Fall 2021 special telephone script and recruitment information collection for program directors, Regions I–X

Attachment 23

Fall 2021 Special Telephone Script and Recruitment Information Collection for Program Directors, Regions I–X

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Fall 2021 Special Telephone Script and Recruitment Information Collection for Program Directors, Regions I–X

Introduction

My name is ___________________________. I am calling from [Mathematica /Juarez and Associates] to talk about your program’s participation in the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey, which we refer to as FACES. I am calling about [PROGRAM NAME], which is GRANT NUMBER [#] and PROGRAM NUMBER [#]. We recently sent you a letter informing you that your program was selected to be part of a research project for the Administration for Children and Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We included a fact sheet with information about the study. Did you receive a letter about the study and other materials from Dr. Lizabeth Malone, and have you had a chance to go over them? [HAVE LETTER AVAILABLE TO PROVIDE INFORMATION IF PERSON IS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE STUDY. IF CALLING FROM JUAREZ, EXPLAIN MATHEMATICA’S ROLE IN THE STUDY.]

[RETURNING PROGRAMS]: Your program participated in FACES in the fall of 2019 and spring of 2020. When we last communicated with you last spring, we planned to return in the spring of 2022 to conduct classroom observations and staff surveys. We still plan to conduct that data collection; however, the Office of Head Start is interested in learning about how Head Start families are faring during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, we have added a fall 2021 data collection to focus on family and teacher well-being. This data collection this fall will be completely remote; study staff will not visit your program. Surveys will be conducted on the web or by telephone. At this time, we are still planning for an in-person data collection in spring 2022.

[NEW PROGRAMS]: FACES data collection took place in fall 2019 and spring 2020. Your program has been selected to round out our sample of programs for the next wave of data collection scheduled for fall 2021 and spring 2022. The Office of Head Start is interested in learning about how Head Start families are faring during the COVID-19 pandemic. To address that interest, the fall 2021 data collection will focus on family and teacher well-being. Data collection this fall will be completely remote; study staff will not visit your program. Surveys will be conducted on the web or by telephone. At this time, we are planning for an in-person data collection in spring 2022. I’ll discuss details of both waves in a moment.

Is this a good time to talk? I would like to answer any questions you have about the fall or spring data collection and discuss the logistics of the study with you. I would also like to speak with you about your identifying an on-site coordinator, which we refer to as the OSC, for your program. That person will work with the FACES project team to plan the data collection activities. I would also like to explain more about how centers and program participants will be selected for the study. This call should take no more than an hour to complete. [IF ASKED FOR TYPICAL DURATION, SAY AT LEAST 45 MINUTES BUT UP TO 60 MINUTES].

[ALLOW TIME FOR QUESTIONS, RESPOND OR DEFER UNTIL LATER IN THE CALL WHEN THE TOPIC IS PRESENTED.]

To begin, I want to let you know that your participation 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 information collection is 0970-0151 and it expires xx/xx/xxxx.

Study Purpose and Basic Activities

First, I would like to briefly review some of the details about the purpose and design of the study described in the letter, and some of the activities that will take place. Please stop me at any time if you have questions.

• The purpose of FACES is to provide descriptive information about the characteristics, experiences, and outcomes of children and families served by Head Start and to observe the relationships among family and program characteristics, classroom quality, and school readiness.

• The information that comes from FACES will be used to identify strategies to improve the effectiveness of Head Start programs. Mathematica will not judge or report on the performance of individual programs, staff, or children.

If you agree to participate, the FACES study team will collect data from your program on two occasions: fall 2021 and spring 2022.

• First I’ll describe what will happen this fall.

• In fall 2021, all data collection will be conducted remotely.

• [RETURNING PROGRAMS]: We will collect data from the same two centers that participated in 2019 and 2020 data collection as long as both are still eligible for the study.

• [NEW PROGRAMS]: We will select two centers for participation in FACES.

• [RETURNING PROGRAMS: As in 2019 and 2020], in each selected center, we will select two teachers for participation. Then, we will select approximately 12 children per teacher and will invite their families to participate.

• We will ask each selected teacher to complete a brief questionnaire about the social and emotional development of each FACES child. This questionnaire will be available both on the web and on paper. We will also ask teachers to complete a brief survey about their well-being in the context of the pandemic.

• We will conduct a survey of parents of children participating in the study. As with past rounds of FACES data collection, we will offer parents a gift card after they complete the survey.

• In spring 2022, we will repeat the parent survey and teacher-child report but we will also add in an in-person component.

• A small team of field staff will spend about one week in your program, dividing their time between the two centers selected for the FACES study.

• We will work with the on-site coordinator and center staff to limit any disruption that might be caused by our visit.

• We will observe the one randomly selected classroom from each selected teacher and ask you, the center directors, and selected teachers to complete surveys.

Now, moving on to three other important points.

