Post updated September 2026.
Each year, according to the Mitchell Institute at Victoria University, around one in five Australian children start school behind, and close to half of them stay behind. It's a sobering figure, but it points to something genuinely useful for families: the gap is largely about the amount of quality early learning a child has had, not fixed ability. That makes it something families can plan for.
Why the early years are so hard to catch up from
The Australian Institute of Family Studies has followed this question through the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, one of the country's largest child development datasets. Its research found that children who hadn't attended preschool or long day care at ages three or four arrived at school with roughly double the odds of developmental vulnerability in physical health, communication and general knowledge, and close to triple the odds in language and cognition, compared with children who'd had two years of preschool.
Skills like early literacy, numeracy, and attention aren't picked up in isolation, they build on each other. A child who starts school without them isn't just “a little behind”; they're often working to catch up on multiple fronts at once, in a classroom that's already moving forward.
There's a physiological reason the early years carry so much weight academically. Around 90 per cent of a child's brain development occurs by age five, according to the NSW Department of Education, with early language and cognitive pathways developing especially fast between ages three and five. This is precisely the window that a second year of kindergarten sits inside, which is why the research keeps pointing to the same conclusion: more time in a quality program during these years tends to compound, not just add up.
What two years of quality early learning builds
- Early literacy and numeracy - sustained exposure to language-rich, number-rich environments over two years rather than one
- Concentration and task persistence - the ability to stay engaged with an activity, follow multi-step instructions, and work through a challenge
- Social-emotional regulation - which research consistently links to better classroom engagement once formal school starts
This is also why we don't treat “school readiness” as a fixed checklist of things a child should know. It's a set of capabilities that build cumulatively, which is exactly what a second year of quality early learning is designed to support.
How this supports the move into Foundation or Prep
The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), which underpins early education nationally, sets out five learning outcomes: identity, connection to community, wellbeing, confidence as a learner, and effective communication. These aren't separate boxes to tick, they build on each other over time. A child who has had two years to develop a strong sense of identity and belonging, for instance, typically finds it easier to take the academic and social risks that early literacy and numeracy require, like attempting a new word or asking a question in front of the group.
This is also why school transition works best as a gradual build rather than a single year of preparation. Children who've had two years to develop concentration, persistence and communication skills tend to arrive at Foundation or Prep with more of the groundwork already in place, which frees up their first year of school to focus on the curriculum itself rather than catching up on the fundamentals.
How this looks in our curriculum
At Kids Academy, our preschool and kindergarten program sits within the Lifelong Learning Curriculum and is aligned to the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF). Rather than drilling isolated skills, our educators use intentional teaching, building literacy, numeracy and thinking skills into projects, conversation and play, so children are genuinely prepared rather than simply drilled.
You can read more about how we approach this in our guide to how we focus on school readiness at Kids Academy.
What this means for enrolment
Preschool and kindergarten rules vary by state, and a number of states and territories are progressively rolling out a second, funded year for three-year-olds under the national Preschool Reform Agreement. Availability and hours differ by location, so it's worth checking your state education department's current settings, or asking us directly.
Want to talk through the academic case for a second year? Speak with your local Kids Academy educators - they can walk you through what your child's learning trajectory could look like with one year versus two.