GLOSSARY

Administrative data

Administrative data is information recorded in administrative records, systems or reports, primarily collected for the purpose of record-keeping.

Aggregate data

Refers to data where units are grouped together and summed into broader categories. Jurisdictions collect and report data for the National ECEC Collection through either an aggregate or Unit Record Level (URL) collection. In terms of the National ECEC Collection, a jurisdictional aggregate collection contains data at the teacher and service provider organisation level.

Attendance

For the purposes of the National ECEC Collection, a child is considered to be attending if they are enrolled and have attended the preschool program at least once in the reference period.

Australian Standard Geographical Classification

The Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) was developed by the ABS for the collection and dissemination of geographical statistics. It is a hierarchically structured classification with a number of spatial units to satisfy different statistical purposes. For more information see Australian Standard Geographical Classification (cat. no. 1216.0). The ASGC will be replaced by the Australian Statistical Geographic Standard (ASGS) in July 2011. More information can be found on the ABS website <https://www.abs.gov.au/>.

Child Care Management System

The Child Care Management System (CCMS) is a national child care computer system that enables child care services to exchange child care information online with the government. It enables the payment of the Child Care Benefit (CCB) and Child Care Rebate (CCR) fee reduction on behalf of parents to approved child care services. It also provides for the collection of information about the supply and usage of child care across Australia.

Child Care Benefit: Child Care Benefit (CCB) is a payment made to eligible parents or guardians, to assist with the cost of child care for long day care, family day care, occasional care, outside school hours care, vacation care and registered care. Eligibility is based on an income and eligibility test.

Child Care Rebate: Child Care Rebate (CCR) is a payment available to eligible parents or guardians, who are working or studying, to assist with the out-of-pocket cost of approved child care services.

Collection district

The smallest geographic area defined in the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC). Collection districts (CDs) serve as the basic building block in the ASGC and are used for the aggregation of statistics to larger ASGC areas, and some non-ASGC areas.

Collection date

The recommended collection date is the common date to collect data. For the 2010 National ECEC Collection, this was the Friday 6 August however, not all jurisdictions were able to comply with this collection date. See Chapter 2, Collection Overview for more information on jurisdictional specific collection dates. For future National ECEC collections, the collection date will continue to be the first Friday in August.

Council of Australian Governments

Council of Australian Governments (COAG) is the peak intergovernmental forum in Australia, comprising the Prime Minister, State Premiers, Territory Chief Ministers and the President of the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA). The role of COAG is to initiate, develop and monitor the implementation of policy reforms that are of national significance and which require cooperative action by Australian governments.

Counting rule

Counting rules aim to ensure consistency and comparability of data. The rules contained within this manual provide instructions at the jurisdictional level on the acceptable method for collecting and reporting each data element.

Coverage

Coverage explains the extent to which the scope is complete.

Data element

A unit of data for which the definition, identification, representation and permissible values are specified by at least one or more data items. Data elements for the National ECEC Collection are detailed within the National Minimum Data Set for Early Childhood Education and Care (NMDS ECEC).

Data item

A particular characteristic of units in a population which is measured or observed. For the National ECEC Collection data items have been adopted by the ABS where appropriate for conducting the collection and for processing activities.

Data processing

The preparation of data for analysis. Data processing involves five steps: data coding, data input, data editing, data cleaning and data modification.

Data validation

A method of confirming the reliability of data through a checking process, to ensure that the data is free of systematic error. A validation study compares data collected using a collection instrument with data considered to represent the "true value" of the data.

Delivery setting

The type of setting in which children's service activities are provided or could be provided by a service provider, as defined within the NMDS ECEC, 2010:

Centre-based (school): refers to child care or preschool services delivered on school grounds, using school facilities.

Centre-based (other): refers to a purpose built building or buildings where a child care or preschool service is delivered and the primary function of the building is non-residential eg. a child care or dedicated preschool.

Home-based (child's home): child's home, refers to a private residential dwelling where the child lives.

Home-based (other): refers to a private residential dwelling where a child care or preschool service is delivered by someone other than the child's parents, carers or guardians.

General community setting: refers to child care or preschool services delivered at a general community infrastructure facility.

Early Childhood Education and Care National Minimum Data Set

ECEC National Minimum Data Set (NMDS) is the document of agreed standards, definitions, classifications and protocols required for nationally comparable ECEC data. Entities within the NMDS are at the following levels:

Person/ child: refers to the person or child receiving the preschool service.

Person/ teacher: see definition for teacher below.

Service provider organisation: refers to the service provider that delivers the preschool program.

