NEW DATA: NEARLY HALF OF AUSSIE PREPS’ DEVELOPMENT NOT ON TRACK, UNIVERSAL EARLY LEARNING SYSTEM NEEDED TO BRIDGE GAP
16 June 2025 – Nearly half of all Australian children are starting school developmentally vulnerable, with the trend worsening since 2021 [1] and underscoring the urgent need for establishing a truly universal early learning system.
The latest Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) shows developmental vulnerability among children has increased across all five assessed domains – physical health and wellbeing, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive skills, and communication skills and general knowledge.
Griffin Longley from Minderoo Foundation’s Thrive by Five campaign said the data underscored the need for making early learning and care universally accessible and affordable.
“Nearly half of all Aussie kids are experiencing complex developmental issues in the years before school, meaning they’re starting school behind and will struggle to catch up,” Mr Longley said.
“More concerningly, the percentage of children developmentally not on track has grown since the last census. This is a serious problem that demands immediate action.
“The first five years of a child’s life are when 90% of brain development occurs. Meaning if we get the early years right, we can set our children up for lifelong success.
“By building a truly universal early childhood education and care system, we can take an important step in creating the early childhood development system that will ensure all of our children get the best possible start in life and enter school ready to thrive.
The data also shows that vulnerable groups – First Nations children, rural communities, and lower-income families – are more likely to be developmentally vulnerable, and they have all recorded drops since 2021.
“The gaps are widening – vulnerable children are falling further behind their peers, and these inequities are getting worse, not better,” Mr Longley said.
“We need a universal early learning system to address these inequities and ensure every child gets the support they need to thrive, regardless of where they live or their family’s circumstances.
“In one of the richest countries on earth, access to high-quality early learning and care should be every child’s right.
“It is important to note, however, that universal doesn’t mean uniform.
“We need catered solutions like Aboriginal community-controlled early learning services for First Nations children and models specifically designed for regional communities to meet their specific needs.
“This data should be a wake-up call, but it should also be a call to action. We know what works, and we know how to fix this – now we need to build the system that gives every Australian child the foundation they deserve.”
Thrive by Five is calling on the Federal Government to implement comprehensive reforms, including:
- Establish a National Early Childhood Commission to oversee the development of a Universal early childhood development system.
- Support the growth of Aboriginal community-controlled early childhood services.
- Increase investment in inclusion support, so children with disability, developmental delays or concern aren’t left behind.
- Provide educators with specialised training, resources, and support to better serve children with additional needs.
- Reform funding for early childhood education and care, including introducing a fixed daily fee and making it free for low-income families.
- Maintain the educator wage increase beyond December 2026 to support workforce retention and quality.
- Transform childcare deserts into childcare oases, ensuring access in every community.
“Like Medicare, like our great public schools, early childhood education and care must be treated as an essential, universal service,” Mr Longley said.
“The Prime Minister desires for such a system to be his legacy, and we look forward to working with the government to make this a reality and ensure that every Australian child gets the best possible start in life.”
