Journal article
The role of preschool in promoting children's healthy development: Evidence from an Australian population cohort
S Goldfeld, E O'Connor, M O'Connor, M Sayers, T Moore, A Kvalsvig, S Brinkman
Early Childhood Research Quarterly | ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC | Published : 2016
Abstract
A growing body of evidence suggests that engagement with quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) programs such as preschool can enhance children's early development. The Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) provides a unique opportunity to explore the relationship between ECEC and children's developmental outcomes in a full population cohort of Australian school entrants. The AEDC is a teacher-rated checklist that provides data on ECEC experiences in the year before starting school, as well as five important domains of child development at school entry: physical health and wellbeing, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive skills, and communication skill..
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Funding Acknowledgements
There are a number of key groups to be acknowledged for their support of the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC): including the Australian Government who funded the study; all schools, principals, and teachers across Australia that participated in the AEDC; and each of the State and Territory AEDC Coordinators and their Coordinating Committees who helped to facilitate the AEDC data collection in their respective jurisdictions. We appreciate their time and commitment. The authors would also like to thank Dr. Joanne Tarasuik for conducting preliminary analyses for this paper.