Center recruitment and engagement call script (Part 1): Center Director

ATTACHMENT A

RECRUITMENT AND ENGAGEMENT CALL SCRIPTS FOR CENTER DIRECTORS AND PROGRAM DIRECTORS

This page has been left blank for double-sided copying.

CENTER DIRECTOR CALL SCRIPT FOR PHASE 2 SITE RECRUITMENT

Goals of the call:

A. Introduce yourself

B. Describe the purpose of the study

C. Provide an overview of the study activities and invite director to participate

D. If director agrees to participate, collect additional information about the center

E. Summarize next steps

A. INTRODUCTION

Hello Mr./Ms. [CENTER DIRECTOR’S LAST NAME], my name is [RECRUITER’S NAME] and I am calling from Mathematica Policy Research about your center’s participation in an early care and education study for the Administration for Children and Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We recently sent you an email and letter informing you that your center was selected to be part of this study. We included a set of frequently asked questions with information about the study. Did you receive these materials from us? And have you had a chance to go over them? [HAVE LETTER AVAILABLE TO PROVIDE INFORMATION IF PERSON IS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE STUDY. As a reminder, participation in this study is completely 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 number for this information collection is 0970-XXXX and the expiration date is XX/XX/XXXX.

Mathematica has been contracted by ACF to conduct a project called “Assessing the Implementation and Cost of High Quality Early Care and Education,” an important study that will create a tool to measure implementation and a center’s costs of providing services for early care and education programs serving children from birth to age 5. The study focuses on measuring what a center is doing to support quality and how much the center costs to operate.

Is now a good time to talk? I would like to answer any questions you have and give you a brief overview of the study.

[IF NOT A GOOD TIME TO TALK, MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO CALL BACK]

B. STUDY PURPOSE

First, I would like to quickly review some of the details about the purpose and design of the study that we included in the email and letter. This study is interested in learning about how centers choose to invest their resources to provide high quality early care and education (ECE). We will collect information on center activities and their costs. This information will be used to create a tool to help centers and policy makers with decisions about how to make the most of their resources to support children’s healthy development. The only purpose of this study is to develop this tool. It is not an evaluation of the center.

C. OVERVIEW OF STUDY ACTIVITIES

• This study will include online surveys and telephone interviews conducted with center and possibly program staff. There are no activities involving children or that are conducted within the classroom.

• We will schedule interviews at a time that is convenient for you and your staff, and we will collect information in a way that is easiest for you. If you choose to participate, a study representative will request a staff roster in order to invite teaching and administrative staff to complete a short survey.

• We will collect information about the center and community characteristics, and identify staff that are most knowledgeable about the center’s finances and education programming. We may need to speak with more than one staff person, depending on who is most knowledgeable about each topic.

• We will conduct telephone interviews with the center director, and other staff such as an education specialist and finance manager to gather information. The staff members most knowledgeable about our topics of interest may be at the center or at the program office.

• We will also ask staff members at the center to complete a time-use survey online. Each person who completes a survey will receive a $10 gift card as a token of our appreciation. They will have the option of completing the survey on paper, if they prefer.

• Finally, after speaking with staff, we may also conduct follow-up interviews to obtain any missing information.

All of the information we collect will remain private and will be used only for research purposes. None of the information shared by participating centers will be attributed to individual centers. Participating centers will receive a $350 gift card.

We greatly value your time and the center staff’s time and will appreciate any help you can give us to complete this important study. We will be flexible in working with center staff to make efficient use of time.

Do you have any questions about the study purpose or your center’s involvement?

Would you be willing for your center to participate in this important study?

[IF YES, CONTINUE TO SECTION D (QUESTIONS FOR CENTER DIRECTOR)]

[IF NEED ADDITIONAL TIME TO CONFIRM PARTICIPATION, SAY]: Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. When would be a good time for us to check in about your center’s participation in the study? [OBTAIN MAILING/EMAIL ADDRESS OR CONFIRM IF ALREADY ON FILE]

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at [MPR LIAISON PHONE] or by email at [MPR LIAISON EMAIL].

[IF NEED PROGRAM OFFICE PERMISSION TO PARTICIPATE, SAY:] Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. Who would be the best person at the program office for us to ask about your center’s participation in the study? [OBTAIN NAME, PHONE/FAX NUMBER, AND EMAIL/MAILING ADDRESS].

[IF CENTER DIRECTOR HESITANT, USE THE FOLLOWING PROBES]

• Is the time involved or number of activities one of your concerns?

• [IF YES]: Reiterate the study’s flexibility in scheduling a convenient time for data collection.

• Do you have concerns about the study’s purpose? Do you have any additional questions about the study?

• [IF YES]: Provide additional explanation about the study’s purpose, that it is not a monitoring or evaluation study, it is about developing a tool and relies on a partnership with centers to ensure that what is developed will benefit ECE programs/centers, and answer any questions they might have.

