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The article presents the discussion on home reading and preschool interventions reducing socioeconomic inequities in children's reading skills and future health morbidity. Topics include disadvantaged families starting the school with poorer reading skills comparing with the more advantaged peers; and experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage requiring thoughtful strategies for overcoming the additional challenges.

Background: Early reading success is predicated on language and pre‐literacy skills. Children who are behind their peers in language and pre‐literacy development before formal schooling are less likely to be proficient beginner readers, and difficulties may persist throughout primary school and beyond. We know children experiencing adversity are at greater risk of early language and pre‐literacy difficulties; we do not know the prevalence of these difficulties in an Australian adversity context. Aims: To investigate the prevalence and co‐occurrence of language and pre‐literacy difficulties in a cohort of Australian 5‐year‐old children experiencing social adversity. Methods & Procedures: Data were drawn from a large Australian community‐based trial of nurse home visiting (right@home), which aimed to support women experiencing social adversity from pregnancy until their child turned 2 years of age. Social adversity was determined by two of more risk factors: young pregnancy, not living with another adult, no support, poorer health, current smoker, long‐term illness, anxious mood, not finishing high school, no household income and no previous employment. Children whose mothers were enrolled in the control group (receiving usual maternal and child healthcare) were included in the current study (n = 359). Language and pre‐literacy skills were measured at age 5 using the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamental Preschool—Second Edition (CELF‐P2) and the School Entry Alphabetic and Phonological Awareness Readiness Test (SEAPART). Language difficulties were defined as ≥ 1.25 standard deviations (SD) below the Australian normative mean on CELF‐P2 Core Language scores. Pre‐literacy difficulties were defined as children scoring in the Beginner (versus Developing or Competent) criterion‐referenced level on the SEAPART First Sound Identification and/or Alphabet Letter Identification subtests. Co‐occurrence of language and pre‐literacy difficulties was also determined. Outcomes & Results: At the 5‐year follow‐up, 201/359 (56%) children were assessed (mean age = 5.1 years, SD = 0.1). Mean Core Language score for this cohort (91.8, SD = 15.9) was 0.54 SD below the normative mean (100, SD = 15). The proportion of children presenting with language difficulties was 24.9%. Regarding pre‐literacy skills, 43.8% of children were 'Beginner' for identifying first sounds and 58.6% for identifying alphabet letters/sounds. There was also considerable overlap whereby 76.7% of children with language difficulties also exhibited pre‐literacy difficulties. Conclusions & Implications: This is the first empirical Australian‐based study highlighting the high prevalence and co‐occurrence of language and pre‐literacy difficulties in preschool children experiencing social adversity. Clinicians should be aware of co‐morbid language and pre‐literacy difficulties in disadvantaged populations and consider both areas during assessment and intervention planning. What this paper addsWhat is already known on the subjectThe prevalence of language and literacy difficulties is substantially higher in cohorts experiencing social adversity when compared with more advantaged families. There is some evidence that adversity also contributes to pre‐literacy difficulties, but less is known here.What this paper adds to existing knowledgeThis study presents new prevalence data showing high rates of language and pre‐literacy difficulties for 5‐year‐old children experiencing adversity within an Australian context. It is the first to explore these skills in a large cohort of pre‐schoolers recruited from community settings in Australia.What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?In this cohort experiencing adversity, most children who presented with language difficulties likewise exhibited pre‐literacy difficulties. This concordance reflects how early oral language and pre‐literacy skills develop together. Clinicians should assess both skills in preschool populations—especially those working with children experiencing adversity—to ensure all children have strong foundations to become proficient beginner readers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of evidence suggests that engagement with quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) programs such as preschool can enhance children’s early development. The Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) provides a unique opportunity to explore the relationship between ECEC and children’s developmental outcomes in a full population cohort of Australian school entrants. The AEDC is a teacher-rated checklist that provides data on ECEC experiences in the year before starting school, as well as five important domains of child development at school entry: physical health and wellbeing, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive skills, and communication skills and general knowledge. In 2009, the AEDC was completed for 97.5% of Australian children in their first year of formal schooling ( N = 261,147; M = 5 years, 7 months of age). Logistic regression analyses revealed that attendance at preschool was associated with reduced odds (OR = 0.69, p < 0.001 to OR = 0.40, p < 0.001) of being in the vulnerable range (<10th percentile) on four of the five AEDC domains (with the exception of emotional maturity; OR = 0.89, p = 0.002), compared to other ECEC experiences, or care exclusively by parents. Subsequent analyses revealed that this effect was evident for children living in both advantaged and disadvantaged communities. Together, the results suggest that engagement with preschool programs in Australia may present a plausible, equitable, and modifiable approach to improving children's developmental outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A robust body of literature demonstrates the positive impact of quality early childhood education on learning and development, particularly for disadvantaged children. This should extend to indigenous children, who often face barriers to positive learning and developmental outcomes. However, research on the impact of early education specifically for indigenous children is sparse. This systematic review of the international literature identified programs in early childhood education settings targeting indigenous children's learning, development and wellbeing. It sought to identify key features of each program and how acceptable they were to the community. Twelve experimental or quasi-experimental studies assessing the impact of 11 programs met the eligibility criteria. All showed promising, if limited, effects on outcomes for indigenous children. The findings suggest there is scope for further rigorous experimental research on the impact of programs which are responsive to local contexts, and which adheres to principles for the conduct of research with indigenous communities. • Preschool education has the potential for long-term benefits to indigenous children. • Twelve studies of eleven preschool programs for indigenous children were identified. • Positive impacts on indigenous children's learning and development were found. • Further research and more rigorous evaluations of existing programs are required. • Programs and research should respond to indigenous contexts and research principles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Major policy reforms were instigated in 2008 in Australia to ensure that all children have access to a preschool program in the year before starting school. The Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) provides a means of monitoring the impact of these reforms at the population level, as teachers of all children in their first year of school retrospectively report on children's preschool experiences every three years. Early indications from AEDC data spanning the preschool years of 2008–2011 indicated that the proportion of children attending preschool remained relatively stable over this period. In this short communication, we update this with analysis of preschool trends from 2008 to 2014. We find evidence of increasing preschool attendance over this longer time frame (80.43% in 2008, compared to 91.30% in 2014; OR 2.53, 99% CI 2.44–2.62). Consistent with earlier data, children from disadvantaged communities had higher odds of non-attendance, compared to those living in the most advantaged communities (OR 2.94, 99% CI 2.74–3.15). In 2014, children who did not attend preschool were also disproportionately Indigenous and from non-English speaking backgrounds. Findings suggest that participation in preschool appears to have increased, concurrent to government efforts to promote participation through universal access. Engaging the most vulnerable families in preschool programs remains a major challenge that requires continued policy focus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]