2024 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) Longitudinal Follow-ups

NCT07020585 | Active Not Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: HHSP233201500048I-FU
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 10,000
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) captures families' needs, preferences, and choices of non-parental care for children under age 13 and providers' child care and early education offerings. Since the NSECE was conducted in 2019, the landscape of ECE has changed dramatically. Funding for early childhood programming has grown as policymakers recognize the important role access to ECE plays for families as a work support for parents and an investment in children's future educational and economic opportunities. At the same time, beginning in 2020, the nation experienced the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to significant shifts in the U.S. economy. These circumstances likely altered parents' use of ECE and the labor market and economic forces in which ECE providers operate. The 2024 NSECE builds on findings from the 2012 and 2019 NSECE to allow for comparisons of supply and demand of child care and early education over the 12 years that span data collection. The 2024 NSECE Follow-up studies build on findings from the 2024 NSECE to allow for more in-depth information on how families search for and select care for their children, as well as an understanding of workforce career trajectories. The 2024 NSECE Follow-up studies aim to inform future policy discussions about child care and early education at the local, state, and national levels by providing data to:

• Build on the data collected in 2024 to collect additional and more in-depth data.
• Capture how low-income households learn about and make use of financial assistance in seeking and selecting ECE, with additional focus on paid individual care arrangements.
• Document patterns of retention and attrition among individuals in the center based ECE workforce.

Conditions

Children Under 13

Keywords

Early care and education; Center-based providers; Home-based providers; Caregivers; Child care; Workforce; ECE

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Search and Selection of ECE

  The household questionnaire collects information on how each household seek and choose ECE, including information about the status of ECE arrangements from the main interview, if and how households seek financial assistance for ECE, and the origin and current status of individual care arrangements used in 2024.

  January 2025 to May 2025

• Career Trajectories of ECE Workforce

  The workforce classroom staff questionnaire collects information about job transition (current employment status, current role, including occupation, work schedule, recent job search), career trajectories (career experiences in different ECE settings, wage and role progression, non-ECE career experience), current employment characteristics (compensation, current work location, work environment, job satisfaction), and current work in ECE (current title, characteristics of current position, program characteristics, wellness support, experiences of program turnover, and promotions).

  September 2025 to December 2025

Study Arms (2)

Households

Interviews conducted with households (1) with incomes under 300% of the federal poverty (FPL) and with at least one resident child under the age of 13 years and/or (2) who had used paid care by an individual in the spring of 2024. Households will be drawn from the 2024 NSECE.

Workforce (Classroom Staff)

Interviews conducted with individuals who were employed in 2024 in center-based ECE programs working directly with children in classrooms serving children age 5 years and under, not yet in kindergarten. Participants will be drawn from the 2024 NSECE.

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Households that participated in 2024 NSECE Household Survey. Households with children under 13 years. Individuals who participated in the 2024 NSECE Workforce (Classroom Staff) Survey working in center-based classrooms.

You may qualify if:

• Households which participated in 2024 NSECE (1) with incomes under 300% of the federal poverty (FPL) and with at least one resident child under the age of 13-years and/or (2) who had used paid care by an individual in the spring of 2024
• Respondents for the workforce (classroom staff) survey are selected from the 2024 NSECE respondents and were employed in early 2024 in center-based ECE programs working directly with children in classrooms serving children age 5 years and under, not yet in kindergarten.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Opinion Research Center: lead
• Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

NORC at the University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois, 60603, United States

Location

Study Officials

• Rupa Datta, PhD

  NORC at the University of Chicago

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: ECOLOGIC OR COMMUNITY
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Distinguished Senior Fellow

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 29, 2025
• First Posted: June 13, 2025
• Study Start: January 6, 2025
• Primary Completion: December 1, 2025
• Study Completion: March 1, 2026
• Last Updated: June 13, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)