Australian Early Development Censes
Guide to Social competence
Resources for Queensland early childhood education and acre services

The AEDC domain Social Competence, can help to inform curriculum programming, planning and quality improvement in early childhood services.   The AEDC reveals four specific areas of social competence which support children's development and engagement as they start school: overall social competence, responsibility and respect, approaches to learning, and readiness to explore new things.

Strategies which educators can apply to support children's social competence include: gradually reducing their involvement in tasks over time to help children to learn independently; talking children through activities using questions and praising their efforts to help children become engaged in their learning and routines; asking groups of children to volunteer for a particular job; having conversations with children about how to behave at certain times, places and settings; encouraging children to talk with others about what they are doing to promote their learning and development; using non-verbal directions, eye contact, gestures and touch as cues for a child that may need help to regulate their feelings and behaviour; modelling self-regulation behaviours for children; providing repeated experiences so that children can see how their actions affect their world and the people in it, and see themselves as capable, competent and having control.

Early childhood services can also form partnerships and help families to access community services.  Some of the services families and staff can access for support include: general practitioners, community health services, maternal and child health nurses, counsellors, psychologists, child and adolescent mental health services, playgroups and parent support groups.

To access the AEDC data please visit www.aedc.gov.au. 
To access further AEDC resources please visit https://earlychildhood.qld.gov.au/about-us/publications-and-research/australian-early-development-census