1.2 The National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth

The NLSCY is a long-term study conducted in partnership by Human Resources Development Canada and Statistics Canada. The primary objective of the NLSCY is to monitor the development and well-being of Canada's children as they grow from infancy to adulthood. The survey follows a representative sample of Canadian children, aged newborn to 11 years, into adulthood, with data collection occurring at two-year intervals. The initial sample was approximately 22,500 children. The data is collected from several sources including parents, teachers, principals and the children themselves.

The NLSCY: A Tool for Decision-making

Making use of current research should be part of your readiness planning. The NLSCY data and focused research findings will be useful to school principals. This information will strengthen your decision-making and complement other sources of advice on best practices. The NLSCY provides a unique opportunity to link child development, home and community to school experiences. Data is collected on many aspects of the five developmental domains of readiness as well as the environments in which the child lives, learns and plays.

The survey will provide the basis for research on the impact of many factors on children's development and on their adjustment to school in the Canadian context. Such research can inform policy and the development of interventions, including where and when interventions can have the most impact on children. Furthermore, the possibility of creating nationwide indicators of readiness to learn and early school success using NLSCY and other data could give points of comparison for school indicators.

What makes the NLSCY attractive is that it follows the same children over time. The longitudinal research will begin in late 1998 with the release of data from the second cycle of the survey. Although not designed to collect data specifically on readiness to learn, the NLSCY does offer information on several important aspects of the early lives of young children.

Information can be obtained by contacting the Income Security & Social Development Studies, Applied Research Branch, Human Resource Development Canada, 4th Floor, Phase IV, Place du Portage, Hull, QC, K1A 0J9.

A chart describing the data being collected by the NLSCY can be found below.