Discussion Forum Postings

Attachment E: Discussion Forum Prompts

Culture of Continuous Learning Project: A Breakthrough Series Collaborative for Improving Child Care and Head Start Quality

The purpose of the information collection is for Core BSC Teams to share information with one another, and to problem-solve around improvement practices and organizational capacity for improvement. Core BSC Team Members who participate in the discussion boards more often may be characterized as “more engaged” in the BSC process. The Study Team will conduct secondary analysis of the Discussion Forum postings to determine whether participation in such online discussions promotes more successful engagement in and implementation of the BSC for participants and to identify the most common themes and topics discussed to identify some of the challenges that Core BSC Teams faced while implementing the BSC, as well as self-identified change in practice.

This information is planned to be used to further the proper performance of the functions of the agency by examining whether engagement in online peer discussion groups facilitates child care and Head Start providers in making and sustaining quality improvements.

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 15 minutes per response. This collection of information is voluntary and all responses collected will be kept private to the extent permitted by law.

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 number for this information collection is 0970-XXXX and the expiration date is XX/XX/XXXX.

Discussion Forum Prompts

An interactive shared internet site will be developed for teams to use throughout the project as forum for ongoing sharing of ideas and collaborative problem-solving for improving practices and their organizational capacity. Teams will be encouraged to post whenever they have a success to share or problem to solve. The implementation team and faculty will also provide periodic (2 to 4 per month) discussion prompts on the site to encourage interaction and cross-sharing amongst the teams.

Topics of prompts include:

• Challenges that the teams may be experiencing related to improvement science, addressing specific drivers, or the overall implementation of the project.

• Successful changes that teams have tested.

• Specific topics of interest related to improvement science and the drivers in order to increase knowledge and skills.

• Resources and tools that the teams or faculty have found to be helpful in their implementation.

• Cross team relationship building questions that build community and encourage teams to get to one another and each other’s centers.