Kenley Branscome

Applied Policy Analytics

Massachusetts SAC Needs Assessment Board of Early Education and Care September 13, 2011

Overview of Discussion

o Clarification of Project Scope o Modifications to Survey Questions o Survey Design & Questions Explored o Project Work Plan

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Clarification of Project Scope

Project Goal and Key Research Questions Project Goal

– Assist EEC in conducting an assessment of the needs of young children from birth to age eight and the quality and availability of early childhood education programs and services for children from birth to school entry. Will address: o What are the needs for families to support child development?

o Which children/families have access to programs they need, including high-quality early education and care programs, health care, community resources/supports?

o Are children, birth to age 8, on track to succeed when they enter school and beyond?

o How prepared is the workforce to provide effective education and care for all? How stable is the workforce? What supports are available to educators to become more reflective practitioners? o How does the workforce define and understand quality?

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Modifications to Survey Questions

Ensuring Consistency and Readability

o Modifications to sequencing and formatting of questions to improve readability and to make more user-friendly o Adjustments to ensure that all questions rely on consistent scales across survey topics, as illustrated on next slide o Modifications to ensure consistent use of terms and phrases – e.g., replace references to child care or day care with early education and care, eliminate use acronyms in questions, etc. o Introduction explaining purpose, key terms and where to go for more information o Modifications to sequencing of questions to ensure families and educators are guided through the questions in a logical and user-friendly fashion. Create screening questions for sections that apply only to subpopulations – e.g., the “school attendance module” of Family Survey

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Modifications to Survey Questions

Examples of Existing Questions

o Survey questions were selected from multiple state and national surveys that use six different rating scales. For example, the work flexibility questions use a four point scale, while the strengthening family questions use a seven-point scale o Use of different scales may be confusing to parents and educators

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Modifications to Survey Questions

Examples of Revised Questions

o Team will modify existing set of questions to rely on a five-point scale with more consistent selection options across questions and survey topics

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Family Survey

Survey Design and Administration

o Sample Design – Relies on representative sample of 1,800 families with an oversample of an additional 1,500 low-income families. Also posting similar convenience survey that will be open to all families and promoted through Building Brainpower and other stakeholder organizations – e.g., Coordinated Family and Community Engagement agencies o Outreach Campaign – Fliers mailed to all families selected for participation in English, Spanish and Portuguese with link to on-line survey and phone number for more information. Survey team will make up to two attempts to contact families by phone and mail. Incentive offered for participation o Data Collection – Data collected through an on-line questionnaire, with follow-up phone calls to families not responding on-line. Data collection will begin on October 17 and continue through November 30

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Family Survey

The Questions Will Explore

o Access to Programs and Services – Questions explore current access to a continuum of services, including early education and care programs, employment and income supports, health and dental services, supports for special needs and various types of community services o Need for Resources to Support Child Development – Questions explore parent perceptions of quality, work and schedule needs, protective factors and demographic information o Child Development and School Readiness – Questions explore range of education choices available to families, information on current early education program or school, school attendance and school expulsions

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Educator Survey

Survey Design and Administration

o Sample Design – Relies on representative sample of 415 centers representing approximately 1,400 educators and a sample of 1,300 family child care providers. Also posting convenience survey open to all educators o Outreach Campaign – Fliers mailed to selected centers and family child care providers, in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Centers will forward survey information to teachers for completion. Surveys can be completed on-line, and team will make two attempts to contact by phone, e-mail and mail. Incentive offered for participation. Convenience survey will also be forwarded to all educators in PQR o Data Collection – Data collected through an on-line questionnaire, with follow-up phone calls and e-mail to educators not responding on-line. Data collection will begin on October 17 and continue through November 30

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Educator Survey

The Questions Will Explore

o Perceptions of Quality – Questions will explore the factors that educators consider most important to the quality of early education and care services o Stability of Workforce and Professional Development – Questions will explore job satisfaction, reasons for working in the field of early education and care, reasons and likelihood of leaving the field, and perceptions of professional development needs

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Project Work Plan

Project Timeline, Milestones & Deliverables Page 8 SAC Needs Assessment - 2011