First, all information collected during FACES data collection will be kept private to the extent permitted by law. We will not share the information we collect with anyone outside the research team, including your program staff or parents. Programs, Head Start staff, children, and families will never be identified by name in any data files or reports of the study’s findings. However, we may be required by law to report information regarding child abuse or neglect. The study will obtain a Certificate of Confidentiality from the National Institutes of Health to assure participants that the information will be kept private to the fullest extent the law permits.

Second, field staff requirements include criminal background checks. To ensure the safety of our field staff and participants, Mathematica hiring policy requires all newly hired and rehired field staff to pass a criminal background check. Sterling Testing Systems will conduct the background checks which will include a Social Security trace, criminal conviction search, sex offender database search, and a department of motor vehicles report. For more information on Sterling Testing Systems, visit its website at http://www.sterlingtestingsolutions.com/.

Does your program have any local security requirements (such as fingerprinting) or health requirements (such as COVID tests or TB tests) beyond what is covered in Sterling clearance? [IF YES, ASK DIRECTOR TO PROVIDE ANY PAPERWORK ASSOCIATED WITH THE CLEARANCE SO WE CAN HAVE FIELD STAFF COMPLETE THIS AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE.]

Third, information collected during this study is not used for accountability or monitoring purposes. The information collected during this visit will be reported only in aggregate form with information from all 180 Head Start programs in the study. Federal staff will not receive information about specific programs, only for the entire group of programs together.

Finally, Mathematica has already obtained Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for the fall 2021 data collection in the FACES study. IRB approval ensures that our study meets scientific standards to protect study participants. Are there any additional local IRBs or other entities that will need to review the study prior to the fall remote data collection or spring site visit? [LOG ANY LOCAL IRB NEEDS IN THE FACES IRB TRACKING SPREADSHEET.]

Do you have any questions so far?

Questions about the program

Next, I want to confirm and collect some basic information about your Head Start program. [CONFIRM AND/OR UPDATE THE FOLLOWING IN THE FACES DATABASE]:

• CONFIRM CONTACT INFORMATION: Please confirm the following information: (program director name, physical and mailing addresses, phone numbers, email addresses).

• PROGRAM OPTION: Under non-pandemic conditions, is your program center based, home based, a mix of the two, or is it a locally designed program?

• If center-based or mix: How many lead teachers are associated with each center? How many home visitor caseloads are affiliated with each center? [NOTE: ALL CASELOADS NEED TO BE ASSIGNED TO ONE AND ONLY ONE CLASSROOM-BASED CENTER.]

• So we can plan for the spring data collection visit, what days of the week do you provide instruction, either in-person or virtually/remotely? Is it five days a week, four, or some other schedule? Does it vary by center? [SOME PROGRAMS DO NOT HOLD CLASSES ON MONDAYS OR FRIDAYS].

• When does your 2021-2022 program year start and end?

Now I’d like to ask some questions about changes your program may have implemented as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. [IF CONVERSATION TAKING PLACE BEFORE THE START OF THE PROGRAM YEAR]:When answering these questions, please think about what your plans are for the 2021-2022 program year.

• Will classes meet in person? Will home visitors be working with families in their homes, virtually/remotely, or a combination of both, sometimes referred to as a hybrid approach?

• [IF NOT FULLY VIRTUAL/REMOTE] Will all children receive in-person class instruction on the same days, or is in-person instruction alternated for small groups?

• Do you expect there will be children receiving Head Start services in fall 2021 but no instruction or home visits, or a “service-only group.” For example, children receiving food services only?

• Is there anything else you'd like us to know about how your program operations have changed as a result of the pandemic that would help us work together this fall?

• Finally, do you anticipate allowing visitors on site in spring 2022? I realize you may not know right now, but your best guess will help us in planning for the spring data collection.

Center, teacher, and child selection

Next, I want to explain to you how we will choose the centers, teachers, and children that will be asked to participate in the study.

• Center selection. [RETURNING PROGRAMS]: In fall 2019, we selected [CENTER 1] and [CENTER 2] for participation in FACES. Are these centers still in operation and providing preschool Head Start services? It’s ok if these centers haven’t fully returned to their pre-pandemic services. If they’re still providing in-person, virtual/remote, or food services, they’re still eligible for the study.

• IF YES: Great! We would continue with these centers for both fall 2021 and spring 2022 data collection. We will select a new sample of teachers in these centers. So I can update my records, how many total preschool Head Start centers does your program currently operate? Please include centers that are not open for in-person services.

• IF ONE OR BOTH CENTERS HAVE CLOSED: Thanks for letting me know. Because [CENTER(S)] (is/are) no longer providing preschool Head Start services, we’ll need to select a new sample of two centers for participation in the fall and spring. In order to do that, I’ll need some information from you.

