4240.0.55.001 - National Early Childhood Education and Care Collection Manual, 2010  
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Contents >> Data Element Collection Instructions >> Person/Child Level Data Elements - URL

PERSON/CHILD LEVEL DATA ELEMENTS - URL

The following descriptions outline the ECEC NMDS URL person/child level data element summaries.


Address line

Technical name: Child - address line, text [X(180)]

METeOR identifier: No corresponding METeOR identifier. This is an additional data element, requested for the purpose of geo-coding to Collection District (CD).

Related aggregate data element: Service provider organisation - address line

Definition: The composite of one or more standard address components for the child's place of usual residence, as represented by text.

Components: Report the address line which identifies the place of usual residence of the child's parent or guardian.

Rationale: To record the address line which identifies the place of usual residence of the child's parent or guardian. When combined with the 'suburb/town/locality', 'postcode' and 'Australian state/territory identifier' child level data elements, this information enables identification of the 'area of usual residence (CD)' code.

Inclusions: Address line information, which may include:

  • Apartment/Flat/Unit number (if any)
  • House/property number
  • Street name

Exclusions: The post office box or other non-residential address of the child's parent or guardian.

Representation class: Text

Data type: String

Format: [x(180)] 0 -180 characters, for example: Unit 1, 10 High Street.

Maximum character length: 180

Supplementary responses: 'Unknown' responses reported as '9999899'.

Counting rules:
  • Collect comprehensive details which identify the place of usual residence of the child's parent of guardian.
  • The address line indicated must correspond to all other address related information collected, which may include:
      • Suburb, town, locality name
      • Postcode
      • Australian state/territory identifier
  • Do not report the address line of the post office box or other non-residential address of the child's parent or guardian.
  • Identify the place of usual residence of the parent or guardian with whom the child spends the majority of their time.
  • For boarders at a boarding school, report the address of the boarding school or college.
  • Include those children who are living outside of the jurisdiction's borders, if the child attends preschool within the jurisdiction.

Additional information:
  • When collecting the geographical location of a person's usual place of residence, the ABS recommends that 'usual' be defined as: 'the place where the person has or intends to live for 6 months or more, or the place that the person regards as their main residence or, where the person has no other residence, the place they currently reside.'
  • One complete identification/description of an address can comprise of one or more than one instance of address line. Instances of address lines are commonly identified in electronic information systems as Address-line 1, Address-line 2, etc.
  • The format of data collection is less important than consistent use of conventions in recording of address data. Hence, address may be collected in an unstructured manner but should ideally be stored in a structured format.
  • Where address line is collected as a stand-alone item, the address line details should be separated into sub-components. Multiple address lines may be recorded as required.
  • Where the address is unknown, identify the reason for the unknown response and document any follow-up processes undertaken.

If a jurisdiction is able to accurately code address to CD and provide detailed information on coding process and validations made, there is no requirement to provide this data element.



Area of usual residence

Technical name: Person - area of usual residence, geographical location CD code (ASGC 2009) NNNNNNN

METeOR identifier: 397211

METeOR link: <http://meteor.aihw.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/397211>

Related aggregate data element: Service provider organisation - Geographic location of organisation (CD)

Definition: The geographical location of the usual residence of the person, using a seven-digit numerical code which indicates the CD within the state or territory of Australia.

Components: The seven-digit ASGC code which identifies the area of usual residence of the child's parent or guardian, comprising a single-digit code to indicate state or territory, and a six-digit code for the Collection District (CD) within the state/territory.

Rationale: The CD code is used to determine the socio-economic status of the area in which the child resides. This information assists in the derivation of disadvantage status and the disaggregation of Indigenous children by geographic location.

Inclusions: The ASGC CD code indicating the area of usual residence of the child's parent or guardian.

Exclusions: The CD code for the post office box or other non-residential address of the child's parent or guardian.

Classification scheme: Australian Standard Geographical Classification

Representation class: Code

Data type: Number

Format: NNNNNNN, for example: 4052030

Maximum character length: 7

Supplementary values: For unknown CD code, the following 9 digit values should be used:
      199999899 - New South Wales - unknown CD
      299999899 - Victoria - unknown CD
      399999899 - Queensland - unknown CD
      499999899 - South Australia - unknown CD
      599999899 - Western Australia - unknown CD
      699999899 - Tasmania - unknown CD
      799999899 - Northern Territory - unknown CD
      899999899 - Australian Capital Territory - unknown CD
      999999899 - Other Territories - unknown CD

Counting rules:
  • Code the area of usual residence to CD using the child's address line, postcode, suburb/town/locality name and Australian state/territory identifier.
  • Identify the place of usual residence of the parent or guardian with whom the child spends the majority of their time.
  • For boarders at a boarding school, report the address of the boarding school or college.
  • Include those children that are living outside of the jurisdiction's borders, if the child attends a preschool located within the jurisdiction.

