2016 early childhood education and care national workforce census

Executive Summary

Background

The Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) National Workforce Census 2016 (‘The ECEC National Workforce Census’) was commissioned by the Department of Education and Training (‘the department’) as part of a range of Australian Government initiatives designed to improve the quality of information used in developing and measuring early childhood policy and programs.

It is the latest in a series of large-scale collections which address information gaps in administrative data available from the Child Care Management System (CCMS). Predecessors include the National ECEC Workforce Census 2010 and 2013, the Australian Government Census of Child Care Services
(AGCCCS) and the 2008-09 Child Care Provider Survey (CCPS).

The ECEC National Workforce Census was developed specifically to address information gaps in existing administrative data sources, with respect to the ECEC workforce, participation in and provision of preschool programs and children with additional needs in child care.

ECEC National Workforce Census data will assist policy makers to better understand the challenges of providing quality child care and early learning, assess the capacity in the workforce to meet future demand and formulate strategies to support early childhood development policies.

Information from the ECEC National Workforce Census will be used to inform on-going process on the implementation of the National Quality Agenda, inform the department’s contribution to the Report on Government Services (RoGS), assist in evaluation of programs and other policy analysis. Subject to the data protocol, which sets out the principles, rules and procedures governing data access, use and dissemination of the ECEC National Workforce Census, data may also be released to external stakeholders, other government departments and researchers.