of mothers influences preschool attendance rates to a greater extent than the education levels of fathers. The participation of children, aged 3–5 years, at preschool or a preschool program was highest for those children whose mother or father held a Bachelor Degree or above (79% and 78% respectively) while rates fell to 67% and 71% respectively, for those whose mother or father did not complete Year 12. The educational attainment of parents is also shown to have a positive influence on the educational achievement of children. This is examined in the article: Australian Social Trends, June 2009, 'Student achievement in maths and science.' Household composition and parental labour force status A high quality and accessible early childhood education and care sector provides support and choice for families who need to balance work and family life.2 For many families with young children, the need to re-enter or continue workforce participation, in turn creates a demand for the educational needs of the child to be addressed through formal early childhood education. In 2008, for couple families, 72% of children aged 3–5 years usually attended either a preschool or a preschool program, compared with 66% of children in one-parent families. The likelihood of children attending preschool increased if at least one parent was employed full-time. Those children in couple households where one parent was employed full-time and one parent was employed part-time were more likely to attend preschool or a preschool program (79%) than if one parent was employed part-time and the other parent was not employed, or neither parent was employed (57%). For one-parent families, the story was similar. Children who had an employed parent had higher attendance rates at preschool (74%) compared with children who did not have an employed parent (61%). Children in couple families were also more likely to attend preschool or a preschool program if the parents earned $2000 or more per week (79%) compared with couple families earning less than $800 per week (66%). For one-parent families the weekly income of the parent did not influence preschool attendance rates (in either setting) with around 65% of children (across all three income ranges) attending.
PROPORTION OF PARENTS WHO ACTIVELY ENGAGE WITH THEIR CHILDREN IN SELECTED ACTIVITIES Source: Childhood Education and Care, Australia, June 2008 (ABS cat. no. 4402.0) ARE PARENTS ADVISED OF THEIR CHILD'S PROGRESS AT PRESCHOOL? Receiving a good education is crucial in the early years of a child's life. Research suggests that a range of educational experiences in the first decade of a child's life plays a crucial role in brain development and school readiness. (Endnote 5) It is important, therefore, that parents know how their child is progressing at preschool and if there are any learning difficulties that may continue into the future. Most parents (around 86%) whose child attended preschool or a preschool program, felt satisfied that the preschool teacher was informing them very well or well in terms of their child's learning progress. Around 12% of parents felt that they were not well informed or that they were not informed at all of their child's progress at preschool. CHILDREN'S ADJUSTMENT TO SCHOOL The latest Childhood Education and Care survey results show that if a child attends preschool or a preschool program in the year prior to school, then they are more likely to be better adjusted to school than if they did not attend a preschool or a preschool program. In 2008, around 1 million children aged 4–8 years attended school. Of those children who had usually attended preschool and preschool programs in the year prior to school, parents reported that 94% had made a good adjustment to school compared with 88% of children who did not attend either preschool or a preschool program in the prior year.
ENDNOTES 1. Council of Australian Governments (COAG), 2009, National Partnership Agreement on Early Childhood Education, viewed 25 September 2009, <www.coag.gov.au>. 2. Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, 2009, Regulation Impact Statement for Early Childhood Education and Care Quality Reforms July 2009, viewed 21 September 2009, <www.deewr.gov.au>. 3. Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2008, Information Paper, Early Childhood Learning and Care: Data sources, gaps and opportunities, ABS, Canberra. 4. Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations2009, National Partnership Agreement on Early Childhood Education, viewed 16 October 2009, <www.deewr.gov.au>. 5. Shore, R. Rethinking the Brain: New Insights into Early Development, 1997, Family and Work Institute, New York, viewed 16 October 2009, <www.umext.maine.edu>. HAVE YOUR SAY Articles in Australian Social Trends are designed to provide an overview of a current social issue. We aim to present an interesting and easy-to-read story, balanced with appropriate statistics. The articles are written as a starting point or summary of the issues, for a wide audience including policy makers, researchers, journalists and people who just want to have a better understanding of a topic. For people who need further information, we provide references to other useful and more detailed sources. Tell us if we are achieving this aim by emailing social.reporting@abs.gov.au Please direct all statistical enquiries to the National Information and Referral Services (NIRS) by emailing client.services@abs.gov.au Document Selection These documents will be presented in a new window.
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