Additional information:
  • When collecting the geographical location of a person's usual place of residence, the ABS recommends that 'usual' be defined as: 'the place where the person has or intends to live for 6 months of more, or the place that the person regards as their main residence, or where the person has no other residence, the place they currently reside.'
  • Where the address is unknown, identify the reason for the unknown response and document any follow-up processes undertaken.

MapInfo Professional is the Geographic Information System (GIS) software that is most widely used within the ABS for coding addresses to CD. Jurisdictions wishing to undertake their own coding should contact the ABS for further information about this product.



Australian state/territory identifier

Technical name: Person - Australian state/territory identifier, code N

METeOR identifier: 286919

METeOR link: <http://meteor.aihw.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/286919>

Related aggregate data element: Service provider organisation - Australian state/territory identifier

Definition: The Australian state or territory where a person can be located, as represented by a code.

Components: The Australian state or territory which identifies the place of usual residence of the child's parent or guardian.

Rationale: To record the state or territory which identifies the place of usual residence of the child's parent or guardian. When combined with the 'suburb/town/locality', 'postcode' and 'address line', this information enables identification of the 'area of usual residence (CD)' code.

Inclusions: All Australian states and territories including Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Christmas Island and Jervis Bay Territory.

Exclusions: Nil

Representation class: Code

Data type: Number

Format: N, for example: 2

Maximum character length: 1

Permissible values:
      1 - New South Wales
      2 - Victoria
      3 - Queensland
      4 - South Australia
      5 - Western Australia
      6 - Tasmania
      7 - Northern Territory
      8 - Australian Capital Territory
      9 - Other Australian territories

Counting rules:
  • Record the Australian state or territory of the child by collecting comprehensive address details which identify the place of usual residence of the child's parent or guardian.
  • The Australian state/territory identifier must correspond to all other address related information collected, which may include:
      • Address line:
          • Apartment/Flat/Unit number (if any)
          • House/property number
          • Street name
      • Suburb, town or locality
      • Postcode
  • Confirm that 'address line', 'suburb/town/locality name' and 'postcode' data elements correspond with an address located within the jurisdiction specified by this data element.
  • Only include those children identified as living outside of the jurisdiction's borders, if the child attends a preschool located within the jurisdiction.

Additional information: When collecting the geographical location of a person's usual place of residence, the ABS recommends that 'usual' be defined as: 'the place where the person has or intends to live for 6 months of more, or the place that the person regards as their main residence, or where the person has no other residence, the place they currently reside.'



Date of birth

Technical name: Person - date of birth, DDMMYYYY

METeOR identifier: 287007

METeOR link: <http://meteor.aihw.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/287007>

Related aggregate data element: Person - age

Definition: The date of birth of the person.

Components: The date of birth of the child.

Rationale: To identify and record the date of birth of the child, which will be used to derive the child's age as at 1 July of the collection year.

Inclusions: The day, month and year of birth of the child, concatenated in that order to form the child's date of birth.

Exclusions: Nil

Representation class: Date

Data type: Date/time

Format: DDMMYYYY, for example: 21012005

Maximum character length: 8

Supplementary response: 'Unknown' response reported as 999 - for instances where the date of birth of the child is unknown.

Counting rules:
  • In instances where the jurisdiction can provide the month and year of birth but are unable to provide the day of birth for the child, the day of birth should be coded to the first day of the month (i.e. 01).
  • The Jurisdiction should clearly indicate in supporting documentation, any estimated or coded dates of birth.

Additional information:

As a quality check at the time of enrolment, service providers should check that the date of birth provided by the parent or guardian corresponds to the date of birth on the child's birth certificate.

Where the date of birth is unknown, identify the reason for the unknown response and document any follow up processes undertaken.



Eligibility for subsidy indicator

Technical name: Child - eligibility for subsidy indicator, code N

METeOR identifier: 401343

METeOR link: <http://meteor.aihw.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/401343>

Related aggregate data element: Service provider organisation - eligibility for subsidy indicator

Definition: Whether the child is receiving subsidies that are not available generally to other children who are attending preschool at this service, as represented by a code.

Components: Subsidies paid on behalf of the child, to reduce out of pocket costs for preschool programs.

Rationale: To identify and record whether the child is eligible for subsidies that are not generally available to all other children who are attending the preschool program.

Inclusions:
  • Children who are eligible for preschool subsidies being paid direct to service providers.
  • Children who have social assistance benefits paid directly to their family to make preschool more affordable.
  • Children who do not qualify for preschool subsidies.

Exclusions: Subsidies available to all children attending the preschool program.

Representation class: Code

Data type: Boolean

Format: N, for example: 1

Maximum character length: 1

Permissible values:
      1 - Yes: the child is eligible for a subsidy in relation to the preschool program.
      2 - No: the child is not eligible for a subsidy in relation to the preschool program.

