Head Start Family Voices Pilot Study

ATTACHMENT A4

STAFF QUALITATIVE INTERVIEW, FORMS A AND B

H

OMB No:

Expiration Date:

ead Start Family Voices Pilot Study

Qualitative Interview for Staff

ALL MODULES

Introduction

Thank you for agreeing to participate in the Head Start Family Voices Pilot Study, and for taking the time to meet with me today. My name is [name] and I work for Mathematica Policy Research, a nationally-recognized research organization that conducts studies in early childhood education and other areas. Mathematica is conducting this study for the Administration for Children and Families to help them better understand the experiences of families participating in Head Start and Early Head Start.

This interview will last approximately one hour. As a reminder, all of the information that you share with me today will remain private; no one from your program will see or hear your responses.

Today, I will be asking you some questions about your experiences related to working with families in your [Early Head Start/Head Start] program. In addition to your answers to these questions, I will be asking for some additional information—how clear or unclear or difficult to understand the questions are. This will help us learn how we can re-word certain questions to make them easier to understand.

During the interview, I will be taking some notes about our discussion. To help me keep track of your responses to the questions, I will audio record our conversation. Again, this information will not be shared with anyone from your program; it is just meant to serve as a record of what you and I discussed. Is that okay?

Do you have any questions before we begin the interview?

begin audio recording. state the following before you begin the interview:

• interviewer name

• today’s date

• participant mprid

• interview form

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is xxxx-xxxx. The time required to complete this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the collection of information. This information collection is voluntary. If you have comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: Mathematica Policy Research, 1100 1st Street, NE, 12th Floor, Washington, DC 20002, Attention: Nikki Aikens.

Module 1: Opportunities for Family Engagement – FORMS A AND B (20 minutes)

I would like to begin by asking you about ways the program encourages families’ involvement in activities that support their child’s learning and development. This includes activities that parents do at the program, at home, or in their neighborhood or community.

1. What are some of the activities or events that your program offers for getting families involved at the program?

   • How is information about these activities or events shared with families?

   • Do families have an opportunity to express how they’d like to get involved in activities or events at the program? [IF YES, ASK: How so?]

2. If not mentioned, ask: Does the program encourage families to get involved in program leadership activities like the Policy Council or to become a member of a Committee? [IF YES, ASK: How so?]

   • Do families get involved in these activities?

   • Does the program encourage parents to share their opinions about program policies and procedures in other ways? [IF YES, ASK: How so?]

3. What are some types of things that your program suggests families do outside of the program to support their child’s learning and development? This includes activities parents can do at home or in their neighborhood or community with their child.

   • How are these suggestions shared with families?

Now, I’d like to hear about ways your program tries to work with and engage specific types of parents or families. For each of the groups that I will ask about, I’d like to hear if your program offers information, activities, or events to get them involved in program activities and in their child’s learning and development.

4. FOR EACH OF ITEMS BELOW, ASK: What are some ways that your program tries to get [GROUP] involved in program activities and in their child’s learning and development?

   • Families from diverse cultural and language backgrounds?

   • Families who have a child with a disability?

   • Fathers or father-figures?

   • Families who have many risk factors or challenges?

5. FOR EARLY HEAD START STAFF ONLY: Does your program offer information, activities, or events for getting expectant mothers involved in program activities? Does your program offer expectant mothers information about ways they can support their child’s development? [IF YES, ASK: What information, activities, or events are offered to expectant mothers?]

6. What information, activities, or events does your program offer for families who are transitioning from [Early Head Start to Head Start/Head Start to kindergarten]?

7. Thinking about the activities and efforts you just mentioned, to what extent have they been successful in getting different types of families involved in program activities and in their child’s learning and development?

interviewer note: probe as needed to obtain information about the degree to which activities/efforts mentioned for all of the above groups of families are successful.

Module 2: Program Supports for Family Engagement and Service Receipt – FORMS A AND B

(15 minutes)

Now, I would like to ask you a few questions about the resources, training, and other forms of support staff members receive from the program for working with families and getting them engaged in the program and in their child’s learning and development. We also want to hear about resources, training, and other forms of support for getting families services that they need.

