NORC has a strong interest in and record of research related to children, including studies assessing the effects of pre-school programs, looking at the effects neighborhoods have on disadvantaged children, studying the prevalence of smoking in high schools, and measuring vaccination rates among young children.
We take special precautions when a child-focused study involves interviewing children directly. The project's protocols undergo a detailed examination by our Institutional Review Board and field interviewers assigned to collect data receive special training in the use and administration of child assessment instruments such as the PIAT, PPVT, Woodcock Johnson, and Digit Span.
Other NORC capabilities related to studies involving children include our ability to obtain and analyze sensitive data such as the records of children receiving foster care, children's educational records, and children's medical records provided with the consent of parents.