Counting rules: Where the response for this indicator is unknown, identify the reason for the unknown response and document any follow-up processes undertaken.

Additional information:

Eligible subsidies: Operational subsidies paid to service providers on behalf of a child to reduce the running costs of preschool programs. Service providers must receive operational subsidies on a per child basis, subject to Commonwealth, state/territory and local government eligibility criteria. The subsidy must be in relation to the preschool program, must not be accessible to all children and must reduce the cost of the child attending the preschool program during the reference period. For example, the Child Care Benefit (CCB) is a means tested Australian government payment to assist working families meet the costs of child care, which in some cases is paid directly to the service provider and flows on to families through a reduction in fees payable. CCB, Child Care Rebate (CCR) and other subsidies must also be included if paid directly to the child's parent or guardian by the responsible government agency and if the service provider is aware of these subsidies.

Ineligible subsidies: Subsidies available to all children attending the preschool program. Social assistance benefits such as pensions and carer allowances.

The eligibility for subsidy indicator will undergo further development for the 2011 collection.



Fees charged in the census week

Technical name: Child - fees charged in the census week, total Australian currency N[N(8)]

METeOR identifier: 401478

METeOR link: <http://meteor.aihw.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/401478>

Related aggregate data elements:
Definition: The actual tuition fees charged per week for the child to attend preschool at this service, measured in Australian dollars (AU$).

Components: Net weekly costs (i.e. tuition fees only) charged for the child to attend the preschool program.

Rationale: To identify and record the affordability of preschool programs by identifying out of pocket costs to the parent or guardian towards the payment of tuition fees for the child to attend the preschool program.

Inclusions: Services should report their standard fee, that is, the tuition fee only, charged to each child to attend the preschool program.

Exclusions: Exclude fees charged for the child to attend other non-preschool programs with the service provider, such as out of school hours care. Exclude other fees which are not tuition fees such as application fee, enrolment fee, resources fee, IT fee, capital fee, credit card fee, uniform, books, stationary and library fees, etc.

Representation class: Total

Data type: Currency

Format: N[NNNNNN].NN, for example: $12.55

Maximum character length: 9

Unit of measure: Australian currency (AU$)

Supplementary values: NA - If there are no fees payable for the child to attend the preschool program.

Counting rules:
  • Count the net weekly costs that are charged for the child to attend the preschool program.
  • Count fees that are charged to the child's parent or guardian, irrespective of whether the fees are actually paid (i.e. if payment of the fee is not compulsory or is not followed up or enforced by the service provider).
  • If subsidies are included in the calculation of the fees charged to the child, report the fees charged after deducting eligible subsidies.
  • Only count the fees charged for the child to attend the preschool program. Do not count fees charged for the child to attend other programs with the service provider, such as out of school hours care.
  • Donations paid by parents should not be included, nor should additional charges for service components such as nappy supplies, meals or transportation.
  • If net fees are charged on a per term or per year basis, the pro-rata equivalent weekly fee should be derived having regard to weeks per term and/or weeks per year that the preschool program is in operation. This can be derived from the service operation weeks data element. The jurisdiction must inform the ABS of any such derivations.
  • The ABS asks that the format of $$.cc is used (even though this is not specifically outlined in the 2010 NMDS).

Additional information: The ABS has requested that the relevant reference period for the data is also provided. For example, some jurisdictions may record term fees, whilst others may record weekly fees. This needs to be specified so that the ABS can derive fees to a weekly reference period if necessary. Jurisdictions may collect this information over multiple weeks due to variable delivery methods. This may mean that presenting the data over a week period will necessitate an average statistic being derived.



Indigenous status

Technical name: Person - Indigenous status, code N

METeOR identifier: 291036

METeOR link: <http://meteor.aihw.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/291036>

Related aggregate data elements:
Definition: Whether a person identifies as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin, as represented by a code.

Components: Report whether the child's parent or guardian identifies the child as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin in accordance with the ABS standard for Indigenous status (ABS, 1999) classified as:
  • 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

Rationale: To identify and record children who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin, as identified by the child's parent or guardian.

Inclusions: Whether the child's parent or guardian identifies the child as being Indigenous or non-Indigenous.

Exclusions: Nil

Representation class: Code

Data type: Number

Format: N, for example: 3

Maximum character length: 1

Permissible values:
      1 - Aboriginal, but not Torres Strait Islander origin
      2 - Torres Strait Islander, but not Aboriginal origin
      3 - Both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin
      4 - Neither Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin

Supplementary values:
      8 - Aboriginal, not further defined
      9 - Not stated/inadequately described

Counting rules:
  • The Indigenous status of the child must be the status as identified by the child's parent or guardian.
  • Code multiple responses where respondent marks 'No' and either 'Aboriginal' or 'Torres Strait Islander' as either Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander as indicated and disregard the 'No' response.
  • Code multiple responses where respondent marks both 'Aboriginal ' and 'Torres Strait Islander' as 'Both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander'.
  • Code multiple responses where respondent marks all three boxes 'No', 'Aboriginal' and 'Torres Strait Islander' as 'Both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin' and disregard the 'No' response.
  • Supplementary values such as 'Not stated/inadequately described' should not be available as valid responses but can be used in data collections for operational purposes.
  • The value 'Aboriginal, not further defined' should only to be used in instances where breakdown by Indigenous status is not available.

