Abstract
The birth cohort study of the German National Educational Panel Study takes up the
challenge of measuring education-relevant conditions and processes as well as the development of
competencies in the first years of a child’s life. The rationale to begin “from the crib on” can be
found in results of infant and early childhood research. We review the design and main features
of existing birth cohort studies in the field of education conducted in developed countries. Most
studies begin when infants are between 6 and 11 months old with subsequent waves annually
or every second year. The most common instruments are computer-assisted parent interviews,
sometimes accompanied by additional self-completion modules, or completely self-administered
questionnaires. We discuss early childhood developmental indicators and instruments that can
be applied in large-scale assessments carried out in private homes. We favor measurements with
predictive validity for subsequent development. The birth cohort study will start in 2012 with a
representative sample of 3,000 children born in Germany in this year.
