QUEENSLAND
OVERVIEW
In Queensland, 'kindergarten' is the term used to describe an early childhood education program (referred to within this manual as 'preschool'), in the year before full-time schooling (year 1 minus 2) and 'preparatory' is the term used for a child's first year of compulsory school (year 1 minus 1). Children in Queensland are eligible to enrol in a funded preschool program if they are at least 4 years of age prior to 30 June of that year.
The non-government preschool sector in Queensland comprises stand-alone centres, generally referred to as ‘kindergartens’, and preschool programs integrated into long day care (LDC) services.
LEGISLATION AND LICENSING
The Department of Education and Training (DET) in Queensland is responsible for the licensing and monitoring of child care services under the Child Care Act 2002 (Qld.) and services are bound by the conditions of this Act. All services offering approved preschool programs are licensed under this legislation.
MANAGEMENT TYPES
Preschool
Preschool in Queensland consists of the following management types:
Government managed
There are a small number of government managed schools that provide preschool programs in Queensland under the Bound for Success pre-prep program, which operates in 35 specific Indigenous communities. This program is offered in very remote communities where there are little or no early childhood education and care infrastructure. These programs are provided by the Queensland DET under the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006 (Qld.).
Non-government managed
Community managed: Community managed preschools include those managed by parents, a church or a cooperative, where the main service activity type is preschool. In 2010 the Queensland government funded the majority of non-government preschool programs through the Department of Education Community Kindergarten Assistance Scheme (DECKAS). From January 2011, existing funded services will transition to the new Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme, under which approved preschool program providers will receive a subsidy per eligible child enrolled.
Private for-profit managed: These are approved stand-alone preschools provided by non-government not-for-profit organisations or for-profit corporations, sole traders, individuals or entities, where the main service activity type is preschool. In 2010 for the first time, the Queensland government provided funding under the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme to LDCs that provided an approved preschool program.
Independent school managed: These are services providing approved preschool programs in registered non-government schools. Schools providing an approved program are eligible to apply for funding under the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme to receive a subsidy per eligible child enrolled.
Other (TAFE, university, corporate): Other management types include preschool programs delivered in educational facilities (for example TAFE or universities) or in corporate settings (for example preschools provided for employees of an organisation), where the main service activity type was preschool.
Long day care
LDCs in Queensland consist of the following management types:
Private for-profit managed: These are approved integrated centre-based services provided by non-government not-for-profit organisations or for-profit corporations, sole traders, individuals or entities, where the main service activity type is not preschool. In 2010 for the first time, the Queensland government provided funding under the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme to LDCs that provided an approved preschool program.
QUALITY OF DATA SOURCE
Early Childhood Education and Care Services Census
In 2010 Queensland had one main source for the collection of data in relation to preschool programs, the Early Childhood Education and Care Services Census (ECECSC).
Institutional environment
The organisation responsible for the 2010 ECECSC was the Department of Education and Training (DET).
Relevance
The data collected from this census enabled DET to report on a variety of matters, such as the performance of the early childhood education and care sector to the Queensland and Australian Government, and the community. The data were used to update Queensland's child care information system to ensure information was accurate and up to date and also assisted with program development and planning.
The collection included all children who were officially enrolled in a licensed child care service provider in Queensland. This included all services that were providing approved preschool programs and those children who were officially enrolled in a Bound for Success program at the time of the ECECSC. For the 2010 collection, the ECECSC did not achieve complete coverage, as participation in the census was voluntary for some service providers. The ECECSC was compulsory for Bound for Success programs in government managed schools and government funded preschool programs in LDC services.
In 2010 the ECECSC collected data at a range of levels from the service providers within government, non-government and for-profit service providers. Aggregate data were collected at the service, child, staffing and program levels as follows:
- For licensed and/or funded services: information on service operations and characteristics;
- For children enrolled at a licensed and/or funded service: aggregate information on personal characteristics, and enrolment and attendance;
- For staff: at the person level, information on personal characteristics, employment arrangements and qualifications, for all staff who consented to their information being provided.
- For preschool programs: (i.e. Early Childhood Education and Care Programs - kindergarten and pre-prep) where these programs were provided in services, information on program operations and characteristics (including teacher qualifications), and aggregate information on child enrolment and attendance.
