REASONS A CHILD COULD BE ENROLLED IN AND ATTENDING MULTIPLE PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS

For the National ECEC Collection a child could be enrolled in and attending multiple preschool programs. Below is a summary of the different ways that a child could be included more than once in the National ECEC Collection.

Across data collections

When children move interstate during the reference period, they may still be on the enrolment list of their former preschool as well as on the enrolment list of their new preschool. In this situation, the child would be recorded legitimately in both jurisdictional data sets. In the 2012 collection this occurrence is significantly reduced, due to the alignment of collection reference periods for each jurisdiction. In 2012 the collection did not include any further reconciliation processes to manage this occurrence further.

Cross border movements

Where a child is enrolled in and attending two or more preschools in two separate jurisdictions (e.g. NSW and ACT), the child would be recorded in two different jurisdictional data sets. This could occur when a family uses a mixed preschool program delivery model that is located within different states/territories. Refer to figure 3.4.




This is an instance where a child is enrolled in and attending two preschools and therefore this child would be included in both jurisdictional collections.

Within a sector

Where a child is enrolled in and attending two or more preschool programs within a sector, the child would be recorded for each enrolment within a jurisdictional data set. This could occur because a child’s family has decided to use two or more non-government services, two or more government services, or two or more LDCs, reflecting work life arrangements, or to increase their child’s preschool attendance hours. Refer to figure 3.5.



When jurisdictions can collect data using a URL methodology and a child/client database and/or SLK is available, these records could be linked to produce a unique child record. Although this is an instance where a child is enrolled in and attending two preschools, this child should only be counted once within ‘Counts of Children’.

Across sectors

Where a child is enrolled in and attending two or more preschool programs across sectors the child would be recorded for each enrolment within a jurisdictional data set. This may occur because a child’s family has chosen to use a combination of government preschool, non-government preschool or preschool in a LDC, reflecting work life arrangements, or to increase their child’s preschool attendance hours. Refer to figure 3.6.




When jurisdictions can collect data using a Unit Record Level (URL) methodology and a child/client database and/or SLK is available, these records could be linked and combined to produce a unique child record. Although this is an instance where a child is enrolled in and attending two preschools, this child should only be counted once when counting numbers of children enrolled in and attending preschool.

Across time

Where a child attends preschool for more than one year (e.g. a child who was enrolled in an 'early entry' preschool program) the child would be recorded in a jurisdictional data set over two years. Refer to figure 3.7.




When jurisdictions have collected data using a URL methodology for at least two years with a repeater flag and a child/client database and/or SLK is available, these records could be linked to create a unique child record. This child would be counted in both years when counting the number of children enrolled in and attending preschool in 2012 and 2013, however, the child would only be counted once (in the 2012 count) when counting the number of children enrolled in and attending preschool in the YBFS.


SERVICE PROVIDER

For the purposes of the National ECEC Collection, a service provider is defined as an organisation that directly provides child care and/or educational services to children at a specific geographical location. These services could include LDC, stand-alone preschool, occasional care, outside of school hours care and vacation care services. Providers may offer multiple services within a single geographical location, however, for the purposes of the National ECEC Collection, only service providers delivering preschool programs are considered in-scope.

A service provider may deliver multiple preschool programs from the same premises. Due to legislative requirements in some jurisdictions, separate licences may be issued for each preschool program that a service provider is authorised to deliver, even though those programs are delivered from the one location. For the purposes of the National ECEC Collection, this would be considered as a single service provider delivering multiple preschool programs.

There are also instances where two unrelated service providers can operate from the same location. An example of this is a LDC with a preschool program that is located in the grounds of a school, and that school also operates a preschool program; however each provider has different management types. For the purposes of the National ECEC Collection, these would be considered as separate service providers delivering separate preschool programs irrespective of implied or perceived service integration.

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