• [NEW PROGRAMS START HERE; CONTINUE FORPROGRAMSFOR PROGRAMSFORPROGRAMS WHERE ONE OR MORE CENTERS HAVE CLOSED]: In FACES, we consider a center to be eligible if it has at least one preschool Head Start classroom (in-person or virtual/remote) with at least one preschool Head Start child. However, child care partnership centers and family child care centers are not eligible. From the Head Start Enterprise System, I see that you have [NUMBER] centers. These include [LIST CENTERS]. Is this correct? Do you operate any additional Head Start centers that I did not mention? Are any of the centers I listed no longer in operation? Are any of these center-based child care partner organizations or family child care centers? [READ IF NECESSARY] The PIR defines a child care partner as an individual child care center, umbrella organization operating multiple child care centers, child care resource and referral (CCR&R) network, or other entity with whom the Head Start program has formal contractual agreements to provide child care services to enrolled children that meet the Head Start Program Performance Standards.

• What is the estimated percentage of dual language learners in each center?

• Typically, two centers will be randomly selected for participation. If a program has only one or two centers, we will include all of them in the study.

• Teacher and child selection. [RETURNING PROGRAMS: Unlike in the fall of 2019,] [NEW PROGRAMS START HERE] this fall we will conduct the teacher and child sampling remotely. We will need to collect a lot of information from you about teachers, center staff, and families. Since it is a lot of information and some of it is private, we ask OSCs to use a secure file sharing website called Box to share this information with us. Will you have access to a computer and internet so that you can share this information with us securely? If necessary, this information could be provided over the phone.

• Approximately two teachers will be randomly selected in each center. If a center has only one or two teachers, we will include all of them. I will ask the OSC to provide a list of all teachers and home visitors associated with each selected center.

• After teachers have been selected for the sample, children will be randomly selected for the study. I will ask for a list of the names, dates of birth, enrollment date into preschool Head Start, whether the child participated in Early Head Start, funding source(s), and mode of instruction for all children assigned to the selected teachers or in the selected home visitors’ caseloads. As I mentioned earlier, we will select approximately 12 children per teacher and will invite their families to participate. The non-selected children assigned to each teacher may be used as backup sample if parental consent rates for the selected children are lower than expected.

Identify on-site coordinator

We will be working with an on-site coordinator (which we refer to as the OSC) from your program—someone you designate—to help us with our preparations. [IF RETURNING PROGRAM: Last time, we worked with [OSC NAME]]. You may designate one person or two people, depending on your preference. This/these coordinator(s) will be responsible for:

• Working with me to identify eligible teachers and children to be sampled for the study.

• Helping us obtain parental consent and track the receipt of consent forms.

• In the spring, helping coordinate the visit to each center and scheduling the classroom observations.

The OSC will receive an honorarium of $500 for helping us in fall 2021. If there are two coordinators, each will receive $250. We expect there will be another, smaller honorarium in spring 2022. We will provide a check in that amount as an honorarium for the coordinator’s or coordinators’ help. If you wish, this honorarium can be made directly to the program. Do you give us permission to pay the OSC directly? [RECORD RESPONSE IN PROGRAM NOTES].

Do you know who you would like this person [these people] to be? I can call you at another time to discuss this if you are not sure. [ENTER THE NAME(S) INTO THE FACES DATABASE. BE SURE TO HAVE A CONTACT PERSON OTHER THAN THE OSC JUST IN CASE THERE IS A CHANGE IN OSC!]

[IF THE ON-SITE COORDINATOR(S) IS (ARE) NAMED] With your permission, I would like to contact the individual(s) to explain our FACES procedures and our expectations of the on-site coordinator(s). [GET THE OSC’S NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION, BUT WAIT FOR PERMISSION TO CONTACT THEM.]

It is important that we establish a good working partnership with the on-site coordinator(s), as he or she is the person we will work with to ensure that we develop a data collection plan that conforms to your local requirements and minimizes the burden on your program. I will work with the on-site coordinator(s) to develop that plan, and we will send you a copy of the completed plan, which will include:

• The number of Head Start teachers in each selected center

• A schedule for selecting the sample of teachers and children

• The procedures for obtaining parental consent

• A schedule for the data collection

Next steps

• [IF ON-SITE COORDINATOR NOT NAMED EARLIER] Once you have identified the on-site coordinator, I would like to send the individual(s)-with your permission-detailed information about the study and arrange a time to discuss coordination responsibilities. It would be helpful if you could identify the on-site coordinator(s) within the next few days.

• [IF ON-SITE COORDINATOR NAMED EARLIER] With your permission, I would like to send the on-site coordinator you selected detailed information about the study and arrange a time to discuss his or her coordination responsibilities. It would be helpful if that could be accomplished soon, ideally within one week.

• In case I need to follow up with you for any reason, what is the easiest way to contact you-by phone or email? [CONFIRM THAT THIS PERSON IS THE ONE WHO SHOULD BE YOUR REGULAR PROGRAM-LEVEL CONTACT.]

• Do you have any questions at this point? If questions or concerns come up, please feel free to contact me at [LIAISON PHONE] or [EMAIL].

Thank you for participating in this important study. We appreciate your cooperation, and I look forward to working with your program!