Additional information: The standard classification for Indigenous status has a hierarchical structure comprising two levels. There are 4 categories at the detailed level of the classification which are grouped into two categories at the broader level. The classification is as follows:

Indigenous:
      1 - Aboriginal but not Torres Strait Islander origin
      2 - Torres Strait Islander but not Aboriginal origin
      3 - Both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin

Non-Indigenous:
      4 - Neither Aboriginal nor Torres Strait Islander origin



Letters of family name

Technical name: Person - letters of family name, text XXX

METeOR identifier: 349481

METeOR link: <http://meteor.aihw.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/349481>

Definition: The combination of the 2nd, 3rd and 5th letters of a person's family name.

Components: Collect the child's family name or surname.

Rationale: The 2nd, 3rd, and 5th letters of the child's family name are used to compose a section of the Statistical Linkage Key (SLK) 581. The selected 'Letters of family name' can be used in combination with 'Letters of given name', 'Date of birth' and 'Sex' to develop a SLK for the child to facilitate the linkage of records for statistical purposes only.

Inclusions: The 2nd, 3rd, and 5th letters of the child's family name or surname.

Exclusions: The 1st, 4th, 6th, and any subsequent letters of the child's family name.

Representation class: Text

Data type: String

Format: XXX, for example: HOP

Maximum character length: 3

Supplementary values: 999 - Not stated/inadequately described

Counting rules:
  • Count the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th letters of the child's family name. for example, if the child's family name is Thompson, the reported value should be HOP. If the child's family name is Brown, the reported value should be RON.
  • If the child's family name includes non-alphabetic characters such as hyphens (as in Lee-Archer), apostrophes (as in O’Mara), or blank spaces (as in De Vries), these should be ignored when counting the position of each character.
  • Regardless of the length of a person's family name, the reported value should always contain three characters. If the legal family name is not long enough to supply the requested letters (i.e. a legal family name of less than five letters) then agencies should substitute the number '2' to reflect the missing letters.
      • The placement of a number '2' should always correspond to the same space that the missing letter would have been positioned within the 3-digit field. A number (rather than a letter) is used for such a substitution in order to clearly indicate that an appropriate corresponding letter from the child's name is not available. For example: If a child's family name is Farr, the value reported would be AR2 because the 2 is substituting for a missing 5th letter of the family name. Similarly, if the person's family name was Hua, then the value reported would be UA2 because the 2 is substituting for the missing 5th letter of the family name.
  • In some cultures it is traditional to state the family name first. To overcome discrepancies in recording/reporting that may arise as a result of this practice, agencies should always ask the child to specify their legal first name and their legal family name separately. These should then be recorded as first given name and family name as appropriate, regardless of the order in which they may be traditionally given.
  • If the child's family name is missing altogether, the agency should record the number 999 for all three spaces associated with the family name (not the number 2).

Additional information: Where the name is unknown, identify the reason for the unknown response and document any follow up processes undertaken.



Letters of given name

Technical name: Person - letters of given name, text XX

METeOR identifier: 349483

METeOR link: <http://meteor.aihw.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/349483>

Definition: The combination of the 2nd and 3rd letters of a person's given name.

Components: Collect the child's full given name or first name.

Rationale: The 2nd and 3rd letters of the child's given name are used to compose a section of the Statistical Linkage Key (SLK) 581. The selected 'Letters of given name' can be used in combination with 'Letters of family name', 'Date of birth' and 'Sex' to develop a SLK to facilitate the linkage of records for statistical purposes only.

Inclusions: The 2nd and 3rd letters of the child's given name.

Exclusions: The 1st, 4th, and any subsequent letters of the child's given name.

Representation class: Text

Data type: String

Format: XX

Maximum character length: 2

Supplementary values: 99 - Not stated/inadequately described

Counting rules:
  • Count the 2nd and 3rd letters of the child's given name or first name. For example, if the child’s given name is Elizabeth, the reported value should be LI. If the child's given name is Robert the reported value should be OB. If the child’s given name includes non-alphabetic characters such as hyphens (as in Jo-Anne) or apostrophes (as in D'Arcy), these non-alphabetic characters should be ignored when counting the position of each character.
  • Regardless of the length of a person’s given name, the reported value should always be two characters long. If the given name of the person is not long enough to supply the requested letters (i.e. a name of less than three letters) then agencies should substitute the number ‘2’ to reflect the missing letters.
      • The placement of a number ‘2’ should always correspond to the same space that the missing letter would have within the 2-digit field. A number (rather than a letter) is used for such substitutions in order to clearly indicate that an appropriate corresponding letter from the person’s name is not available. For example: If the person’s legal name was Jo then the value reported would be O2 because the 2 is substituting for the missing 3rd letter of the given name.
  • In some cultures it is traditional to state the family name first. To overcome discrepancies in recording/reporting that may arise as a result of this practice, agencies should always ask the person to specify their given name and their family name separately. These should then be recorded as first given name and family name as appropriate, regardless of the order in which they may be traditionally given.
  • If the person’s given name is missing altogether the agency should record 99 for the two spaces associated with the given name (not the number 2).