8. What program staff are responsible for involving families in program activities and in their children’s learning and development?

   • How do these staff work together to get families involved in program activities and in their children’s learning and development?

9. What types of resources, training, or support does the program provide to help staff get families involved in program activities and in their child’s learning and development?

• What resources, training, or forms of support do you think are most helpful for staff?

• Are there any additional supports that would help staff get families involved in the program and in their child’s learning and development?

10. What program staff are responsible for helping families get needed services?

    • How do these staff work together to help families get needed services?

11. What types of resources, training, or support does the program provide to help staff connect families to needed resources and services?

    • What resources, training, or forms of support do you think are most helpful for staff?

12. How does the program encourage staff to follow-up with families who are referred for services?

    • How do you determine whether referrals and/or resources were helpful to families?

    • Does your program have a formal system for tracking the referrals and/or resources families receive?

    • Does your program have a system for tracking families’ progress or outcomes after receiving those resources and/or referrals?

    • Do you think the referral process in your program works well? Why or why not? Could it be improved? [IF YES, ASK: How so?]

Module 3: Working with Families – FORM A ONLY (10-15 minutes)

These next questions are about your experiences working with families, including how you work with families to meet their service-related needs and work toward identified goals.

13. FOR HOME VISITORS ONLY: How often do you meet with or talk to families in your caseload?

• Thinking about the families you work with, what are some of the goals they have for themselves and for their children?

• How do you work with families to identify goals and determine steps to reach those goals?

• What types of things do you do with families during your visits? In your opinion, what are the most important activities you do to work on these goals?

• When a family needs resources or services for themselves or their child, how do you work with the family to meet those needs?

• When there is an issue related to a child’s learning and development, how do you involve and work with the family?

14. FOR FAMILY SERVICES STAFF ONLY: How often do you meet with or talk to families one-on-one?

• Thinking about the families you work with, what are some of the goals they have for themselves and for their children?

• How do you work with families to identify goals and determine steps to reach those goals? What types of things do you talk about with families?

• How do you know when a family needs resources or services for themselves or their child? How do you work with the family to meet those needs?

• When there is an issue related to a child’s learning and development, how do you involve and work with the family?

Module 4: Components of Community Engagement– FORM B ONLY (10 minutes)

My next questions are about activities offered by your program for families to get to know one another and ways that the program encourages families to get involved in their neighborhood or community.

15. How does your program connect with the community to help families access services or receive referrals?

16. What activities or events are offered by the program for families to get to know one another?

• IF NEEDED, ASK: Are there opportunities for parents to meet during parent meetings or some other organized activities or events?

• Does the program provide families with opportunities to get to know other families who have transitioned from [Early Head Start to Head Start/Head Start to kindergarten]?

17. Does the program encourage families to get involved in local events or to volunteer in their neighborhood or community? [IF YES, ASK: How so?]

18. Does the program encourage families to get involved in internships or job training opportunities in their neighborhood or community? [IF YES, ASK: How so?]

19. Does the program encourage families to express their opinions or speak out in their neighborhood or community about decisions that are made to change or make something better in the community [IF YES, ASK: How so?]

20. Are there other ways that your program encourages families to get involved in their neighborhood or community?

21. What types of resources, training, or support does the program provide to help staff get parents involved in their neighborhood or community?

    • What forms of support do you think are the most helpful for staff?

End-of-Interview Debrief (10-15 minutes)

I just have a few more questions.

• ASK ONLY IF PERCEIVED DIFFICULTY IN RESPONDING: I noticed that you paused when responding to one of the questions I asked you. The question reads as follows [REPEAT QUESTION]. Was this question difficult to understand? If so, why?

• Are there any additional topics that we have not discussed today that you think we need to consider in developing the interviews? As a reminder, these interviews are designed to help us better understand how programs engage and provide services to families enrolled in [Early Head Start/Head Start].

Closing

We have now reached the end of the interview. Thank you again for sharing your experiences with me, and for your time and contributions to this important study.