Synopsis:Early childhood development is critical for developing the human capital we need for a prosperous and sustainable society. The Australian Early Development Index (AEDI) is a population measure that provides a snapshot of children’s health, development and wellbeing in their first year of formal schooling. Australia now has 2 waves of national AEDI data on about 97% of all children – the only country in the world that has national population data of this kind.

Speakers: Frank Oberklaid OAM, MD, FRACP is the Foundation Director of the Centre for Community Child Health at The Royal Children’s Hospital and an Honorary Professorial Fellow in the Department of Paediatrics at The University of Melbourne. Professor Oberklaid is an internationally recognised researcher, author, lecturer and consultant, and has written two books and over 200 scientific publications. He is Chair of the Victorian Children’s Council, which advises the Premier and Ministers on child health policy, and chairs or is a member of several important national policy committees.

Cathie Nolan manages the Australian Early Development Index (AEDI) in Victoria and the Early Childhood Knowledge Exchange (ECKX) at the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. The ECKX works with local communities to use and access findings from data analyses; and through cooperation and discussion, find ways to link these findings to service planning for children and families. Cathie Nolan is also the Victorian convenor for the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth.