The first longitudinal survey to provide policy-makers with information about the early years of children in Scotland is to be launched in April.
The Growing Up in Scotland survey will conduct 8,000 interviews a year.
It will visit two cohorts of children, aged 10 months and 34 months at the start of the survey, each year until the age of five, then they will be monitored at key transition points through adolescence.
Simon Anderson, co-director of the Scottish Centre for Social Research, which is undertaking initial research for the Scottish Executive, said the survey would cover all aspects of early years, including health, childcare and family support.
"This is different because of the intensity of the focus on early years. It is driven by the needs of policy rather than academic interest," he said.
