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NORC at the University Chicago

NSECE Data Users Page

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A resource for updates and information on NSECE data

The National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) is the only nationally representative survey that provides comprehensive datasets for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners studying early childhood education and care systems in the United States. NSECE provides critical insights into both the demand for and supply of early care and education across America, supporting evidence-based policy development and research advancement.

NSECE Project Overview

Please note: Some links to Administration for Children and Families (ACF) webpages may be temporarily unavailable while the ACF website undergoes updates. If you have any questions, or need assistance accessing information during this time, please email the NSECE Data Desk. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

New 2024 NSECE Resources & Reports

2024 Books of Tables: Building from the 2012 and 2019 NSECE, the 2024 books of tables provide nationally representative estimates describing the characteristics and experiences of ECE centers, home-based providers, staff, and the families they serve. The reports also provide estimates from the 2019 NSECE to show how the landscape has changed over time:

Resource Roadmap: This handout provides an overview of data files, analytic products, documentation, and trainings that users may find useful when working with NSECE data. It highlights available materials to support data analysis, interpretation, and application in early care and education research. This resource summarizes existing content and guidance for NSECE users. 

Data File Overview: The 2024 NSECE data is available in two different configurations and at two different restricted levels. Users can reference the 2024 NSECE Data Files Overview to determine which level of access is right for them.

Contact Us

Join the Data User’s Group

Are you interested in joining the data user's group? Sign up for the mailing list. 

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Insights & Updates: Household Calendar Data

Did you know? The NSECE calendar files capture household activities in 15-minute intervals across an entire week. These distinctive datasets track when children are in different care arrangements and when adults are working, studying, or caregiving, creating an unprecedented minute-by-minute picture of family coordination. Because they link seamlessly to the main Household file using standard NSECE identifiers, researchers can connect this granular timing data to demographics, income, employment patterns, and provider characteristics without needing restricted-use data or complex variable construction.

Whether you’re studying nonstandard work schedules, gaps in supervision, or how multiple adults coordinate caregiving, these calendar files offer insight into the real-time dynamics of work-family balance. See the Household User’s Guide to learn how to work with this powerful resource.

Highlights from the NSECE

orange line drawing of two people and a child

Twelve percent of children under age 6 in 2019 (about 700,000 children) lived in two-parent households where both parents worked, but at no time in the prior week were both parents working at the same time. 

Orange line drawing of a calendar and clock

Staggered work schedules can happen, for example, if one parent works only nights or weekends, while the other works only standard-hours shifts..

Orange line drawing of a piece of paper and a magnifying glass

Learn more about parent work schedules in households with young children from the 2019 NSECE!

NSECE in Action: User Spotlight

Using the NSECE to Explore Family Use of Child Care & Early Education During Nonstandard Hours

Researchers Sarah Jiyoon Kwon, Julia R. Henly, and Suh Kyung Lee used data from the 2019 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) to explore the child care arrangements of low-income parents of young children working nontraditional hours (also referred to as nonstandard hours) and unpredictable work schedules. Their findings show that fewer than half of the children use nontraditional-hour (NTH) child care, with unpaid family care being the most common arrangement.

Family structure significantly influences NTH child care utilization, and care patterns by race and ethnicity align with those seen in daytime care. The study also finds that child care subsidy use is low overall among parents working NTH, but subsidy generosity is associated with higher rates of NTH paid family child care. The authors suggest these results underscore the need to expand child care options during nontraditional hours and increase access to subsidized NTH care for families with low incomes.

Kwon, S. J., Henly, J. R., & Lee, S. K. (2026). Aligning Work and Care in a 24/7 Economy: The Childcare Arrangements of Low-Income Families Working Nontraditional Hours. RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, 12(1), 192–219.

Using NSECE Data in Your Research

Accessing Data Files

You can find 2012 NSECE, 2019 NSECE, and COVID-19 Longitudinal Follow-Up, and 2024 NSECE data at the Child and Family Data Archive (CFData).

June 2026 update: 2024 NSECE public-use and Level 1 restricted-use data are now available from CFData, including: Center-based Workforce data, Center-based Provider data, Home-based Provider data, and Household data.

Data users can also find extensive data file documentation on the CFData website, including a list of all of the variables contained in our Quick Tabulation, Main Public-Use, and Level-1 Restricted-Use files.

See the CFData overview of data levels to better understand which NSECE data files may be most appropriate for your research.

Restricted Use Data

Rich geographic information and other potentially disclosive information are available for researchers to use in Level-1 or Level 2 Restricted-Use files.

Level-1 Restricted-Use Data

Users interested in obtaining the Level-1 Restricted-Use data for the 2012, 2019, or 2024 NSECE or Level-1a Restricted-Use data for the NSECE COVID Longitudinal Follow-ups can contact CFData for those data. For Level-1/1a access, users agree to terms and conditions in a Restricted Data Use Agreement, specify the reasons for the request of each specific dataset, and obtain IRB approval or notice of exemption for their research. Codebooks for these Restricted-Use data files are available on the CFData website.

Level 2 Restricted-Use Data

Files are available via NORC. For more information, please contact us at nsece@norc.org or view an information packet.

Survey Websites

The following official websites provide comprehensive information about each NSECE survey wave, including methodology, questionnaires, data collection procedures, and key findings.