A major national survey has found that more than 700 Townsville children in their first year of school in 2018 weren’t ready across at least one of five key development categories.

The Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) sees teachers complete a questionnaire based a child’s development in their physical health and wellbeing, social competence, emotional maturity, communication and language and cognition.

In 2018, the survey included 2632 Townsville children with 27.3 per cent deemed ‘developmentally vulnerable’ in at least one indicator – more than five percentage points worse than the national average.

Townsville was again significantly above the national average for children with two or more vulnerabilities at just over 16 per cent compared with the national average of 11 per cent.

Townsville Hospital and Health Service Board Chair Tony Mooney said the AEDC report makes for sobering reading.

“We know how important a good education is to lead a happy, healthy and productive life and this data shows that one in four of our kids is at a disadvantage right from the beginning of school,” he said.

“The Townsville Hospital and Health Service want our kids to be national leaders not languishing in the middle of the pack.

“A key component of this study speaks to the health and wellness of a child in their early years which is the focus of a major local campaign being run across Townsville right now.”

The Townsville Hospital and Health Service in May launched its inaugural marketing campaign Your Child Lives With Your Choices.

At the heart of the campaign is the premise that the choices parents make from conception to when a child turns two years old can set them up for a lifetime of good health.

The campaign shares advice from health professionals and stories from parents who accessed services provided by Townsville HHS, including the free growth and development checks available at Kirwan Community Health Service on Thuringowa Drive.

Acting nurse unit manager of Child Youth and Family Health Michele Moretto said growth and development checks were essential in tracking a child’s progress from “head to toe” between the ages of zero and five.

“What we do is we look at the whole picture for your child at different stages of their development,” she said.

“We check their height and weight, look at how they there are playing and interacting with Mum and Dad, what their diet is like and see how they are tracking in terms of the expected developmental milestones and their given age.

“We want to ensure children are meeting their developmental milestones in preparation for school readiness.

“It is about giving parents a sense of where their child is and providing some simple, practical advice that doesn’t send people into information overload.”

Michele said in Townsville most parents had this check coincide with the immunisation schedule; however, many people were missing the check at 30 months.

“What we are noticing is because the two-and-a-half-year check does not correlate with an immunisation being due, parents seem to be skipping it altogether,” she said.

“In this case we have this huge gap of 18 months in which any development delays are not being picked up.

“If these developmental health checks are attended, early assessment and intervention can improve a child’s health outcomes and make them more likely to be ready to engage in school.”

Michele said the growth and development checks are free and can be booked by calling Kirwan Community Health Campus’s child and youth service on 4433 9000.

The campaign website is yourchildyourchoice.com.au and will run to the end of July.