October 4, 2007 Dear Colleague, On behalf of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, I am writing to inform you about the latest developments in the National Children’s Study. On September 28th, the study awarded contracts to 22 new study centers to recruit participants in 26 additional communities across the United States, marking a much-anticipated milestone as the study draws closer to recruitment in more communities across the country. The newly awarded centers will manage the study in 20 states. For a complete list of centers and the locations they will manage, visit http://nationalchildrensstudy.gov/study_centers/upload/Study_Centers.pdf. The new study centers were selected based on rigorous criteria: a strong ability to collect data for the study, the ability to build extensive community networks for recruiting eligible women and their newborns, and a demonstrated capability to protect the privacy of the information collected on participants. The centers will begin hiring and training staff, meeting with local community groups and health care professionals to inform them about the study, and forming community advisory boards to inform communities about developments in a range of study-related issues. Some centers will manage operations in more than one study location. Today’s announcement of new study centers follows earlier study milestones, including the 2004 announcement of the 105 study locations and the establishment of the vanguard centers (the first seven centers) in 2005. In fiscal year 2007, Congress appropriated $69 million for the study, allowing the National Children’s Study to fund the new study centers and to proceed with recruitment activities at the vanguard centers. The vanguard centers will start recruiting participants over the next year, including women who are pregnant or who are likely to become pregnant in the near future, and their families. For more information about the National Children’s Study, please visit www.nationalchildrensstudy.gov or sign up to receive regular updates at http://www.nationalchildrensstudy.gov/get_involved/stay_informed/join/. Thank you for your continued interest in the National Children’s Study. Sincerely, Peter C. Scheidt, MD, MPH Director, National Children's Study National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH National Children's Study | National Institute of Child Health and Human Development | The National Institute of Health | 6100 Executive Boulevard | Room 5C01 | Bethesda | MD | 20892