Preschool gap leaves more Australian children vulnerable as they start school

A study of 123,256 Western Australian children found preschool attendance was linked to stronger development across every measured area, with disadvantaged communities facing the greatest access gap.

A large Australian study has added fresh evidence that preschool can make a meaningful difference to how children begin school. Researchers at Curtin University examined records for 123,256 children in Western Australia and found that those who attended preschool were less likely to arrive at school developmentally vulnerable than peers who missed out. The findings, published in JAMA Network Open, also showed better outcomes across every developmental area the team measured.

The study drew on data from the Australian Early Development Census collected between 2009 and 2021, giving the researchers one of the strongest population-level snapshots yet of how early childhood education relates to school readiness. Lead author Kendalem Atalell said the takeaway was straightforward: preschool matters. The research suggests it is not only about early literacy or counting, but also about the broader set of social, emotional and communication skills children need when they enter the classroom.

That distinction matters because more than one in five Australian children already start school developmentally vulnerable, according to the Curtin team. The burden is not evenly shared: children in disadvantaged communities are less likely to attend early childhood programmes, even though they may benefit most. Senior author Gizachew Tessema, of Curtin’s School of Population Health and the enAble Institute, said no child should begin school already at a disadvantage.

The researchers also found a more complicated picture for daycare. Attendance was associated with lower vulnerability in language, cognitive and communication skills, but higher vulnerability in social competence and emotional maturity. The team said those differences may reflect the age at which children start care, how long they attend and wider family circumstances, and that the pattern deserves further study. Still, the overall message was that high-quality preschool appears to help more children arrive ready to learn, particularly if access is widened in disadvantaged and remote areas. WA Primary Principals’ Association president Niel Smith said quality kindergarten blends play-based learning with early literacy and numeracy, while also helping teachers identify children who need support early.