Additional information: Where the name is unknown, identify the reason for the unknown response and document any follow up processes undertaken.



Maximum preschool program hours available per week

Technical name: Child - maximum preschool program hours available per week, total hours N[N]

METeOR identifier: 397151

METeOR link: <http://meteor.aihw.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/397151>

Related aggregate data element: Service provider organisation - maximum preschool program hours available per week

Definition: The maximum number of hours of preschool program available to the child at this service per week, in total hours from 0 to 60.

Components: The maximum hours available per week for the child to attend the preschool program at the service.

Rationale: To identify and record the maximum hours available per week for the child to attend the preschool program. This will allow identification of the proportion of children enrolled in preschool programs that are available for at least 15 hours per week.

Inclusions: Total hours available per week for the child to attend the preschool program at the service, up to a maximum of 60 hours.

Exclusions: Exclude non-preschool program hours. Where the facility provides other integrated child care services, the hours associated with these services should be excluded.

Representation class: Total

Data type: Number

Format: N[N], for example: 15

Maximum character length: 2

Unit of measure: Hour (h)

Counting rules:
  • Count the maximum hours available that the child is able to attend the preschool program at the service.
  • Where this data element is not able to be reported accurately at an individual child level, for each preschool program, count the total hours enrolled for the child with the highest enrolment hours during the reference period, and record this total for all children enrolled in that preschool program.

Additional information:

The maximum hours available may be less than or equal to the opening hours of the service, but may exceed the number of hours the child is enrolled for at the service. This number may also be greater than the hours actually attended in the reference period.

The maximum preschool program hours available to the child are the maximum hours for which the child could enrol in the reference period at that service. The maximum preschool program hours available could be impacted by a range of factors such as the structure of the preschool program, resources available at the service, the age and preschool readiness of the child and so on.

Parents may choose to enrol the child for hours that are equal to or less than the maximum hours the preschool program is available.

Ensure that reported values fall between 0 and 60 hours per week. Hours in excess of 60 hours per week should be manually capped at 60 by the jurisdiction.

Jurisdictions may collect this information over multiple weeks due to variable delivery methods. This may mean that presenting the data over a week period will necessitate an average statistic being derived.




Postcode

Technical name: Person (address) - Australian postcode, code (Postcode datafile) {NNNN}

METeOR identifier: 287224

METeOR link: <http://meteor.aihw.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/287224>

Related aggregate data element: Service provider organisation (address) - postcode - Australian

Definition: The numeric descriptor for a postal delivery area, aligned with locality, suburb or place for the address of a person.

Components: Report the postcode which identifies the place of usual residence of the child's parent or guardian. Postcode data involves a conversion from postcodes to the Australian Bureau of Statistics postal area.

Rationale: To identify and record the postcode that identifies the place of usual residence of the child's parent or guardian. This information, when combined with the 'address line', 'suburb/town/locality' and 'Australian state/territory identifier' child level data elements, can be used to identify the 'area of usual residence (CD)' code.

Inclusions: Include the postcode which identifies the place of usual residence of the child's parent or guardian.

Exclusions: Exclude the postcode for a post office box or other non-residential address of the child's parent or guardian.

Classification scheme: Postcode datafile

Representation class: Code

Data type: Number

Format: {NNNN}, for example: 5118

Maximum character length: 4

Supplementary value: 9999 - Unknown

Counting rules:
  • Collect comprehensive details which identify the place of usual residence of the child's parent of guardian.
  • The postcode must correspond to all other address related information collected, which may include:
      • Address line:
          • Apartment/Flat/Unit number (if any)
          • House/property number
          • Street name
      • Suburb, town or locality
      • Australian state/territory identifier
  • Do not collect the post office box or other non-residential address of the child's parent or guardian.
  • Identify the place of usual residence of the parent or guardian with whom the child spends the majority of their time.
  • For boarders at a boarding school, report the address of the boarding school or college.
  • Include those children who are living outside of the jurisdiction's borders, if the child attends preschool within the jurisdiction.

Additional information:

When collecting the geographical location of a person's usual place of residence, the ABS recommends that 'usual' be defined as: 'the place where the person has or intends to live for 6 months of more, or the place that the person regards as their main residence, or where the person has no other residence, the place they currently reside.'

