PARENT-TEACHER FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is FACES about?
FACES is about the experiences of families in Head Start and the services Head Start provides to children and their families. It asks about the growth of Head Start children, quality of Head Start programs and classrooms, and views of Head Start teachers and other staff.
Who is conducting the study?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, sponsors the study. The study is being conducted by Mathematica Policy Research, a respected, independent policy research organization whose studies of education initiatives and other programs have been used to inform national policymakers for more than 40 years.
When will the study take place? How many people will be collecting data?
The study begins in fall 2014 and ends in spring 2015. A team of six Mathematica field staff will visit your Head Start center and collect all the data over one week.
Where will you conduct the child activities? Will they be in the classroom?
To not disrupt classroom activities, the child activities will take place outside the classroom. We will assess children within eye and earshot of Head Start center staff.
How did you pick classrooms and children for the study?
We randomly selected your Head Start center and class from all eligible centers and classes in this Head Start program. We then randomly sampled children from your class.
What are you asking children to do?
Children will take part in some fun activities with a trained researcher. We will find out what language the child does his or her best and then ask the child to look at pictures, copy drawings, and answer some questions. These questions will be related to letters and sounds, vocabulary, and math. We will also record the child’s height and weight. Children will receive a children’s book for taking part.
Are you assessing all children at the same time?
No. Each child is assessed one-on-one.
How long will the assessments take?
Each child assessment will take about 45 minutes. It will take about one week to assess all sampled children in this center.
How will you provide assessment results?
We will only report results for groups of children across all Head Start programs. No names will be provided. We will not provide individual results for each child, classroom or program.
Will taking part in the study affect the Head Start services the child and family receive?
No. Taking part in the FACES study will not affect any Head Start services the child or family receives.
Is this a new survey?
No. This is the sixth round of the study. FACES is an ongoing study of Head Start that began in 1997. Prior FACES studies were conducted in 1997, 2000, 2003, 2006, and 2009.
What will you ask teachers to do?
In fall 2014 and spring 2015, we will ask teachers who have FACES children in their classrooms to complete a brief form. This form will cover the behavior and skills of each FACES child. Each form will take about 10 minutes to complete. The forms will be available on the web or on paper. In spring 2015, we will ask teachers to complete a survey about their training and background, classroom activities, and the Head Start program. The survey will take about 30 minutes. In the spring of 2015, we will also observe the classroom for about four hours to get an idea of classroom activities and children’s interactions.
What will you ask parents to do?
We will ask parents to complete a survey. We will conduct surveys in fall 2014 and spring 2015. Each will last about 20 minutes. In both the fall and spring, parents will receive a $15 gift card after they complete the survey with the potential to earn bonus amounts. For example, if parents complete the survey within three weeks of being asked to do so, they will receive an additional $5.
Do parents need to do anything beyond signing the consent?
On the consent forms, parents should include their email address and phone number so we can contact them about completing the parent survey.
Do parents need to be present for the child assessment?
We will conduct the child assessments during the Head Start day. Parents do not need to be present.
Is there a phone number parents and teachers can call if they have questions?
Parents can call 1-800-XXX-XXXX to ask questions. Teachers can call 1-888-XXX-XXXX to ask questions.
Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: The referenced collection of information is voluntary. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB control number for this collection is 0970-0151 and it expires XX/XX/XXXX. If you have comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: Mathematica Policy Research, 1100 1st Street, NE, 12th Floor, Washington, DC 20002, Attention: Jerry West.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| File Title | FACES 2014_2018 Data Collection OMB_APPENDIX C-3_PARENT-TEACHER FAQ_2014 |
| Author | Mathematica Staff |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-25 |