National Implementation of the Australian Early Development Index (AEDI)
The Australian Government's national implementation of the AEDI has commenced. In WA this will occur in all public, Catholic and independent schools between May and July this year.
AEDI information is collected by teachers about children in their first year of formal schooling (pre-primary in WA) through a questionnaire that measures 5 domains:
- physical health and wellbeing
- social competence
- emotional maturity
- language and cognitive skills
- communication skills and general knowledge.
Community level results are made available. These can then be used to support policy, planning and action for health, education and community support.
Visit the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne website for more information ...
COAG National Agreements...
An Inter-Governmental Agreement, designed to improve the quality and effectiveness of funding to the states and territories, has been implemented. One aspect of this is the Agreement on TAFE fee waivers for child care qualifications. Another is the National Partnership for Universal Access - see below.
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Agreement to waive TAFE fees for certain child care courses
Under this Agreement fees will be waived for Diploma and Advanced Diploma of Children's Services commenced in 2009 at TAFE colleges.
Read the Agreement –
www.coag.gov.au.
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National Partnership for Universal Access
Under this Agreement it has been agreed that by 2013 every child will have access to a preschool program in the 12 months prior to full-time schooling. It will be delivered by a 4-year university qualified early childhood teacher, for 15 hours a week, 40 weeks a year across a diversity of settings, in a form that meets the needs of parents. Read the Agreement.
This COAG Agreement is a first step towards broader early childhood development reform in Australia. Areas for future action include:
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early childhood workforce development
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national quality standards for early childhood education and care
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the early years learning framework
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improving data and information about services and supports for young children and their families
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further modernising infrastructure and associated service delivery.
Updated - March 2009