If a jurisdiction is able to accurately code address to CD and provide detailed information on coding process and validations made, there is no requirement to provide this data element.



Preschool program hours attended

Technical name: Child - preschool program hours attended per week, total hours N[N]

METeOR identifier: 390310

METeOR link: <http://meteor.aihw.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/390310>

Related aggregate data element: Service provider organisation - total preschool attendance hours

Definition: The number of hours of a preschool program that a child has attended in the census week, in total hours from 0 to 60.

Components: Report the total hours of preschool program attendance only for the child in the reference period.

Rationale: To identify and record the number of hours that a child has attended a preschool program in the reference period.

Inclusions: Include the total hours, from 0 to 60 hours, that the child actually attended the preschool program in the reference period.

Exclusions: Exclude non-preschool program hours. Where the facility provides other integrated child care services, the hours associated with these services should be excluded. Exclude hours that the child was absent.

Representation class: Total

Data type: Number

Format: N[N], for example: 15

Maximum character length: 2

Unit of measure: Hour (h)

Counting rules:
  • Count the number of whole hours that the child is in attendance at the preschool program.
  • Include hours attended in non-instructional activities such as recess, tea breaks and lunch breaks if the child remained under the supervision of the service provider for these activities.
  • Attendance hours should not be derived by recording the number of sessions attended by the child and deriving hours from the usual length of each session. The actual hours that each child attended must be recorded. For example, in the case of a part day attendance, the actual hours the child attended could be less than the usual length of a part day session.

Additional information:

The number of hours that the child is in attendance at the preschool program is obtained by the service provider initially recording start and finish times for each child's attendance and then rounding to whole hours.

Ensure that reported values fall between 0 and 60 hours per week. Hours in excess of 60 hours per week should be manually capped at 60 by the jurisdiction.

The ABS has requested that the relevant reference period for the data is also provided. For example, some jurisdictions may record fortnightly attendance hours, whilst others may record weekly attendance hours. This needs to be specified so that the ABS can derive hours to a weekly reference period if necessary.

Jurisdictions may collect this information over multiple weeks due to variable delivery methods. This may mean that presenting the data over a week period will necessitate an average statistic being derived.



Preschool program hours enrolled

Technical name: Child - preschool program hours enrolled per week, total hours N[N]

METeOR identifier: 390305

METeOR link: <http://meteor.aihw.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/390305>

Related aggregate data element: Service provider organisation - number of preschool program hours enrolled per week

Definition: The number of hours of a preschool program that a child is enrolled to receive, in the reference week, in total hours.

Components: Report the total hours that the child is enrolled at the preschool program.

Rationale: To identify and record the total hours that the child is enrolled to receive the preschool program.

Inclusions: Include the total hours, from 0 to 60 hours, that the child is enrolled in the preschool program in the reference period.

Exclusions: Exclude non-preschool program hours. Where the facility provides other integrated child care services, the hours the child is enrolled with these services should be excluded.

Representation class: Total

Data type: Number

Format: N[N], for example: 15

Maximum character length: 2

Unit of measure: Hour (h)

Counting rules:
  • Enrolment hours can be derived by recording the number of sessions the child is enrolled and deriving hours from the usual length of each session.
  • Include hours enrolled in non-instructional activities such as recess, tea breaks and lunch breaks if the child will remain under the supervision of the service provider for these activities.
  • The child must have been offered a place at the preschool and be actively attending to be counted. See 'Preschool service enrolment indicator' for further information on this concept.
  • Children who are absent in the reference period due to illness or extended holiday leave are considered to be enrolled if they are expected to return.

Additional information:

The hours the child is enrolled may be less than or equal to the maximum number of hours available for the child to attend the preschool program, but may exceed the number of hours the child attended the program during the reference period.

Ensure that reported values fall between 0 and 60 hours per week. Hours in excess of 60 hours per week should be manually capped at 60 by the jurisdiction.

The ABS has requested that the relevant reference period for the data is also provided. For example, some jurisdictions may record fortnightly enrolment hours, whilst others may record weekly enrolment hours. This needs to be specified so that the ABS can derive hours to a weekly reference period if necessary.

Jurisdictions may collect this information over multiple weeks due to variable delivery methods. This may mean that presenting the data over a week period will necessitate an average statistic being derived.



Preschool service enrolment indicator

Technical name: Child - preschool service enrolment indicator, code N

METeOR identifier: 387977

METeOR link: <http://meteor.aihw.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/387977>

Related aggregate data element: Service provider organisation - number of preschool enrolments at the service provider level

Definition: Whether the child was enrolled in a preschool program, as represented by a code.

Components: Indicate whether the child is enrolled in the preschool program.

Rationale: This data element identifies whether the child is enrolled and actively attending in the preschool program.

