Linking the Australian Early Development Census with the National Quality Standard and The Early Years Learning Framework

The National Quality Standard recognises that every educator plays a vital role in contributing to improving quality practice and outcomes for young children. Reflecting on and using the AEDC data can assist services to achieve the National Quality Standard, as each of the AEDC domains links with NQS quality areas. For example there are links between the AEDC domains, social competence and NQS area 1, NQS area 5 and NQS area 6. NQS quality area 1 educational program and practice links with all the AEDC domains.

As the AEDC tracks children's developmental outcomes this can also help to provide context and inform curriculum decision making. 

If AEDC data indicates high vulnerability on one domain there may be more focus generally on this domain at a service level. For example community level vulnerability in the physical health and wellbeing domain could mean including additional programming to support children's gross and fine motor skill development.

NQS quality area 6 collaborative partnerships with families and communities also links with all the AEDC domains. Collaborative partnerships can work towards improving children's development in areas of vulnerability identified by the AEDC. Family is the most powerful influence on children's lives, and learning outcomes are the most likely to be achieved when educators and families work in partnership to ensure experiences planned for children are meaningful.

Early childhood educators can support families within the service or in the broader community to access resources to expand the children's strengths and support areas of vulnerability identified in the local AEDC data. 

Community level AEDC data can provide a starting point for locally driven action and community partnerships or networks to work towards improving children's learning and development outcomes.

As the National Quality Standard links with the AEDC, the data can be used by services to assess the quality of their practices against the NQS in their Quality Improvement Plan. Silky Oaks Childcare Centre in Manly West, Queensland uses the AEDC data to help inform their Quality Improvement Plan:

Tracy Longley, Director of Silky Oaks Child Care Centre:	

Our job for the Quality Improvement Plan was to focus on the needs of our family in our community, look at those domains, see where we know that there is some vulnerability and plan programs and access resources to improve that. So all those elements are part of our Quality Improvement Plan.

The Australian Early Development Census also links with the Early Years Learning Frameworks Learning Outcomes and can also be used to inform and enhance programming and practice. The Early Years Learning Framework has a specific emphasis on play-based holistic learning and recognises the importance of communication, language, social and emotional development. Understanding vulnerabilities and competencies using the AEDC enables educators to optimise responsive and intentional pedagogical strategies. 

At C&K Flagstone the service is using the AEDC to inform their programming:

Sue Taylor, Director of C&K Flagstone Community Kindergarten – Jimboomba:

We've included explicit teaching strategies around language and literacy learning as well as numeracy. Provide plenty of opportunity for children to explore those emergently, provide modelled examples for children to be able to extend their current capabilities and realise their potential in those areas and provide resources for parents to be able to consolidate that learning at home.

For example, the communication skills and general knowledge domain links with the Early Years Learning Framework Outcome 4: Confident and Involved Learners and Outcome 5: Communication. Educators might scaffold children's thinking and exploration through the use of open ended questions or talk explicitly about concepts such as rhyme, letters and sounds when sharing texts with children.

To access further AEDC resources please visit www.dete.qld.gov.au/earlychildhood. 
 To access the AEDC data please visit www.aedc.gov.au.