Appendix A.2. Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort 2001

The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study is designed to provide decisionmakers, researchers, child care providers, teachers, and parents with detailed information about children's early life experiences. The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort of 2001 (ECLS-B) looks at children's health, development, care, and education during the formative years from birth through kindergarten entry.

Data were collected from a sample of 10,688 children born in the year 2001, representing a population of approximately 4 million. The response rate for the survey was 74.1 percent. To be considered complete, the first three sections of the parent interview had to be completed.

The children participating in the study come from diverse socioeconomic and racial/ethnic backgrounds with oversamples of Chinese children, other Asian and Pacific Islander children, American Indian children, twins, and children with moderately low and very low birth weights. Children, their parents, their child care providers, and their teachers and school administrators provide information on children's cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development across multiple settings (e.g., home, child care, school).

At all waves of the study (at 9 months in 2001–02, 2 years in 2003–04, 4 years in 2005, and kindergarten in 2006 and 2007), parents are asked about themselves, their families, and their children; fathers are asked about themselves and the role they play in their children's lives; and children are observed and participate in assessment activities. In addition, when the children are 2 and 4 years old, child care and early education providers are asked to provide information about their own experience and training and the setting's learning environment. When the children are in kindergarten and first grade, teachers and schools are also asked to provide information about the children's early learning and the school and classroom environments.

Further information on ECLS-B may be obtained from

Jennifer Park
Early Childhood, International, and Crosscutting Studies Division
Early Childhood and Household Studies
National Center for Education Statistics
1990 K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006
Jennifer.Park@ed.gov
http://nces.ed.gov/ecls/Birth.asp