Research and evidence

The RSTO initiative is backed by research and practice experience.

Our approach is grounded in multi‑year studies with early years services and early years partnerships across Australia, ensuring our lead indicators, data tools and training, coaching and support are evidence‑informed, practical and meaningful to early years partnerships.

Phase 1: Building the evidence base (2016–2021)

From 2016 to 2021, RSTO focused on identifying what to measure to improve the delivery of five fundamental early years services. RSTO carried out research to develop evidence‑informed lead indicators — early signals that show whether services are high-quality and accessible to families, and whether children and families are participating in them. These indicators were published as the RSTO Indicator Guide, a practical framework that underpins RSTO’s work. The lead indicator framework was tested in seven communities across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. This testing showed that the framework could be used successfully in real‑world service settings.

What we learned

Key findings from Phase 1 showed that:
• combining (or ‘stacking’) five fundamental early years services has a positive impact on children’s health and development
• best‑practice indicators can be clearly defined to measure service quality, quantity and participation
• communities, service providers and governments are not consistently using best‑practice indicators to guide continuous improvement
• there is strong support for RSTO’s approach to addressing this gap
• performance varies significantly between communities
• services working with children and families from priority groups often report ongoing quality and participation challenges
• there are opportunities for system‑wide responses, alongside local solutions, to improve service performance.

Phase 2: Supporting data‑informed improvement (2021–2025)

From 2021 to 2025, RSTO focused on understanding how early years services use data to improve practice. This phase explored the challenges services face when collecting, analysing and using lead indicator data for continuous improvement.

Qualitative research was carried out with staff working across antenatal care, sustained nurse home-visiting, early childhood education and care local early years partnerships. A systematic review of international research was also conducted to identify effective approaches to building data literacy.

What we learned

The research showed that embedding data use into routine practice requires more than access to data alone. Services need:
• education and training to build data literacy
• investment in data systems, processes, time and resources
• strong organisational leadership to promote a positive data culture
• clear communication about the value of data‑informed decision making

How this evidence is used

These findings directly informed the design of RSTO’s tools for partners, including:
• lead indicators to show partners what to measure
• a data platform to collect, interpret and visualise data
• training and coaching to support use of the data and inform best practice.

These tools are designed to put the right data in the right hands at the right time, supporting evidence‑informed continuous improvement across early years services.