Episode of enrolment/attending a preschool program

An episode is the count of the occurrence of a specific characteristic. For the National ECEC Collection, an episode refers to a preschool program provided to a child. When one child attends two different preschool programs, the child is attending two episodes of preschool.

Enrolment

A child is considered to be enrolled if they have been offered a place in a preschool program and are actively attending. Children who are absent in the reference period due to illness or holiday leave are considered to be enrolled if they are expected to return.

Estimated resident population

The estimated resident population (ERP) is the official measure of the population of Australia and is based on the concept of usual residence. It refers to all people, regardless of nationality, citizenship or legal status, who usually live in Australia, with the exception of foreign diplomatic personnel and their families. It includes usual residents who are overseas for less than 12 months. It excludes overseas visitors who are in Australia for less than 12 months.

Estimates of the Australian resident population are generated on a quarterly basis by adding natural increase (the excess of births over deaths) and net overseas migration (NOM) occurring during the period to the population at the beginning of each period. For more information, see ABS Australian Demographic Statistics (cat. no. 3101.0).

Fees

Fees refer to the 'out of pocket' expenses to the parent or guardian for the child to attend the preschool program, after subsidies have been paid/received.

Indigenous status

For the purpose of the National ECEC Collection, the Indigenous status of the child is as identified or stated by the child's parent or guardian. The Indigenous status categories included in the National ECEC collection are as follows:

Indigenous:

• Aboriginal, but not Torres Strait Islander origin;
• Torres Strait Islander, but not Aboriginal origin;
• Both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin;

Non-Indigenous:

• Neither Aboriginal nor Torres Strait Islander origin.

Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction is defined for the National ECEC Collection as Commonwealth Government or a state and territory within Australia.

Licensed service providers

Service providers that have been issued with a license by the relevant department or authority which grants legal approval or accreditation to operate their service or a particular component of their service, such as a preschool program or child care centre.

Management type

The preschool management type refers to the legal or social entity responsible for managing the service. Data presented from the National ECEC Collection is based on ECEC NMDS categories, which include government managed, community managed, independent, private-for-profit or other. Early childhood services may be provided by a number of legal and social entities. The management type categories used in the National ECEC Collection are:

Government managed

Government managed: includes Commonwealth, state, territory governments and local government managed services.

Non-government managed

Community managed: includes not-for-profit services provided or managed by parents, churches or co-operatives.
Private for profit managed: includes for-profit services provided or managed by a company or private individual.
Independent school managed: a non-government school which is governed, managed and accountable at the level of the individual school.

Metadata Online Registry (METeOR)

Metadata Online Registry (METeOR) is an online repository for national metadata standards for health, housing and community services statistics and information. It is the resource which holds all NMDS data elements and associated metadata.

Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs

The Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA) was established on 1 July 2009 following agreement of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) to a realignment of the roles and responsibilities of two previously existing councils - the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) and the Ministerial Council for Vocational and Technical Education (MCVTE). Main areas of responsibility covered by the Council are primary, secondary, international and early childhood education. For more information see the MCEECDYA website: <http://www.mceecdya.edu.au>.

Performance indicator

A measurement indicator used to assess the progress of the National Partnership on Early Childhood Education (NP ECE) and calculated using ECEC data. Performance Indicators relating to the NP ECE are further described in detail in Chapter 6, Collection Background and Governance.

Preschool program

A preschool program is a structured, play-based learning program, usually provided by a qualified teacher on a sessional basis, primarily aimed at children in the year or two before they commence full-time schooling. This is irrespective of the type of institutions that provide it or whether it is government funded or privately provided. Depending on jurisdictional delivery models, preschool programs may be delivered through government schools or preschools, non-government schools, community preschools and for-profit child care providers. Early childhood education terminology of a preschool program differs across states and territories.

Reference period

The period of time for which the data are collected and/or compiled (e.g. calendar year, financial year, last week, last fortnight or a specific day of the month etc.). The reference period may vary for each data element within a collection. For the 2010 ECE collection the recommended reference period was 2 August to 6 August 2010.

Service activity type

The service activity type is the type of service available or provided by the children's service agency. Definitions of service activity types include:

Centre-based long day care: comprises services aimed primarily at 0-5 year olds that are provided in a centre usually by a mix of qualified and other staff. Educational, care and recreational programs are provided based on the developmental needs, interests and experience of each child. In some jurisdictions, primary school children may also receive care before and after school, and during school vacations.

