OUTCOMES AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Two outcomes underpin performance measures for the National Partnership Agreement on Early Childhood Education and Care (COAG, 2008a), which are outlined below.


Outcome 1

All children have access to affordable, quality early childhood education in the year before full-time schooling.

This outcome is defined under the NP ECE and will be achieved when:

• All children have universal access to a preschool program for 15 hours per week, 40 weeks per year.
• Universal access to a preschool program is delivered across a range of settings at a cost which is not a barrier to access.
• Disadvantaged children have universal access to a preschool program (COAG, 2008a).

Outcome 2

All Indigenous four year olds in remote Indigenous communities have access to a quality early childhood education program.

This outcome will be achieved when all Indigenous children (including those in remote Indigenous communities) have access to affordable, quality early childhood education in the year before full-time schooling (COAG, 2008a).

To enable jurisdictions to measure progress towards the NP ECEC outcomes throughout the duration of the Agreement, six performance indicators were developed.


Performance indicators

1. The proportion of children who are enrolled in (and attending where possible to measure) a preschool program.

2. The number of teachers delivering preschool programs who are four year university trained and early childhood qualified.

3. Hours per week of attendance (where possible to measure) at a preschool program

4. Distribution of children who attend a preschool program by weekly cost per child (after subsidies) as defined by jurisdictions.

5. The proportion of disadvantaged children enrolled in (and attending, where possible to measure) a preschool program.

6. The proportion of Indigenous children (by geographic location as identified by the Australian Standard Geographic Classification), who are enrolled in (and attending, where possible to measure) a preschool program (COAG, 2008a).

Since the implementation of the NP ECE, the ECDSG have endorsed the use of operational performance indicators to report on the NP ECE performance indicators.


Operational performance indicators

1.1 Proportion of children who are enrolled in a preschool program.

1.2 Proportion of children who are attending a preschool program.

2.1 The proportion of teachers delivering preschool programs who are four year university trained and early childhood qualified.

3.1 The proportion of children enrolled in a preschool program that is available for at least 15 hours per week

3.2 Average number of hours per week of attendance at a preschool program.

4.1 Distribution of children who attend a preschool program by weekly cost per child (after subsidies).

5.1 Proportion of disadvantaged children who are enrolled in a preschool program.

5.2 Proportion of disadvantaged children who are attending a preschool program.

6.1 Proportion of Indigenous children (by geographic location) who are enrolled in a preschool program.

6.2 Proportion of Indigenous children (by geographic location) who are attending a preschool program.

Due to current data limitations, ECE data from the 2010 National ECEC Collection will not be used to calculate the performance indicators.

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