Measurement Development: Quality Relationship of Family and Family Services Staff in Head Start/Early Head Start

OMB No.: 0970-0355

Expiration date: 01/31/2015

Family and Provider/Teacher Relationship Quality

Family Services Staff Measure

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 15 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and reviewing the collection of information. 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 number.

The office of Management and Budget has approved the data collection under OMB #0970-0355. OPRE is authorized to conduct this study under Section 649 of the Head Start Act, as amended by the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007, codified at 42 United States Code (U.S.C.) 9844.

By Family Service Worker (FSW) we mean someone who helps families identify their goals for themselves and their child; connect families to resources and services that support the family and the child; and help families advocate for themselves. FSW are also known by many different names and titles; some examples include Family Services Staff, Family Advocates, Home Visitors, and Family Services Coordinator. The term Family Services Staff is used in all materials related to this measure.

We would like to learn about how you and the families in your program work together.

1. Since September, how many of the families you serve have you directly helped in any of the following ways:

[MARK ONE BOX IN EACH ROW.]

	None	Some	Most	All
a. Encouraged families to seek or receive services?
b. Followed up with families about whether services they have received met their needs?
c. Made appointments or arrangements for families to receive services they need?
d. Helped families find services they need?
e. Advocated on behalf of families to ensure that outside service providers are responsive?

2. Since September, how often have you been able to do the following?

[MARK ONE BOX IN EACH ROW.]

	Never	Rarely	Sometimes	Very often
a. Followed up with parents about goals they set for their child
b. Followed up with parents about goals they set for themselves
c. Offered parents ideas or suggestions about parenting
d. Suggested activities for parents and children to do together
e. Worked with parents to develop strategies they can use at home to support their child’s learning and development
f. Taken parents’ values and culture into account when serving them
g. Offered parents books and materials on parenting

3. Thinking about the families you serve, how many parents have you met with or talked to about the following?

[MARK ONE BOX IN EACH ROW.]

	None	Some	Most	All
a. How many children they have
b. How many adult relatives live in their households
c. Their work and school schedules
d. Their marital status
e. Their parenting styles
f. Their employment status
g. Their family’s financial situation
h. The role that faith and religion play in their household
i. Their family’s cultures and values
j. What they do outside of the Head Start setting to encourage their children’s learning
k. How they discipline their children
l. Problems their child is having at home
m. Changes happening at home
n. Health issues their children may have
o. Health issues they or other family members may have

4. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each of these statements.

[MARK ONE BOX IN EACH ROW.]

	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Agree	Strongly agree
a. My goal is to help parents reach their full potential
b. I help parents to reach their job and educational goals
c. I work with parents to figure out the steps to reach their goals
d. I encourage parents to make decisions about their children’s education and care
e. Parents’ beliefs about childcare and education vary by culture
f. I encourage parents to provide feedback on the services and support I provide them
g. I am open to using information on different ways to help parents and children
h. When it comes to their children, parents are the experts
i. Even though my professional or moral viewpoints may differ, I accept that parents are the ultimate decision makers for the care and education of their children

5. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with these statements.

[MARK ONE BOX IN EACH ROW.]

	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Agree	Strongly agree
a. Sometimes it is hard for me to support the way parents raise their children
b. Sometimes it is hard for me to support the way parents discipline their children
c. Sometimes it is hard for me to accept the different cultural beliefs of parents
d. Sometimes it is hard for me to support the goals parents have for their children
e. Sometimes it is hard for me to work with parents who have different beliefs than me
f. Sometimes it is hard for me to accept the choices that parents make

6. When providing services to families in your program, how often do you take into account the following?

[MARK ONE BOX IN EACH ROW.]

	Never	Rarely	Sometimes	Very often
a. Information parents share about their child
b. Whether activities are welcoming to all family members, including fathers
c. Information parents share about their home life
d. What you can do to make fathers or other family members feel comfortable at centers
e. Families’ values and cultures
f. Information parents share about their career or education goals
g. Information parents share about their “life goals”

7. Since September, how often have you met with or talked to parents about the following?

[MARK ONE BOX IN EACH ROW.]

