The Preschool Education industry has shown improved performance in recent years. Revenue is expected to climb at an annualised 0.5% over the five years through 2025-26 to $3.9 billion. This includes a 0.5% slump in 2025-26, resulting from a strengthening Child Care Services industry, a direct competitor to preschools. Federal funding, like the National Quality Framework (NQF), provided clear national standards for early childhood education and care and has aided in elevating preschools’ revenue, but strict staffing ratios through the NQF have kept growth in check. Facilities can’t add new students to their classes without hiring more staff, which restricts profit margins. Changing social dynamics like a net positive migration rate and a growing population have also seen more students enrolled in preschool education. A growing number of women in the labour force has helped fuel demand, as more households need preschool services. Preschools' main competitors are child care centres, which have been increasingly offering preschool education alongside their standard services as they attempt to expand their customer base. Child care centres not only offer more flexible hours but also receive more subsidies than preschool education facilities, making them an appealing alternative to budget- and time-restricted families. The Preschool Education industry is on track to expand its revenue at an annualised 2.2% through the end of 2030-31, to $4.3 billion. Rising birth numbers and an expanding population will result in more preschool-age children in the community, while easing economic pressures will grant households more disposable income, allowing more budgetary room to engage with preschool education. Preschools that use technology, like interactive learning tools, educational programs and digital learning platforms, are predicted to outperform in a competitive market. Partnerships with edtech businesses are expected to grow, as will an emphasis on STEM, language immersion and digital literacy. The NQF will continue to raise preschool standards.

Number of Businesses statistics on the Preschool Education industry in Australia

Employment statistics on the Preschool Education industry in Australia

In 2023, approximately 97 thousand children were enrolled in a preschool program in the Australian state of Victoria. New South Wales had over 104 thousand children in preschool, while Tasmania under eight thousand children attended preschool that year.

Market Size statistics on the Preschool Education industry in Australia

Australia Employment: Education & Training: Preschool & School Education data was reported at 740.647 Person th in Feb 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 787.361 Person th for Nov 2024. Australia Employment: Education & Training: Preschool & School Education data is updated quarterly, averaging 454.640 Person th from Nov 1984 (Median) to Feb 2025, with 162 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 787.361 Person th in Nov 2024 and a record low of 310.877 Person th in Feb 1986. Australia Employment: Education & Training: Preschool & School Education data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Australian Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.G023: Employment: by Sex and by Industry.

List of South Australian Government Preschools with the number of children enrolled in their eligible year, as at the most recent data collection (Term 3 2012).

Proportion of children enrolled in an early childhood education program. Sourced from ABS Preschool Education Australia and ABS Estimated Resident Population data.

Australia Employment: Full Time: Females: Education & Training: Preschool & School Education data was reported at 335.733 Person th in Feb 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 353.468 Person th for Nov 2024. Australia Employment: Full Time: Females: Education & Training: Preschool & School Education data is updated quarterly, averaging 196.075 Person th from Nov 1984 (Median) to Feb 2025, with 162 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 353.468 Person th in Nov 2024 and a record low of 131.345 Person th in Aug 1985. Australia Employment: Full Time: Females: Education & Training: Preschool & School Education data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Australian Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.G024: Employment: by Sex and by Industry: Full Time.

List of South Australian education and child care sites, updated as at March 2013.

This dataset presents a range of data items sourced from a wide variety of collections, both Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and non-ABS. The data is derived from the November 2024 release of Data by region. Individual data items present the latest reference year data available on Data by region. This layer presents data by Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2), 2021.

The Education and employment theme is based on groupings of data within Data by region. Concepts, sources and methods for each dataset can be found on the Data by region methodology page.

The Education and employment theme includes:

Enrolments in preschool or preschool programs Attendance in preschool or preschool programs Highest year of school completed (Census)
Jobs in Australia Labour force status (Census)
Non-school qualifications (Census)
Occupation of employed persons (Census) Youth engagement in work/study (Census)

When analysing these statistics:

Time periods, definitions, methodologies, scope, and coverage can differ across collections.
Some data values have been randomly adjusted or suppressed to avoid the release of confidential data, this means

    some small cells have been randomly set to zero
    care should be taken when interpreting cells with small numbers or zeros.

Data and geography references

Source data publication: Data by region Geographic boundary information: Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 3 Further information: Data by region methodology, reference period 2011-24 Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)

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The Export Raw Scopus Data on The Integration of Artificial Intelligence in Learning for Early Childhood Educationcontains a collection of bibliometric data extracted from the Scopus database. This dataset includes information on research publications, citation counts, author contributions, institutional affiliations, and keyword trends related to the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in early childhood education (ECE).The dataset covers studies from 2003 to 2025, providing insights into how AI has been integrated into early childhood learning environments over time. Key components of this data include:Publication Details: Title, authors, publication year, source journals, and digital object identifiers (DOI).Citation Metrics: Number of citations per article, h-index, and impact factor of sources.Author and Institutional Contributions: Leading researchers, universities, and research centers involved in AI and ECE studies.Keyword Analysis: Frequently used terms such as Artificial Intelligence, Early Childhood Education, Learning Systems, and Machine Learning, highlighting emerging research trends.Collaboration Networks: Country-wise and institutional co-authorship patterns, indicating global research collaborations.This raw Scopus export is essential for conducting bibliometric analysis, identifying research gaps, and exploring future directions in AI-driven early childhood education. It serves as a valuable resource for researchers, policymakers, and educators interested in understanding the evolution and impact of AI in early childhood learning.

