Sponsoring Agencies

NCES has supported the development of a core design that achieves the goals of the study and provides the data needed to answer major research and policy questions. At the same time, the study is enriched by several supplements supported by other federal agencies.

Federal agencies contributing to the ECLS-K include:

• Administration on Children, Youth, and Families (ACYF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
• Economic Research Service (ERS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
• Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), U.S. Department of Education
• Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA), U.S. Department of Education
• Policy and Programs Studies Services, U.S. Department of Education
• National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER), IES, U.S. Department of Education

The Role of the Collaborating Agencies

Several agencies contribute to instrument content, the frequency of data collection, and sampling operations. OSEP and NCSER sponsor special education questionnaires and the collection of more extensive data on children with disabilities and their programs. The Economic Research Service of the USDA supports various components including the measurement of children's height and weight, family experiences with food insufficiency, availability of federally sponsored food in the school, and nutrition. ACYF funded the verification of children's Head Start participation.