• Do you have any other concerns that I haven’t yet addressed?

[THANK THE DIRECTOR, END CALL, AND DOCUMENT DISCUSSION]

D. QUESTIONS FOR CENTER DIRECTOR

Next, I want to collect some basic information about your center and the names and contact information of people in various positions who would help in the data collection.

• [CONFIRM CONTACT INFORMATION]: Please confirm the following information about your center?

  • [CENTER NAME, PHYSICAL ADDRESS, MAILING ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER, FAX NUMBER]

  • What is the name, title, and contact information for the person in charge of maintaining the financial records of the center, and who is most knowledgeable about center finances?

    • [COLLECT NAME, PHONE NUMBER AND EMAIL ADDRESS FOR COST CONTACT]

  • What is the name, title, and contact information for the person who oversees the educational program at your center?

    • [COLLECT NAME, PHONE NUMBER AND EMAIL ADDRESS FOR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING CONTACT]

• [COLLECT CENTER CHARACTERISTICS]: Now, I would like to confirm some additional information about your center.

  • How long has the center been in operation?

  • Can you confirm the center currently participates in [Fill in name of state QRIS (quality rating and improvement system)]?

    • [IF YES]: Can you confirm the center’s current QRIS rating?

  • Is your center accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) or by another accrediting entity?

    • [IF BY ANOTHER ACCREDITING BODY, COLLECT NAME OF ENTITY]

  • What are the ages of children served at the center?

  • What is the center’s licensed capacity?

  • How many classrooms serving children ages 0-5 does the center have?

  • What days of the week does the center operate?

  • What time does the center’s program start and end each day?

    • Are the hours the same every day or does it vary? [Specify hours per day if it varies]

  • What months of the year does the center serve children, for example, all 12 months or following the school year schedule?

  • Is the center for-profit or not-for-profit?

  • Is the center part of a multi-site organization? [Multi-site means that the center is part of a group of centers in other physical locations that are all owned/operated by the same entity]

    • [IF YES]: How many other centers are part of the organization? [Probe: Fewer than 10, 10 to 39, or 40 or more]

  • Is the center part of a larger organization? [Part of a larger organization means the center is part of and shares resources/staff with a larger organization, such as a YMCA, university, or other social service agency]

  • [Skip this intro question IF THIS IS A KNOWN hEAD sTART PROGRAM and just ask follow-up below] Does the center receive Head Start funds?

    • Approximately what percentage of children in the center are funded by Head Start? [Probe: More than 50%?]

  • Does the center receive state PreK funding?

    • Approximately what percentage of children in the center are funded with state PreK funds? [Probe: More than 50%?]

  • Does the center serve children who are supported with subsidies for child care, such as through [Insert state-specific term for CCDF or TANF subsidies]?

    • Approximately what percentage of children in the center receive subsidies to pay for their care? [Probe: More than 50%?]

  • Does the center receive other types of public funding? If so, what kind?

• Have there been any major changes to the center’s operations in the last two years? [Examples: added classrooms, adapted a new curriculum]

E. NEXT STEPS

• I will be in touch in the next few days to confirm whether your center has been selected for the study.

• In case I need to follow up with you for any reason, what is the easiest way to contact you—by phone or email? [CONFIRM THAT THIS PERSON IS THE ONE WHO SHOULD BE YOUR REGULAR CONTACT]

• Do you have any questions at this point? If questions or concerns come up, please feel free to contact me at [MPR LIAISON PHONE] or by email at [MPR LIAISON EMAIL].

• Thank you for participating in this important study. We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to working with your center.

PROGRAM RECRUITMENT CALL SCRIPT FOR PHASE 2 SITE RECRUITMENT

Goals of the call:

A. Introduce yourself

B. Describe the purpose of the study

C. Provide an overview of the study activities and invite director to participate

D. If director agrees to participate, collect additional information about the center

E. Summarize next steps

A. INTRODUCTION

Hello Mr./Ms. [PROGRAM DIRECTOR’S LAST NAME], my name is [RECRUITER’S NAME] and I am calling from Mathematica Policy Research about your program’s participation in an early care and education study for the Administration for Children and Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We recently sent you an email and letter informing you that a center in your program [CENTER NAME] was selected to be part of this study. We included a set of frequently asked questions with information about the study. Did you receive these materials from us? And have you had a chance to go over them? [HAVE LETTER AVAILABLE TO PROVIDE INFORMATION IF PERSON IS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE STUDY.

Mathematica has been contracted by ACF to conduct a project called “Assessing the Implementation and Cost of High Quality Early Care and Education,” an important study that will create a tool to measure implementation and a center’s costs of providing services for early care and education programs serving children from birth to age 5. The study focuses on measuring what a center is doing to support quality and how much the center costs to operate.

