Welcome to the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study
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Why Should I Participate?
The ECLS explores how different factors—at home and at school—relate to children’s development and learning over time. This is your opportunity to contribute to research that can help your school, teachers, and students, as well as the broader educational community. Your participation allows us to answer the following types of questions:
What knowledge and skills do children have when they start school?
What educational activities do kindergartners do at home?
How do educators help children transition into kindergarten?
How well can kindergartners pay attention and control their behaviors?
How well do kindergarten programs prepare children for later grades?
Spring 2022
ECLS representatives will contact districts and schools to discuss study participation in the fall 2022 field test.
Late summer/Early fall 2022
ECLS representatives will contact schools to discuss the study activities and logistics in more detail. Study staff will work with the school staff to select a sample of children and begin notifying parents about the study.
Fall 2022
Study staff will visit schools for approximately 4 days to conduct the study activities. Kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade children will be asked to participate in engaging, age-appropriate activities in reading and math that are conducted by trained ECLS staff. The children’s parents, teachers, and principals will be asked to complete surveys. An ECLS representative will work closely with schools to arrange the in-school study activities. Every effort will be made to minimize the burden on school staff.
Information from the field test will be analyzed to prepare for the national ECLS-K:2024 data collection in fall 2023.
Fall 2022/Spring 2023
ECLS representatives will contact districts and schools to discuss study participation in the 2023-24 school year.
Late summer/Early fall 2023
ECLS representatives will contact schools to discuss the study activities and logistics in more detail. Study staff will work with the school staff to select a sample of children and begin notifying parents about the study.
Fall 2023
Study staff will visit schools for approximately 3 days to conduct the study activities. Selected kindergartners will be asked to participate in engaging, age-appropriate activities in reading, mathematics, and memory and, in some schools, have their height and weight measured. These activities will be conducted by trained ECLS staff. The children’s parents and teachers will be asked to complete surveys. An ECLS representative will work closely with schools to select the children, notify parents and teachers, and arrange in-school study activities. Every effort will be made to minimize the burden on school staff.
Spring 2024
Study staff will visit schools to conduct another round of study activities. In addition to the same activities done in the fall, principals will be asked to complete surveys. The study will attempt to follow children who move to new schools and conduct the study activities there.
After the kindergarten year, the ECLS-K:2024 will conduct study activities periodically during the children’s elementary school years. Current plans are for follow-up data collections in spring 2025, spring 2027, and in spring 2029. The ECLS-K:2024 will attempt to follow children when they move to new schools.
What do we know about kindergartners in the United States?
How do they interact with their classmates?
A lot of what we know about kindergartners in the U.S. comes from teachers and parents who participated in the previous ECLS studies.
77%
of kindergartners often or very often formed friendships
74%
of kindergartners often or very often accepted peers’ ideas
51%
often or very often comforted others
11%
often or very often argued with others
10%
often or very often fought with others
What kinds of things do kindergartners know?
The previous ECLS studies worked with kindergartners to learn about their knowledge and skills.
66%
recognized their letters
29%
knew the first sounds of words
58%
understood size comparisons such as big, bigger, and biggest
94%
recognized numbers and shapes and were able to count to 10
NOTE: Data were collected prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
SOURCE: West, J., Denton, K., and Germino-Hausken, E. (2000). America’s Kindergartners (NCES 2000-070). Retrieved July 31, 2020, from https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2000/2000070.pdf.
How do kindergartners like school?
Most kindergartners were excited about going to school and liked their teacher, as reported by parents in the last ECLS.
85%
of children looked forward to going to school
10%
of children complained about going to school
71%
of children liked their teacher
85%
of children said good things about school
NOTE: Data were collected prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2020). Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011). Data retrieved July 31, 2020, from Table C1a, https://nces.ed.gov/ecls/tables.asp.
How do schools support their families?
In the last ECLS, the U.S. Department of Education asked school principals in schools with kindergartners about involvement opportunities for parents, like visiting the school or having home visits.
75%
of schools offered PTA or other school meetings
62%
of schools offered school performances to which parents were invited
44%
of schools offered classroom programs like class plays, book nights, or family math nights
86%
of schools offered teacher-parent conferences
20%
of schools offered home visits for parent education
NOTE: Data were collected prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2020). Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011). Data retrieved July 31, 2020, from Table A2a, https://nces.ed.gov/ecls/tables.asp.
How do schools support their kindergarten families?
In the last ECLS, the U.S. Department of Education asked school principals about ways they supported their kindergartners’ families, like sending home important information.
78%
of kindergartners attended schools that sent home information to help parents prepare their child for kindergarten
86%
of kindergartners attended schools that sent home information on topics or skills that were part of the kindergarten program
96%
of kindergartners attended schools that sent home information on how to get in touch with the teacher
NOTE: Data were collected prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2020). Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011). Data retrieved July 31, 2020, from Table C2a, https://nces.ed.gov/ecls/tables.asp.
