The Census Bureau seeks public comment on the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) by February 3, 2026. The NSCH is “designed to produce data on the physical and emotional health of children under 18 years of age who live in the United States.”
The NSCH is sponsored primarily by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau (HRSA MCHB), with other partners varying.
“The NSCH collects information on factors related to the well-being of children, including access to health care, in-home medical care, family interactions, parental health, school and after-school experiences, and neighborhood characteristics. The goal of the 2026 NSCH is to provide HRSA MCHB, the supplemental sponsoring agencies, states, and other data users with the necessary data to support the production of national estimates yearly and state- or region-based estimates with pooled samples on the health and well-being of children, their families, and their communities as well as estimates of the prevalence of and impact on children with special health care needs.”
Among the changes proposed to the survey are: an increase of 40,000 households in the sample from 2025; revised questionnaire; oversampling in certain states (nine currently planned, with those states paying for the oversampling); and collection of respondent contact info on paper forms.
- Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; National Survey of Children’s Health https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/05/2025-22134/agency-information-collection-activities-submission-to-the-office-of-management-and-budget-omb-for
