The results from the 2024 Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) are in, and they reveal a worrying national trend: developmental vulnerability is on the rise among Australia’s youngest learners.

The AEDC, one of the most comprehensive snapshots of early childhood development, measures how children are faring as they begin full-time school across five key domains: physical health, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive skills, and communication and general knowledge. These domains are critical indicators of a child’s readiness to learn and thrive.

Key findings

Alarmingly, this year’s results show that more children are starting school developmentally vulnerable than at any point since the national census began in 2009.

Nearly one in four children were developmentally vulnerable on at least one domain, whilst 12.5% were vulnerable across two or more domains - the highest level ever recorded.

Vulnerability in communication skills and general knowledge rose to 8.9%, highlighting ongoing challenges in early language exposure and support. There was also an increase in the number of children found to be developmentally vulnerable in language and cognitive development, an area directly linked to literacy outcomes.

Despite national trends, First Nations children showed improvements in language and cognitive skills, and communication and general knowledge, highlighting the importance of culturally responsive, community-led support.

However, the number of children from linguistically diverse backgrounds who were developmentally vulnerable on one or more domains increased to 27.4%.

The data also reinforces a stark reality- children in regional, remote and socio-economically disadvantaged communities continue to face higher rates of developmental vulnerability, emphasising the need for targeted, place-based interventions and equitable access to early years services.

An urgent need for place-based early education initiatives

The AEDC data underscores the urgency of our work, particularly in communities where children are starting school already behind.

These early gaps can widen over time, affecting educational achievement, employment opportunities, health and wellbeing and overall life outcomes.

At ALNF, we are more committed than ever to working shoulder-to-shoulder with early learning sites and schools to transform children’s literacy and education outcomes. Our community-led, place-based literacy programs are designed to address these gaps by equipping educators, parents, and community members with the knowledge, skills and resources to foster language-rich environments from the early years so that children are given the tools they need to succeed in school and beyond.

The AEDC results validate the importance of these efforts and highlight the importance of scaling them to reach more children, especially in linguistically diverse and remote communities.

With your support, we can ensure that every Australian child, regardless of background or postcode, has the opportunity to learn and thrive.

Support our vital work here.

Learn more about our Early Language & Literacy program here, independently proven to close the learning gap for children in marginalised communities.

Visit www.aedc.gov.au to find out more about the 2024 Australian Early Development Census (AEDC).