National Children's Study Greater Chicago Study Center – 6-month Continuation

The National Children’s Study (NCS) is projected to be the largest, longest, and most comprehensive study of children’s health, development, and well-being ever conducted. To date, the Vanguard phase of the Study has been successfully implemented in 40 Study Centers (SCs) with one or more Study Locations (SLs) across the United States with an estimated 4,000 children and families enrolled and actively participating in data collection. Beginning in 2005, the original seven (7) Vanguard SCs, led by academic institutions in partnership with local community organizations, implemented a centralized operational model (e.g., single information management system (IMS)). With the addition of thirty (30) new Vanguard SCs in 2007, the operational model shifted to a more decentralized approach (e.g., three recruitment strategies, collaborative networks, four IMS “hubs”). The Study is now moving towards a “national” model with four Regional Operations Centers (ROC) implementing the Study at the local level. Study Centers will enter into a Transition Period where cohorts will be transitioned to a successor Contractor leading the ROC. Northwestern University was awarded the opportunity to implement the NCS in Cook County in September 2007. When the Alternate Recruitment Schema (ARS) was initiated, the Greater Chicago Study Center was charged with recruitment and data collection per the Hi Intensity Lo Intensity (Hi Lo) protocol. In addition to fifteen randomly selected segments already chosen, thirty additional segments were chosen in which to implement the Lo Intensity portion of the protocol. Recruitment began in January 2011 and ended in March 2012. With the upcoming end of the contract period in September 2012, the Greater Chicago Study Center enters into this Transition Period ready to collaborate and move forward.