(26) Telephone script for on-site coordinators - Spring 2017

Attachment 26 OMB Number: 0970-0151

Expiration Date: XX/XX/XXXX

HEAD START FAMILY AND CHILD EXPERIENCES SURVEY

Telephone script for ON-SITE COORDINATORS (PREVIOUSLY APPROVED, REVISED SPRING 2017)

INTRODUCTION

My name is ___________________________. I am calling from [Mathematica Policy Research/Juarez and Associates] to speak with you about your program’s participation in the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey 2014-2018 (which we refer to as FACES). We received authorization from [PROGRAM DIRECTOR] to contact you, and I recently sent you a letter and fact sheet about this research project for the Administration for Children and Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Did you receive the letter and fact sheet? Have you had a chance to review them? [HAVE LETTER AVAILABLE TO PROVIDE INFORMATION IF PERSON IS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE STUDY. IF CALLING FROM JUAREZ, EXPLAIN MATHEMATICA’S ROLE IN THE STUDY].

Is this a good time to talk? I would like to answer any questions you may have about FACES, and discuss logistics and your duties as the on-site coordinator so we can begin planning the visit to your program. I would also like to explain more about how the centers and classrooms will be selected for the study. This call should take no more than forty-five minutes to complete.

[ALLOW TIME FOR QUESTIONS, RESPOND OR DEFER UNTIL LATER IN THE CALL WHEN THE TOPIC IS PRESENTED.]

Your participation today is voluntary. 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 information collection is 0970-0151 and it expires XX/XX/XXXX.

[PURPOSE OF SITE VISIT AND BASIC ACTIVITIES]

First, I would like to briefly review some of the details about the purpose and design of FACES that we included in the letter, and some of the activities that will take place when we visit Head Start centers in your program. Please stop me at any time if you have questions.

• The purpose of FACES is to provide descriptive information about Head Start children and families, and about Head Start classroom practices and quality.

• The information that emerges from FACES will be used to identify strategies for improving the effectiveness of the program and by the Administration for Children and Families and the Office of Head Start to obtain information on the characteristics and experiences of, and outcomes for, children and families served by Head Start.

The FACES study team will visit your program’s selected centers in spring 2017.

• We will and conduct classroom observations in selected classrooms.

• We will ask the program director, the center directors, and teachers of the selected classrooms to complete surveys.

I’d now like to say a few words about privacy. All information collected during the course of FACES will be kept strictly private to the extent permitted by law and will not be shared with anyone outside the research team, including your program staff or parents. Programs and Head Start staff will never be identified by name in any reports of the study's findings.

We also take safety very seriously. To ensure the safety of our field staff and respondents, Mathematica’s hiring policy requires all newly hired and rehired field staff to pass a background check. Mathematica has contracted with Sterling Testing Systems to conduct the background checks, which include Social Security trace, criminal conviction search, sex offender database search, and a Department of Motor Vehicles report. For more information on Sterling Testing Systems, you can visit its website http://www.sterlingtesting.com/.

It’s also important for me to reiterate, as we stated in the letter, that the information collected during the visit is not for accountability or monitoring. It will be reported in aggregate form with information from all of the 180 Head Start sites that participate. It will not be reported by program, center, or classroom.

Do you have any questions so far?

Next, I want to confirm and collect some basic information about the centers in your program. [CONFIRM AND/OR UPDATE THE FOLLOWING INTO THE FACES DATABASE OR ON A DATA SHEET FOR LATER DATA ENTRY]:

• FIRST, CONTACT INFORMATION. Would you mind confirming the following information? I want to be sure I have the correct information and spelling for each: (on-site coordinator’s full name, address, phone/fax, email address; center directors’ names, physical and mailing addresses, phone/fax numbers, and emails for their centers).

• NOW, OPERATING SCHEDULE. What days of the week do you operate the children’s classrooms? Is it five days a week, four, or some other schedule? Does it vary by center? [NOTE: SOME PROGRAMS DO NOT HAVE CLASSES ON MONDAYS OR FRIDAYS].

• What is the start and end date for each center for the program year 2016–2017?

We will need your help as we prepare for our data collection. It is important that we establish a close working partnership—you are the [person/people (IF MORE THAN ONE OSC)] who will ensure that our data collection plan conforms to your local requirements. We will work with you to minimize the burden on your program. Together, we will develop the plan, and then we will submit it to your program director.

[IF OSC IS ALLOWED AN HONORARIUM] We will offer a $250 check per program for your help.

We assume that most of the work can be done outside of regular work hours so it will not take time away from your normal duties. You will be responsible for:

• Coordinating the field enrollment specialist visit that will take place at the start of the data collection week.

• Providing the field enrollment specialist with lists of all Head Start class sessions

• Helping coordinate and schedule the classroom observations

Finally, I would like to explain to you the way that we will choose the classrooms for data collection.

Two classrooms will be randomly selected in each center. If a center has only one or two classrooms, we will include all classrooms. A Mathematica field enrollment specialist (FES) will visit your program at the start of the data collection period. The FES visits will last one half day.

• Now that we have laid the groundwork for our tasks ahead, tell me which is the easiest way to reach you—by phone or email? [CONFIRM THAT THIS PERSON IS THE ONE WHO SHOULD BE YOUR REGULAR CONTACT].

• I would like to find out about your availability in order to begin crafting the data collection plan for your program. When is the best time to reach you? Do you have any dates that you will not be available?

• Do you have any questions at this point? If questions or concerns come up, please feel free to contact me.

Thank you for participating in this important study. We appreciate your assistance, and I look forward to working with you and your program.

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