A small number of preschool programs in an LDC did not complete the ECECSC in 2010. The Early Childhood Education and Care National Minimum Data Set (ECEC NMDS) defines that a preschool program can operate in an LDC if the program comprises a structured education program usually provided by a qualified teacher. Jurisdictional collections currently do not have full coverage of preschool programs being delivered in LDC as defined by the ECEC NMDS for the National ECEC Collection. Data sourced from the Child Care Management System (CCMS) is required to achieve full coverage of preschool activity in LDC nationally. CCMS preschool data was not included in the 2010 collection due to the required information not being collected. In the future, the National ECEC Collection aims to include information on preschool programs provided within LDC through the CCMS.
Timeliness
The ECECSC was undertaken between 30 August and 17 September for a representative week or fortnight, depending on the service type. The collection reference period adopted by Queensland did not align with the recommended August collection reference period adopted by the other jurisdictions for the 2010 National ECEC Collection.
Completion of the data processing and validation stage took approximately 2 to 3 months after the collection date, at which time the data were delivered to the ABS.
Accuracy
For the 2010 ECECSC, service providers collected individual child information via a registration and/or enrolment form. In most instances, this information was stored in a data repository (government or non-government), however some information was stored as filed records. Service providers were required to record and keep details of staff qualifications. Data from the repository and files were then used by service providers to complete the relevant on-line ECECSC form. A limited number of services supplied the information through hard copy forms that were equivalent to the on-line form. This information was then stored in the ECECSC data repository. Data for the 2010 National ECEC Collection was sourced from the ECECSC data repository. The data collection processes may change in the future as Queensland moves to a unit record level data collection.
As part of the internal validation process for 2010, DET included explanatory notes with the on-line forms, which could be used by service providers to assist with definitions and responses. A limited number of edit checks were applied to the online form, which ensured that valid information was supplied.
Data provided by services underwent a range of edit checks to ensure that the information was complete, internally consistent and fell within fixed known parameters for relevant questions. Where information was not supplied, services were contacted to collect the missing details where possible.
As the data collected on children is at the aggregate level, duplicate instances of participation in preschool programs during the ECECSC reference period cannot be identified for the 2010 Queensland data.
Coherence
In 2010 ECECSC data was collected using an aggregate collection methodology for child enrolment and attendance data. Aggregate jurisdictional data collection methodologies using the 2010 ECEC Aggregate National Minimum Data Set (NMDS) did not allow for the identification of multiple enrolments for a single child. In the collection reference period, a child may be enrolled and attend two or more different preschool programs. Aggregate data from the 2010 ECECSC did not allow identification of unique record. This methodology can only produce episodes of attendance, and not the attendance of individual children. 2010 ECEC statistics from Queensland should be interpreted with care as it is not directly comparable with other jurisdictional data included in the 2010 National ECEC Collection.
Due to expected developments to the ECECSC Queensland process, a time series can not be commenced with the 2010 data. It is anticipated that a time series will be achieved in the future as Queensland develops in its capacity to capture unit record level child data.
Further information on data elements:
- Data was not available by sex
- Indigenous status was only available by Indigenous and non-Indigenous categories.
LDC information for Queensland has been disaggregated using the 'preschool program delivered by teacher indicator'. This indicator enabled disaggregation by preschool program's in LDCs that were being delivered by a teacher with a relevant qualification and by the total number of preschool programs in LDCs. This disaggregation was presented for comparison with other jurisdictions that could only provide the total number of LDCs, but could not disaggregate by whether the program was delivered by a teacher.
Interpretability
Queensland provided a range of information to assist in the reporting of data, such as explanatory notes for providers.
Accessibility
Data from the ECECSC is published in sector fact sheets and various other forms on the Queensland DET website.
A subset of the ECECSC, was used for the 2010 National ECEC Collection and is available at the national and jurisdictional level in
Experimental Estimates of Preschool Education, Australia, 2010 (cat. no. 4240.0) on the ABS website.
The information contained within this report has been sourced from the Queensland DET website,
<http://education.qld.gov.au/earlychildhood/> and consultations held between the Queensland DET and the ABS.
Print Page
Print All