Who

A nationally representative sample of 14,000 children born in the year 2001. The children participating in the study come from diverse socioeconomic and racial/ethnic backgrounds with oversamples of Asian and Pacific Islander children, American Indian and Alaska Native children, Chinese children, twins, and low and very low birth weight children.

When

Data collection for the ECLS-B is longitudinal. The same children are followed from birth through kindergarten entry. Information about these children was collected when the children were approximately 9-months, 2-years (2003), and in preschool (one year away from kindergarten, Fall 2005). In the Fall of 2006, data are collected from all participating sample children, 75% of whom are expected to be age-eligible for kindergarten. In the Fall of 2007, data will be collected from the remaining 25% of participating sample children who are newly eligible for kindergarten.

What

Children, their parents, their child care providers, 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).

Where

Information is collected from children, their families, their teachers, and their schools all across the United States. Unique to this study is the inclusion of fathers; fathers are asked directly about their children and their involvement with them.

How

At all waves (9-months, 2-years, preschool, and kindergarten) parents are asked about themselves, their families, and their children; fathers are asked about themselves and their role in their children's lives; children are observed and participate in assessment activities. In addition, when the children are 2 years old and in preschool (4 years old), early care and education providers are asked to provide information about their own experience and training and the setting's learning environment. When the ECLS-B children are in kindergarten, teachers are also asked to provide information about children's early learning and the school and classroom environments.