Despite improvements to early education, more children are starting school developmentally behind. What’s going on?

So far, 2025 has been a horror year for early education and care. Much of the recent media and political coverage about childcare has focused on safety. This is understandable, given the numerous, shocking allegations of abuse in the sector.

But early childhood education should be doing more than keeping children safe. It is also supposed to help them learn and develop and ultimately, be on track for school.

Our latest study suggests early education is not making as much of a difference as it should when it comes to young children's development and learning.

We compared data on children's development with their attendance at daycare, preschool and other early learning services. We found improvements in early childhood education quality since 2009 have not been accompanied by improvements in Australian children's development.