Inclusions: Indicate whether the child is enrolled and actively attending the preschool program.
  • Report a 'Yes' response if the child has been offered a place at the preschool and is actively attending.
  • Report a 'No' response if the child is enrolled but not actively attending the preschool program, or is only enrolled in a child care program at an LDC but not in the LDC's integrated preschool program.

Exclusions: Nil

Representation class: Code

Data type: Boolean

Format: N, for example: 1

Maximum character length: 1

Permissible values:
      1 - Yes: child is enrolled in the preschool program.
      2 - No: child is not enrolled in the preschool program.

Counting rules:
  • To be considered as enrolled, the child must have been offered a place at the preschool and be actively attending. A child is considered to be actively attending if they have attended a preschool session at least once within the previous month (the 4 weeks prior to the collection date). Children who are absent in the previous month due to illness, extended holiday leave or for cultural reasons are considered to be enrolled if they are expected to return.
  • For all preschool programs delivered in school settings, count the 4 weeks prior to the collection date, excluding weeks when the school is closed for school holidays, to determine whether the child is actively attending.
  • For all preschool programs delivered in non-school settings, count the 4 weeks prior to the collection date, including only those weeks when the service is operational, to determine whether the child is actively attending in the preschool program.

Additional information: Nil


Preschool service received indicator

Technical name: Child - preschool service received indicator, code N

METeOR identifier: 357010

METeOR link: <http://meteor.aihw.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/357010>

Related aggregate data element: Service provider organisation - number of children attending preschool

Definition: Whether a child received a preschool service, as represented by a code.

Components: Indicate whether the child attended a preschool program during the reference period.

Rationale: This data element identifies whether the child attended a preschool program during the reference period.

Inclusions: Indicate whether the child attended the preschool program during the reference period.
  • Report a 'Yes' response if the child attended a preschool program at least once within the reference period.
  • Report a 'No' response if the child did not attend a preschool program during the reference period or was absent due to illness or extended holiday leave.

Exclusions: Exclude children attending only for other child care services at LDCs with an integrated preschool program.

Representation class: Code

Data type: Boolean

Format: N, for example: 1

Maximum character length: 1

Permissible values:
      1 - Yes: child did attend a preschool program during the reference period.
      2 - No: child did not attend a preschool program during the reference period.

Counting rules:
  • To be considered as attending, the child must have attended at least once within the reference period.
  • Children who were absent during the reference period due to illness or extended holiday leave should be classified as not attending.

Additional information: Nil



Preschool program received by teacher indicator

Technical name: Child - preschool program received by teacher indicator, code N

METeOR identifier: No corresponding METeOR identifier. This is an additional requested data element.

Related aggregate data element: Person (employed) - preschool program delivered by teacher indicator

Definition: An indicator that the child received face to face delivery of a preschool program by a teacher with a relevant university qualification, as represented by a code.

Components: Report whether or not the preschool program received by the child was delivered (face to face) by a teacher with a relevant university qualification.

Rationale: To identify and record whether or not the child received a structured, play-based, educational preschool program, delivered by a teacher with a relevant university qualification.

Inclusions: Indicate whether the child received a preschool program that was delivered by a teacher with a relevant university qualification:
  • Report a 'Yes' response if the child is receiving a preschool program that is being delivered by a person with a relevant university qualification.
  • Report a 'No' response if the child is receiving a preschool program that is not being delivered by a person with a relevant university qualification.

Exclusions: Exclude other programs that the child is receiving at the service that are non-preschool programs.

Representation class: Code

Data type: Number

Format: N, for example: 1

Maximum character length: 1

Permissible values:
      1 - Yes: The child received a preschool program that was delivered by a person with a relevant university qualification.
      2 - No: The child received a preschool program that was not delivered by a person with a relevant university qualification.

Supplementary values: 9 - Not stated/inadequately described

Counting rules:
  • A child is counted as having received a preschool program from a qualified teacher if the teacher had face to face contact with the child at least once during the reference period and the teacher had a relevant university qualification.
  • For example, in a long day care setting, a care worker delivers a 'preschool program' to the child, however the care worker does not hold a relevant qualification. This would result in a 'No' response as the program is not being delivered by a teacher with relevant qualifications. Alternatively, a 'Yes' response would be inputted if a teacher with relevant qualifications is delivering the preschool program to the child.
  • 'Once' during the reference period is to be defined as at least one whole session of the preschool program.

Additional information: Where the indicator response is unknown, identify the reason for the unknown response and document any follow-up processes undertaken.



Sex

Technical name: Person - sex, code N

METeOR identifier: 287316

METeOR link: <http://meteor.aihw.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/287316>

Related aggregate data element: Person - sex

Definition: The biological distinction between male and female, as represented by a code.

Components: Report the sex of the child.

Rationale: To identify the sex of the child which is a component of the SLK.

Inclusions: Indicate the sex of the child.