Occasional care: comprises services usually provided at a centre on an hourly or sessional basis for short periods or at irregular intervals for parents who need time to, for example, attend appointments, take care of personal matters, undertake casual and part time employment, study or have temporary respite from full time parenting. These services provide developmental activities for children and are aimed primarily at 0-5 year olds. Centres providing these services usually employ a mix of qualified and other staff. Occasional Care services may operate independently as a stand-alone Occasional Care service or can be collocated with a Long Day Care service as permitted by relevant state/territory regulations for Occasional Care.

Outside school hours care: comprises services provided for school aged children (5-12 year olds) outside school hours during term. Care may be provided on student free days and when school finishes early. For the purposes of this collection vacation care is recorded separately.

Vacation care: comprises services provided for school aged children (5-12 year olds) during vacation periods.

Family day care: comprises services provided in the carer’s own home. The care is largely aimed at 0-5 year olds, but primary school children may also receive care before and after school, and during school vacations. Central co-ordination units in all States and Territories organise and support a network of carers, often with the help of local governments.

In-home care: comprises services where an approved carer provides care in the child’s home. Families eligible for in-home care include families where the parent/s or child has an illness or disability; families in rural or remote areas; parents working shift work or non-standard hours; families with more than two children from a multiple birth and/or more than two children under school age; and families where a breast feeding mother is working from home.

Preschool: comprises a structured educational program usually provided by a qualified teacher on a sessional basis in dedicated preschools. Similar educational programs or curricula may be provided in long day care and other settings. These are primarily aimed at children in the year or two before they commence full-time schooling.

Socio-economic indexes for areas

The SEIFA is a product developed especially for those interested in the assessment of the welfare of Australian communities. SEIFA is a suite of four summary measures that have been created from 2006 Census information. The indexes can be used to explore different aspects of socio-economic conditions by geographic areas. For each index, every geographic area in Australia is given a SEIFA number which shows how disadvantaged that area is compared with other areas in Australia. The indexes provide more general measures of socio-economic status than is given by measuring, for example, income or unemployment alone. The SEIFA index used for the National ECEC Collection is the Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage (IRSD).

Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage
The IRSD summarises a range of information about the economic and social resources of people and households within an area. Unlike other indexes, this index includes only measures of relative disadvantage. Variables that comprise this index include; low income, no qualifications, unemployment, overcrowded housing, disability, no car, and Indigenous status.

Subsidy

Subsidies are defined as state and territory government funding for preschools and/or preschool programs, as well as any additional financial support provided by the Commonwealth, state and territory and local governments to eligible families to make preschool affordable.

Teacher

For the purpose of the National ECEC Collection, a teacher is defined as the person or persons with a relevant university qualification who is delivering the preschool program. Delivery of a preschool program refers to face to face delivery by a primary contact worker of a preschool program that is a structured, play-based, educational program. A teacher is defined as delivering a preschool program if they delivered the program at least once within the reference period. Teachers who were on alternate duties during the reference period or were absent due to illness or extended holiday leave should not be included.

Unit Record Level

Data for individual population members. Jurisdictions collect and report data for the National ECEC Collection through either a Unit Record Level (URL) collection or an aggregate collection. In terms of the National ECEC Collection, a jurisdictional URL collection contains individual child, teacher and service provider level data. The collection of URL statistics is required to provide statistical functionality including spatial analysis and data linking. URL methodologies allow for the potential identification of duplicate records (where the same child may attend multiple services in the reference period).

Usual Residence

The place where the person has or intends to live for six months or more, or the place the person regards as their main residence, or where the person has no other residence, the place they currently reside.

Work activity

The work activity type refers to the type of work performed by a person in the course of their employment in early childhood education and care.

Primary contact work: the worker mainly has direct contact with children. This may include but is not limited to teachers, teachers assistants/ aides, specialist teachers and therapists.

Other contact work: the worker has some duties involving direct contact with children, but deals mainly with staffing or management issues such as supervising staff and handling queries from parents. This may include but is not limited to principals, deputy principals, centre managers and coordinators.

Management / administration only work: a staff member who mainly performs management or administration work that contributes to the running of the preschool service and has no direct contact with children. Work may include clerical or receptionist duties, filing, keeping financial records, staffing and management issues.

Other work: any worker who provides support services such as cooking, cleaning and gardening. This may include drivers, cooks, cleaners and maintenance staff.

Year before full-time schooling

The year before full-time schooling (YBFS - also referred to as the 'year before formal schooling') is a term used to describe the 'preschool' cohort, due to the varying models of early childhood education in the different jurisdictions (McEwin and Ryan, 2009). The year before a child begins full-time schooling is further defined as Year 1 (or Grade 1) minus 2 years. This cohort may be a combination of 4, 5 and sometimes 6 year old children. The 6 year old children are usually children who are repeating preschool, or they may have been held back from starting preschool at the usual age.