Description: The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study - Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) was designed to provide policy makers, researchers, child care providers, teachers, and parents with detailed information about children's early life experiences. Data collected for the ECLS-B focus on children's health, development, care, and education from birth through kindergarten entry.

Population: Nationally representative sample of 14,000 children born in 2001 (and from diverse socioeconomic and racial/ethnic backgrounds, oversampled Asian children), followed from birth through kindergarten entry (2006-2007). Birth certificates are used to establish parents’ backgrounds. Parents interviewed about themselves and children at all waves; children observed and participated in assessments; child care and early education providers were interviewed; teachers provided information at kindergarten level.

Periodicity: Data collected when children were approximately nine months old (2001-2002), two years old (2003-2004), four years old (2005-2006), kindergarten level or higher (2006), not yet in kindergarten or higher (2007).

Additional relevant topics covered in this dataset: Fatherhood roles, parents' education

(Information adapted from the publisher)

For more information, please see the Compendium of Family-Self Sufficiency Databases.