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SCOPE OF THE COLLECTION

The scope of the National Early Childhood Education and Care Collection (the Collection) consists of all service providers delivering a preschool program to children enrolled aged 3 to 6 (inclusive) during a reference period that includes the first Friday in August. See Chapter 2: Collection Overview for further information on the collection reference period.

For the Collection, a preschool program is defined as a structured, play based learning program, delivered by a degree qualified teacher, primarily aimed at children in the year or two before they commence full-time schooling. This is irrespective of the type of institution that provides it or whether it is government funded or privately provided. Programs may be delivered in a variety of service settings including separate preschools, kindergartens or long day care centres or in association with a school. Terminology and definitions for preschool programs vary considerably across the jurisdictions. Further information on jurisdictional terminology and other key definitions for the Collection can be found in Chapter 3: Concepts, Methods and Processes.

The Collection aims to compile service provider, child and worker statistics from all service providers delivering an in-scope preschool program. The following statistical entities are in-scope for the collection population:

SERVICE PROVIDER

A service provider is considered to be in-scope if it was providing a structured, play based learning program, delivered by a degree qualified teacher, aimed at children in the year or two before they commence full-time schooling (a preschool program) during the reference period.

CHILD

All children who as at 1 July in the collection year were between 3 and 6 years of age (inclusive) are in-scope of the collection if they were enrolled during the reference period in a preschool program. To be considered as enrolled, the child must have attended the preschool program for at least one hour during the reference period or be absent due to illness or extended holiday leave and expected to return.

WORKER

A worker is considered in-scope if the worker is a paid contact ECEC worker who has delivered, or assisted in delivering, a preschool program at an in-scope service provider during the reference period.