Appendix A

Appendix A

Introductory Recruitment Email

Note: This email will be the first email that we send to all respondents except (Head Start Education Managers and CCR&R/QI delivery contractors) asking them to participate in the survey.

Subject: Let ACF know about quality improvement in [STATE/TERRITORY/HEAD START REGION] ECE system

Dear [Insert Name]:

Early care and education (ECE) quality improvement (QI) delivery systems are an important hub for multiple activities and organizations. The Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF) Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) has asked Child Trends, a non-profit research organization, to survey ECE administrators, directors, and managers in all states, territories, and Head Start regions to learn about the training and technical assistance offered to ECE professionals to help improve a children’s learning and development. These data are being collected as part of an OPRE-funded project, the Culture of Continuous Learning Project (CCL). More information about CCL can be found here.

We ask that you complete the following survey to share important information about your [STATE/TERRITORY/HEAD START REGION] QI delivery system [INSERT SURVEY LINK]. The survey should take no more than 20 minutes, and we ask that you complete the survey by [DATE].

Your participation in the survey is voluntary. The information from these surveys will be released in a public report. The report will include descriptions of the variety of features of QI systems and state-by-state/region-by-region profiles of the QI infrastructure. The infrastructure features and policies related to QI will be identified with the state, territory, or Head Start region in the report. However, perceptions of collaboration across QI systems, all demographic information, and all responses from Head Start Education Managers will be reported in aggregate form—individuals will not be directly identified in the report. The research team will also produce an internal report to ACF with recommendations for how to use the information from the surveys, interpret the findings, and how the data could be used to inform future research.

If you have any questions, please contact Kathryn Tout at [email protected] or (612) 250-1592.

We know each state, territory, and Head Start region is unique, and that individuals in different ECE programs have different experiences. It’s important for us to hear from a range of individuals, and we hope you will take a few minutes to complete the survey. Your participation is greatly appreciated, and your perspective will provide important information to inform ACF’s work. If you are unable to complete the survey, is there someone else in your agency/organization who could complete it? If so, would you please provide the person’s name and email address so that we can send them the survey?

Sincerely,

Kathryn Tout

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 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 0970-0356 and it expires 02/29/2024. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 20 minutes per survey response.

Follow-up Recruitment Email

Note: This email will be sent to all respondents except (Head Start Education Managers and CCR&R/QI delivery contractors) who do not respond to the survey after a week.

Subject: Reminder about quality improvement ECE Survey for ACF

Dear [Insert Name]:

I’m following-up on the email I sent on [INSERT DATE] about participating in a survey about your [STATE/TERRITORY/HEAD START REGION]’s early care and education (ECE) quality improvement (QI) delivery system.

The Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF) Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) has asked Child Trends, a non-profit research organization, to survey ECE administrators, directors, and managers in all states, territories, and Head Start regions to learn about the training and technical assistance offered to ECE professionals to help improve a child’s learning and development. These data are being collected as part of an OPRE-funded project, the Culture of Continuous Learning Project (CCL). More information about CCL can be found here.

We ask that you complete the following survey by [DATE] to share this information [INSERT SURVEY LINK]. The survey should take about 20 minutes. We will plan to call your office in a few days if we do not hear from you.

Your participation in the survey is voluntary. The information from these surveys will be released in a public report. The report will include descriptions of the variety of features of QI systems and state-by-state/region-by-region profiles of the QI infrastructure. The infrastructure features and policies related to QI will be identified with the state, territory, or Head Start region in the report. However, perceptions of collaboration across QI systems, all demographic information, and all responses from Head Start Education Managers will be reported in aggregate form. The research team will also produce an internal report to ACF with recommendations for how to use the information from the surveys, interpret the findings, and how the data could be used to inform future research.

If you have any questions, please contact Kathryn Tout at [email protected] or (612) 250-1592.

We know each state and territory is unique, and that individuals in different ECE programs have different experiences. It’s important for us to hear from a range of individuals, and we hope you will take a few minutes to complete the survey. Your participation is greatly appreciated, and your perspective will provide important information to inform ACF’s work.

Sincerely,

Kathryn Tout

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 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 0970-0356 and it expires 02/29/2024. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 20 minutes per survey response.

Potential Refusal Response

Note: This email will be sent to all respondents except (Head Start Education Managers and CCR&R/QI delivery contractors) if they responded to the survey email indicating that they cannot participate.

Subject: Is there someone else who could complete the ACF survey?

Dear [Insert Name],

Thank you for your response. We understand how busy you are and how difficult it can be to find time to participate in a survey. We are hoping to gather information from all states, territories, and Head Start regions to provide the Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF) Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) comprehensive information about how ECE quality improvement delivery systems offer training and technical assistance to ECE professionals.

Is there someone else in your agency/organization who could complete the survey? If so, would you please provide the person’s name and email address so that we can send them the survey?

Thank you for your time!

Best,

Kathryn Tout