Appendix B: ACF Endorsement Letter

Appendix B

ACF Endorsement Letter

[DATE]

Dear <<PROGRAM DIRECTOR NAME>>

We are writing to you because your program was nominated as one of the study sites in an important study, the Head Start REACH study. The Head Start REACH study is sponsored by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation in the Administration for Children and Families. Your program was nominated because of its success in reaching and supporting families experiencing adversities. Given your success, we seek to highlight your program through a case study for the Head Start REACH study. These case studies will help the early childhood field and Head Start programs learn about best practices for identifying and supporting families experiencing one or more adversities. Adversities is a broad term that refers to a wide range of circumstances or events that pose a threat to a child or caregiver’s physical or psychological well-being. The adversities that families experience are often intertwined with poverty, may co-occur, and are affected by systematic factors, such as structural racism. Common examples include (but are not limited to) families experiencing homelessness; involvement in child welfare, including foster care; and affected by substance use, mental health issues, and domestic violence. The Office of Head Start fully supports this endeavor, and strongly encourages your participation.

Head Start REACH is being conducted by Mathematica, an independent policy research organization with more than 50 years of experience conducting studies of early childhood programs. In spring 2022, Mathematica staff will be conducting interviews with Head Start staff and focus groups with Head Start parents; they will also conduct interviews with staff at organizations that Head Start programs partner with and focus groups with families who are eligible for, but not enrolled in Head Start. These conversations will help clarify the practices your program uses to identify and support parents, parents’ experiences with these practices, and opportunities to expand Head Start’s reach for families experiencing adversities. To show appreciation for everyone’s time and effort, the project team will give gift cards to participating parents and honoraria to participating Head Start programs and partner organizations.

All information collected in the course of the Head Start REACH study will be private to the extent permitted by law. All research staff are carefully trained in privacy procedures and have signed Mathematica’s confidentiality assurance agreement. Programs, partner organizations, staff, and families will not be identified by name in any reports of the study’s findings. Participation in the study is completely voluntary for programs, organizations, staff, and families.

In the weeks ahead, Mathematica will email you with more details on the help it will need from you and your staff. Members of the research staff will call you soon afterward to explain the study in detail and answer any questions you may have.

On behalf of the Office of Head Start, we would like to thank you in advance for agreeing to participate in this important study. Should you have any concerns about your program’s participation in the study, please contact the study’s project officer, Amanda Coleman ([email protected]), in the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation; Administration for Children and Families; Department of Health and Human Services.

Sincerely,

Director
Office of Head Start