  DESCRIPTION OF NEWWS FIVE-YEAR CHILD OUTCOMES STUDY SURVEY PUBLIC USE FILE

                      (NCHS-RESTRICTED ACCESS VERSION)

                                  CD #3


The Five-Year Child Outcomes Study (COS) Survey File and documentation include:

NOTE: All files are in ASCII.


\C5COVER.TXT  provides an introduction to the data and documentation and offers
suggestions on how to use the files.


\C5README.TXT [this file] describes the files stored on this CD.


\NEWWS\PUF\5YEAR\COS\DATA


\N5RC1719.TXT contains, in ASCII format, survey-based measures of children's
developmental outcomes, child care, and child activities.  Sample weights
used in statistical models and in subgroup impact analyses are also included.
N5RC1719.TXT includes a total of 2,332 sample members;  1,472 of these
respondents also have survey data available from the teachers of their focal
child.  The file contains 14 records of data for each COS sample member.

IMPORTANT !!!:

1) Survey responses must be weighted to make the findings generalizable
to the Full Impact Sample.  See C5COVER.TXT for details.

2) Additional child outcomes measures for the focal child and a key survey
weight variable are stored in the Five-Year Client Survey file (N5RS1621.TXT on
CD #2 of the NEWWS Five-Year Impacts Restricted Access File series).

3) Most of respondents' background characteristics and all administrative
records data are stored in the Two-Year- and Five-Year Full Sample Impact files:

N2RI1213.TXT (on CD #1 of the NEWWS Two-Year Impacts Restricted Access File
series) and

N5RI1515.TXT (on CD #1 of the NEWWS Five-Year Impacts Restricted Access File
series)

\CHAGE169.TXT A small file that contains age (in months) at random assignment of
the focal child for 169 respondents who answered the Five-Year COS Survey, but
not the Two-Year COS Survey.  See C5COVER.TXT for details.


\NEWWS\PUF\5YEAR\COS\CODEBOOK\N5RC_CBK.TXT

This file contains the data codebook, a comprehensive description of
N5RC1719.TXT. For each variable on the data file the codebook provides the
following information:  The name of the variable and its starting and ending
columns on the ASCII file, the variable's SAS informat (5.0 is the default),
the variable label, a brief description of the variable and any issues with
the variable.

(Note: The data are stored in ASCII, so informats can be changed to conform
to any statistical or econometric software package.)

The codebook also displays the N, NMISS, MEAN, Standard Deviation, Minimum, and
Maximum for each variable.  For variables with 51 values or less, a frequency
distribution is listed.  The frequencies show the value labels. These may be
copied and, if necessary, modified to be read into SAS or any other statistical
or econometric software package.


\NEWWS\PUF\5YEAR\COS\LAYOUT\N5RCIPUT.TXT

This file contains the body of a SAS input statement (variable name, starting
column, length, informat) which will read N5RC1719.TXT.  To run this input
statement in SAS you must add the word INPUT to the top line and a semicolon to
the bottom line.  This statement can be modified to input the data into any
statistical or econometric software package.


\NEWWS\PUF\5YEAR\COS\MEANS\N5RCMEAN.TXT

SAS PROC MEANS output contains the following information for all variables
by site:

N,Nmiss, Mean, Standard  Deviation, Minimum, Maximum


\NEWWS\PUF\5YEAR\COS\LABELS\N5RCLABL.TXT

SAS variable label statements for each variable of the data file.
Labels can be modified to conform to syntax rules of any statistical or
econometric software package.

\NEWWS\PUF\5YEAR\COS\TABLES

\RSP5TBL1.TXT   Response rates for survey samples

\SMP5TBL1.TXT   Displays sample sizes for key subsamples. Variable names are
                included in table headers.

Annotated impact tables of key outcomes calculated with survey data.
Variable names are listed on the right side of the tables:

  Table          Outcome

\C5RTBL1.TXT     Experience of barriers to work or abuse

\C5RTBL2.TXT     Experience of barriers to work or abuse

\C5RTBL3.TXT     Child care

\C5RTBL4.TXT     Child care

\C5RTBL5.TXT     Child outcomes

\C5RTBL6.TXT     Child outcomes

\C5RTBL7.TXT     Child outcomes

\C5RTBL8.TXT     Child outcomes


\NEWWS\PUF\5YEAR\COS\MEMOS

\S5SAMPLE.TXT:  Background information on the sampling strategy and response
                rates for the 5-Year Client Survey and 5-Year Child Outcomes
                Study (COS) Survey.

\C5VARMEM.TXT:  Background information on outcomes recorded from survey
                interviews and additional outcome measures created from
                these data.
