Preschool programs reach most Australian children

In 2018 there were 342,479 children aged four or five years enrolled in a preschool program with the majority (95 per cent) enrolled for 15 hours or more per week, according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures released today.

ABS Education and Training Statistics Director, Michelle Ducat said: “Across Australia, more than 4 out of 5 four-year-olds were enrolled in a preschool program along with 1 in 5 five-year-olds.

Of the total number of children enrolled in a preschool program, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children made up 5 per cent (18,253)”.

This latest report shows 50 per cent of preschool program enrolments were in centre based day care centres, 42 per cent in preschools and 8 per cent across both providers.

/ABS Public Release. View in full here.