CCL Part B Statement_9152017_passback_03072018_clean

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

OMB Information Collection Request

Supporting Statement

Part B

September 2017

Passback: March 2018

Submitted By:

Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation

Administration for Children and Families

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

4^th Floor, Mary E. Switzer Building

330 C Street, SW

Washington, D.C. 20201

Project Officer: Ivelisse Martinez-Beck

B1. Respondent Universe and Sampling Methods

Up to 18 ECE programs in a convenience sample will be invited to participate in a mutual selection process; ultimately, up to 8 ECE programs will be enrolled to participate in the CCL Breakthrough Series Collaborative (BSC). To identify 18 ECE programs to participate in the mutual selection process, existing administrative lists of ECE programs in a constrained geographic area that already have been trained in the CSEFEL Pyramid model¹ will be used to identify child care centers and Head Start programs. Based on this identification, programs will be invited to an informational session on the BSC model. Next, programs will have the opportunity to complete the BSC selection questionnaire under this data collection request.

For successful implementation of the BSC, the implementation process, including the mutual selection process, cannot be prescriptive. The sites that are selected for the CCL BSC will be those deemed by the CCL Implementation Team as those most “ready” and capable of carrying out the BSC, based on responses to the selection packet. The Feasibility Study Team has asked the Implementation Team to consider size of the program as a factor in site selection because this may be related to “successful participation” in the BSC. However, the Feasibility Study Team recognizes that the size of the program cannot be the only or main factor the Implementation Team will or can consider.

All sites selected to participate in the CCL BSC also will be invited to participate in the Feasibility Study. Of the 8 participating programs, half of the sites are expected to be Head Start programs (n=4) and half are expected to be child care centers (n=4). Including an equal representation of Head Start and child care sites is critical to examine issues that emerge unique to each program type. Furthermore, we estimate that half of each type of program will be “large,” defined as having four or more classrooms; and half of each type of will be “small,” defined as having three or fewer classrooms.

Each site will have a Core BSC Team that includes individuals who participate in all BSC activities and have first-hand experience with the BSC elements. Additionally, other staff in programs who are participating in the CCL Project but who themselves are not on the Core BSC Team will participate in Feasibility Study data collection in order to measure “spread” of BSC practices. Core BSC Teams will include up to six (6) individuals from each site, including the Director, teacher(s), support staff, and a parent. We anticipate that we will engage fewer additional staff members in smaller programs than in larger programs. However, we will prioritize sampling/enrolling two types of additional program staff in the Feasibility Study: (1) someone who is a co-teacher with another teacher who is on the Core BSC Team and (2) another lead teacher in the program who is not on the Core BSC Team. Of those additional staff members who agree to be in the study and who fall within the two priority categories mentioned above, we will randomly choose from among eligible teachers to do classroom observations.

B2. Procedures for Collection of Information

Core BSC Team members will be informed of the Feasibility Study when they enroll in the BSC. The Feasibility Study includes two types of data collection: primary and secondary data. Primary data are collected directly from BSC participants. These include surveys, observations, and focus groups. Primary data collection will be handled and led by the Feasibility Study Team.

Secondary data are generated from the activities conducted as part of the BSC implementation. These include forms BSC participants fill out and transcriptions of phone calls and meetings in which Core BSC team members participate. All data collection for the purpose of implementing the BSC will be handled by the Implementation Team and then shared with the Feasibility Study Team to be used for secondary analysis.

B3. Methods to Maximize Response Rates and Deal with Nonresponse

Expected Response Rates

Due the interconnectedness of the Feasibility Study and the BSC, we expect high (75%+) response rates across all measures. However, we expect a potentially lower response rate for data collection activities collected exclusively as part of the Feasibility Study, since these data collection activities will not be required as part of the BSC.

Dealing with Nonresponse

Although we hope to gather information from a range of child care and Head Start staff, we recognize that some participants may not respond to emails and may not follow through on next steps in the process. When developing the report of findings from this data collection, we will report the participation rate and consider nonresponse bias when summarizing the information gathered. This data collection will allow the project team to understand barriers to participation among child care and Head Start providers, which will inform the ongoing work of the CCL Project.

Maximizing Response Rates

To maximize response rates, project staff will do outreach via email and phone and provide honorarium in the form of gift cards for survey completion, for conducting observations, and for participating in focus groups among early care and education (ECE) personnel

These strategies are further detailed in Part A of the supporting statement.

B4. Tests of Procedures or Methods to be Undertaken

The research team intends to pilot the measures created or adapted by the project team (e.g. Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale, Self-Report of BSC activities) using cognitive testing in order to ensure that the survey items are functioning as intended. Proprietary measures will not be tested. Up to nine people (approximately 3-4 people per round of cognitive interviews, with no more than two rounds of interviews) will be asked to review the items being tested. If changes are needed, a request for a non-substantive change to the OMB clearance may be submitted.

B5. Individual(s) Consulted on Statistical Aspects and Individuals Collecting and/or Analyzing Data

The project team for this request is led by Dr. Tamara Halle, co-project director. Other Feasibility Study Team members include Danielle Hegseth, Jennifer Cleveland, Anne Partika, and Dr. Kathryn Tout. Additional Child Trends staff or external contractors who are trained in the observational measures will assist with data collection. Additionally, the CCL Implementation Team, led by Dr. Anne Douglass, will collect data related to the BSC implementation and share it with the Feasibility Study Team for secondary analysis.

1 The Center for the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) developed the Pyramid model intervention (Fox, Dunlap, Hemmeter, Joseph, & Strain, 2003) to provide early educators with guidance on how to support young children’s social-emotional development and address challenging behavior. The Pyramid model has been extensively studied in early childhood and early childhood special education settings, and is used widely in child care and Head Start programs. For more information, see http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/.

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