This report analyses the number of four- and five-year-old students enrolled in preschool education in Australia. The data is sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and is measured in thousands of students per calendar year.

This dataset presents data on education and employment available from the ABS Data by Region statistics. This release of Data by Region presents various data for 2011-2019 and Census of Population and Housing data for 2011 and 2016 and is based on the Local Government Area (LGA) 2019 boundaries. The dataset includes information in the following specified areas of education and employment: Early Childhood - Enrolment and Attendance in Preschool Programs, Non-School Qualifications, Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) Repayments, Highest Year of School Completed, Occupation of Employed Persons, Youth Engagement in Work or Study, Jobs in Australia and Labour Force. Data by Region contains a standard set of data for each region type, depending on the availability of statistics for particular geographies. Data are sourced from a wide variety of collections, both ABS and non-ABS. When analysing these statistics, care needs to be taken as time periods, definitions, methodologies, scope and coverage can differ across collections. Where available, data have been presented as a time series - to enable users to assess changes over time. However, when looked at on a period to period basis, some series may sometimes appear volatile. When analysing the data, users are encouraged to consider the longer term behaviour of the series, where this extra information is available. For more information please visit the Explanatory Notes.

Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private institutions (%) in Australia was reported at 84.73 % in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Australia - Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private institutions - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on November of 2025.

This dataset presents data on education and employment available from the ABS's Data by Region statistics. This dataset is based on the Statistical Area Level 2 2016 boundaries, and covers data for …Show full descriptionThis dataset presents data on education and employment available from the ABS's Data by Region statistics. This dataset is based on the Statistical Area Level 2 2016 boundaries, and covers data for individual years between 2011 and 2017. The dataset includes information in the following specified areas of education and employment: Early Childhood - Enrolment and Attendance in Preschool Programs, Non-School Qualifications, Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) Repayments, Highest Year of School Completed, Occupation of Employed Persons, Youth Engagement in Work or Study, Jobs in Australia and Labour Force Data by Region contains a standard set of data for each region type, depending on the availability of statistics for particular geographies. Data are sourced from a wide variety of collections, both ABS and non-ABS. When analysing these statistics, care needs to be taken as time periods, definitions, methodologies, scope and coverage can differ across collections. Where available, data have been presented as a time series - to enable users to assess changes over time. However, when looked at on a period to period basis, some series may sometimes appear volatile. When analysing the data, users are encouraged to consider the longer term behaviour of the series, where this extra information is available. This data is ABS data (catalogue number: 1410.0) used with permission from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. For more information please visit the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Notes: AURIN has spatially enabled the original data. Some data values in Data by Region have been randomly adjusted or suppressed to avoid the release of confidential details. Where data was not available, not available for publication, nil or rounded to zero in the original data, it has been set to null. Columns that did not contain any values for all years in the original data have been removed. Copyright attribution: Government of the Commonwealth of Australia - Australian Bureau of Statistics, (2019): ; accessed from AURIN on 12/3/2020. Licence type: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

List of South Australian education and preschool sites with latitude and longitude, updated as at June 2017 List of South Australian education and preschool sites with latitude and longitude, updated as at June 2017

Australia Consumer Price Index (CPI): Weights: Education: Preschool & Primary Education data was reported at 0.949 % in Sep 2025. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.949 % for Jun 2025. Australia Consumer Price Index (CPI): Weights: Education: Preschool & Primary Education data is updated quarterly, averaging 0.990 % from Sep 2017 (Median) to Sep 2025, with 33 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.990 % in Sep 2022 and a record low of 0.860 % in Sep 2024. Australia Consumer Price Index (CPI): Weights: Education: Preschool & Primary Education data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Australian Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.I: Consumer Price Index: Weights: 17th Series.

Australia Employment: Part Time: Males: Education & Training: Preschool & School Education data was reported at 39.386 Person th in Feb 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 42.387 Person th for Nov 2024. Australia Employment: Part Time: Males: Education & Training: Preschool & School Education data is updated quarterly, averaging 19.266 Person th from Nov 1984 (Median) to Feb 2025, with 162 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 48.648 Person th in May 2024 and a record low of 7.034 Person th in Feb 1986. Australia Employment: Part Time: Males: Education & Training: Preschool & School Education data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Australian Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.G025: Employment: by Sex and by Industry: Part Time.

This dataset contains a list of South Australian Government Preschools with the number of children enrolled in their eligible year, as at the most recent data collection (Term 2 2014).

For more information please see the original spreadsheet.

Source: The data was downloaded from data.sa.gov.au and spatialised by the Adelaide Data Hub using the dataset South Australian Government Education and Child Development Sites.