	Never	Rarely	Sometimes	Very often
a. How their child is doing in the Head Start/Early Head Start program
b. Their child’s learning or development
c. Goals parents have for their child
d. Goals parents have for themselves
e. How parents are progressing towards goals they have for themselves
f. Problems their child is having in the Head Start/Early Head Start program
g. Problems parents may be having with their work or school
h. Parents’ vision for their family’s future

8. People vary in what they consider part of their job. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements.

Part of my job is to…

[MARK ONE BOX IN EACH ROW.]

	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Agree	Strongly agree
a. Help families get services available in the community
b. Offer parents information about community events
c. Respond to issues or questions outside of my normal work hours
d. Learn the values and beliefs of the families I serve
e. Change my work schedule in response to parents’ work or school schedules
f. Learn new ways to assist families
g. Change how services are offered to children and families in response to parent feedback
h. Talk to parents about parenting
i. Help parents reach their goals
j. Tailor my approach when working with mothers, fathers, or other family members
k. Help parents learn skills needed to succeed
l. Consider how culture shapes the way I should approach my work with families
m. Make home visits to provide support and to work on goal setting with the families
n. Help families meet their basic needs

9. If families have a question or a problem comes up during the day, how easy or difficult is it for them to reach you?

[MARK ONE BOX IN EACH ROW.]

Very difficult

Difficult

Easy

Very easy

10. Since September, how many of the families you serve have you given information on the following:

[MARK ONE BOX IN EACH ROW.]

	None	Some	Most	All
a. Employment or job training?
b. Food banks or pantries?
c. Child care subsidies or vouchers?
d. Adult education, GED classes, ESL classes, or continuing education?
e. Housing assistance?
f. Energy or fuel assistance?
g. Parenting skills group?
h. Health insurance ?

11. Since September, have you provided referrals for the following services, within your agency or the community:

[MARK ONE BOX IN EACH ROW.]

	Yes, I made a referral	No, I did not make a referral	Not applicable
a. Health screening for children (medical, dental, vision, hearing, or speech)?
b. Developmental assessments for children?
c. Counseling services for children?
d. Counseling services for parents?
e. Social services such as housing assistance, food stamps, financial aid, or medical care?
f. Nutritional screening for children?
g. Legal services?
h. Substance abuse?
i. Crisis assistance?
j. Domestic violence?

12. People work as Family Service Workers for many reasons. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements:

[MARK ONE BOX IN EACH ROW.]

	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Agree	Strongly agree
a. I work as a Family Service Worker because I enjoy it
b. I see this job as just a paycheck
c. I work as a Family Service Worker because I like helping families reach their goals
d. If I could find something else to do to make a living I would
e. I work as a Family Service Worker because I like helping children and families get the services they need

13. In the last ten years, have you received training or coursework on how to recognize signs of:

[MARK ONE BOX IN EACH ROW.]

	Yes	No
a. Child abuse and neglect
b. Domestic violence
c. Substance abuse
d. Depression or mental health issues in parents
e. Hunger
f. Developmental delays in children
g. Developmental delays in adults

14. How many families do you currently serve?

_________________ families

15. How many centers do you currently serve?

_________________ centers

16. How many years have you been working in this field?

_________________ years

17. How long have you worked at your current center(s)?

_________________ years

18. Do you have children living in your household who attend Head Start/Early Head Start now?

[MARK ONLY ONE BOX.]

Yes

No

19. Did you ever have a child in your household who attended Head Start/Early Head Start?

[MARK ONLY ONE BOX.]

Yes

No

The next set of questions asks about your background.

20. Are you of Hispanic or Latino origin?

[MARK ONLY ONE BOX.]

Yes

No

21. What is your race?

[MARK ALL THAT APPLY.]

White

Black or African American

American Indian or Alaska Native

Asian Indian

Chinese

Filipino

Japanese

Korean

Vietnamese

Other Asian

Native Hawaiian

Guamanian or Chamorro

Samoan

Other Pacific Islander

22. Do you have a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential?

[MARK ONLY ONE BOX.]

Yes

No

23. Do you have some type of family services credential that supports competency in working with families?

[MARK ONLY ONE BOX.]

Yes

No

Name of Credential: __________________________________

24. What is the highest level of education you have completed?

[MARK ONLY ONE BOX.]

Less than a high school diploma

High school diploma or GED

Some college, no degree

Associate’s degree

Bachelor’s degree

Graduate school degree

Thank you!

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