Exclusions: Nil

Representation class: Code

Data type: Number

Format: N, for example: 2

Maximum character length: 1

Permissible values:
      1 - Male
      2 - Female
      3 - Intersex or indeterminate

Supplementary values:
      9 - Not stated/inadequately described: this classification is not to be used on primary collection forms. It is for use mainly in administrative collections when transferring data from data sets where the item has not been collected.

Additional information: Where the sex is unknown, identify the reason for the unknown response and document any follow-up processes undertaken.

The intersex or indeterminate classification is normally used for babies for whom sex has not been determined for whatever reason. It should not generally be used on data collection forms completed by the respondent. It should only be used if the person or respondent volunteers that the person is intersex or where it otherwise becomes clear during the collection process that the individual is neither male nor female.



Statistical Linkage Key 581

Technical name: Record - linkage key, code 581 XXXXXDDMMYYYYN

METeOR identifier: 349895

METeOR link: <http://meteor.aihw.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/349895>

Definition: A key that enables two or more records belonging to the same individual to be brought together. It is represented by a code consisting of the 2nd, 3rd and 5th characters of a person's family name, the 2nd and 3rd letters of the persons' given name, the day, month and year that the person was born and the sex of the person, concatenated in that order.

Components: Report the statistical linkage key for the child.

Rationale: The intention of this data element is to create a unique key for each child, however in practice, it is possible for more than one child to have identical SLK. This level of accuracy still allows the SLK to be used in data linkage for statistical analysis, for which 100% accuracy in matching is not required, however it is not possible to use the SLK in data matching for administrative purposes.

Inclusions: Include in the following order:
  • the 2nd, 3rd and 5th characters of the child's family name,
  • the 2nd and 3rd characters of the child's given name,
  • the day, month and year that the child was born, and
  • the sex of the child.

Exclusions: Exclude the following components:
  • the 1st, 4th, 6th and subsequent characters of a child's family name, and
  • the 1st, 4th and subsequent characters of the child's given name.

Representation class: Code

Data type: String

Format: XXXXXDDMMYYYYN, for example BGRUK021120072

Maximum character length: 14

Counting rules:
  • Ensure that each associated data element is collected using the appropriate collection instructions. Refer to the individual data element summaries for further information:
      • Date of birth
      • Letters of family name
      • Letters of given name
      • Sex

Additional information: The linkage key makes it possible to count the number of children and the services they received, without counting the same child more than once. It can also be used for linking to other related data collections.



Suburb/town/locality

Technical name: Person (address) - suburb/town/locality name, text [A(50)]

METeOR identifier: 287326

METeOR link: <http://meteor.aihw.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/287326>

Related aggregate data element: Service provider organisation - suburb/town/locality name

Definition: The full name of the locality contained within the specific address of a person, as represented by text.

Components: Report the suburb/town/locality name which identifies the place of usual residence of the child's parent or guardian.

Rationale: To identify and record the place of usual residence of the child's parent or guardian. This information, when combined with the 'address line', 'postcode' and 'Australian state/territory identifier' child level data elements, can be used to identify the corresponding 'area of usual residence (CD)' code.

Inclusions: Include the suburb, town or locality name which identifies the place of usual residence of the child's parent or guardian.

Exclusions: The suburb of a post office box or other non-residential address of the child's parent or guardian.

Representation class: Text

Data type: String

Format: [A(50)], for example, Gawler

Maximum character length: 50

Supplementary inputs:
  • 'Not stated/inadequately described'
  • 'Unknown' - where the address of the child is unknown
  • 'Overseas address' - where the child's place of usual residence is located overseas
  • 'No fixed address' - where the child has no fixed address or is homeless

Counting rules:
  • The locality name may be a town, city, suburb or commonly used location name such as a large agricultural property or Aboriginal community.
  • Collect comprehensive details which identify the place of usual residence of the child's parent of guardian.
  • Suburb/town/locality name information must correspond to all other address information collected, which may include:
      • Address line:
          • Apartment/Flat/Unit number (if any)
          • House/property number
          • Street name
      • Postcode
      • Australian state/territory identifier
  • Do not collect the suburb of the post office box or other non-residential address of the child's parent or guardian.
  • Identify the place of usual residence of the parent or guardian with whom the child spends the majority of their time.
  • For boarders at a boarding school, report the address of the boarding school or college.
  • Include those children who are living outside of the jurisdiction's borders if the child attends preschool within the jurisdiction.

Additional information:

When collecting the geographical location of a person's usual place of residence, the ABS recommends that 'usual' be defined as: 'the place where the person has or intends to live for 6 months of more, or the place that the person regards as their main residence, or where the person has no other residence, the place they currently reside.'

If a jurisdiction is able to accurately code address to CD and provide detailed information on coding process and validations made, there is no requirement to provide this data element. Where the address is unknown, identify the reason for the unknown response and document any follow-up processes undertaken.







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