Is now a good time to talk? I would like to answer any questions you have and give you a brief overview of the study.

[IF NOT A GOOD TIME TO TALK, MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO CALL BACK]

B. STUDY PURPOSE

First, I would like to quickly review some of the details about the purpose and design of the study that we included in the letter. This study is interested in learning about how centers choose to invest their resources to provide high quality early care and education (ECE). We will collect information on center activities and their costs. This information will be used to create a tool to help center administrators and policy makers with decisions about how to make the most of their resources to support children’s healthy development. The only purpose of this study is to develop this tool. It is not an evaluation of the center.

C. OVERVIEW OF STUDY ACTIVITIES

• This study will include online surveys and telephone interviews conducted with center and possibly program staff. There are no activities involving children or that are conducted within the classroom.

• We will schedule interviews at a time that is convenient for center and program staff, and we will collect information in a way that is easiest for staff. Once we have confirmed a center’s participation, a study representative will request a staff roster in order to invite teaching and administrative staff to complete a short survey.

• We will collect information about the center and community characteristics, and identify staff that are most knowledgeable about the center’s finances and education programming. We may need to speak with more than one staff person, depending on who is most knowledgeable about each topic.

• We will conduct telephone interviews with the center director, and other staff such as an education specialist and finance manager to gather information. The staff members most knowledgeable about our topics of interest may be at the center or at the program office.

• We will also ask staff members at the center to complete a time-use survey online. Each person who completes a survey will receive a $10 gift card as a token of our appreciation. They will have the option of completing the survey on paper, if they prefer.

• Finally, after speaking with staff, we may also conduct follow-up interviews to obtain any missing information.

All of the information we collect will remain private and will be used only for research purposes. None of the information shared by participating centers will be attributed to individual centers. As a token of our appreciation, participating centers will receive a $350 gift card.

We greatly value your time and the center staff’s time and will appreciate any help you can give us to complete this important study. We will be flexible in working with center and program staff to make efficient use of time.

Do you have any questions about the study purpose or the center’s involvement?

Would you be willing for us to reach out to [NAME OF CENTER] to participate in this important study? Or would you prefer to reach out to them to confirm their participation?

[IF YES, WE CAN REACH OUT TO CENTER, CONTINUE TO SECTION D (QUESTIONS FOR PROGRAM DIRECTOR)]

[IF PROGRAM WILL REACH OUT TO CENTER OR NEED ADDITIONAL TIME TO CONFIRM PARTICIPATION, SAY]: Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. When would be a good time for us to check in about [CENTER NAME]’S participation in the study? [OBTAIN MAILING/EMAIL ADDRESS OR CONFIRM IF ALREADY ON FILE]

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at [MPR LIAISON PHONE] or by email at [MPR LIAISON EMAIL].

[IF PROGRAM DIRECTOR IS HESITANT, USE THE FOLLOWING PROBES]:

• Is the time involved or number of activities one of your concerns?

• [IF YES]: Reiterate the study’s flexibility in scheduling a convenient time for data collection.

• Do you have concerns about the study’s purpose? Do you have any additional questions about the study?

• [IF YES]: Provide additional explanation about the study’s purpose, that it is not a monitoring or evaluation study, it is about developing a tool and relies on a partnership with centers to ensure that what is developed will benefit ECE programs/centers, and answer any questions they might have.

• Do you have any other concerns that I haven’t yet addressed?

[THANK THE DIRECTOR, END CALL, AND DOCUMENT DISCUSSION]

[IF WE HAVE NOT ALREADY COLLECTED THIS INFO FROM THE CENTER DIRECTOR, CONTINUE TO SECTION D. OTHERWISE SKIP TO SECTION E]

D. QUESTIONS FOR PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Next, I want to collect some basic information about [CENTER NAME] and the names and contact information of people in various positions who would help in the data collection.

• [CONFIRM CENTER CONTACT INFORMATION]: Please confirm the following information about the center.

  • Center name, physical address, mailing address, phone number, fax number

  • The staff who we expect to be most involved with us for the study would be the center director and the person in charge of maintaining the financial records of the center. [COLLECT NAME, PHONE NUMBER AND EMAIL FOR EACH CONTACT BELOW]

    • What is the name and contact information (including email address) for the center director?

    • What is the name, title, and contact information for the person most knowledgeable about center finances?

    • If different than the center director, what is the name, title, and contact information (including email address) for the person who oversees the educational program at the center?

E. NEXT STEPS

• I will reach out to the center director to conduct a brief interview.

• In case I need to follow up with you for any reason, what is the easiest way to contact you—by phone or email?

• Do you have any questions at this point? If questions or concerns come up, please feel free to contact me at [MPR LIAISON PHONE] or by email at [MPR LIAISON EMAIL].

Thank you for participating in this important study. We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to working with [CENTER NAME].