Instrument 4: Baseline administrator survey

VIQI Baseline Administrator Survey

April 2021

BASELINE ADMINISTRATOR SURVEY

The purpose of the Baseline Administrator Survey is to collect information on administrator demographics and background as well as characteristics of early care and education centers that are theorized to: 1) affect implementation; and 2) moderate the impacts of the interventions, or the effects of early care and education quality on child outcomes, as indicated in the VIQI Project conceptual model. This attachment includes the following: (a) the baseline survey, and (b) communication to administrators regarding this survey.

1. Introduction

Thank you for participating in the Variations in Implementation of Quality Interventions (VIQI) Project! As part of this study, we would like you to answer some questions about yourself and your experiences as an administrator or director of early care and education. Also included are questions about the staff at your center. This information is crucial to helping us understand the role of administrators and directors in promoting quality of teaching and learning in early care and education settings.

Your participation is completely voluntary, and you may skip any questions you do not wish to answer. You may stop the survey at any time. Your responses to these questions will be kept private to the extent permitted by law and will not be shared with your supervisor or other staff. There are no direct benefits to you for participating. Participation does not involve any risks other than what you would encounter in daily life. There is a small risk that your information could be lost, stolen, or misused, even though we follow strict rules to protect your information.  The study team will follow strict procedures to protect your responses, and your responses will only be used for research and program improvement purposes. Your responses will be stored in password protected computer files and in locked research facilities. The data will be used only by the research team and and other researchers bound by the same security requirements described here. We also may share de-identified responses with researchers looking at other education research topics who agree that they will protect your information.

Please complete this questionnaire within the next [X] days. [If PAPER COPY, INCLUDE: Once complete, please [send it back to ADDRESS].] The questionnaire will take approximately 36 minutes in total to complete. If you have any questions, please contact your project liaison at [PHONE] or [email].

Thank you!

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 0970-0508 and the expiration date is XX/XX/XXXX. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to [Contractor Contact Name]; [Contractor Contact Address].

2. Background Information

1. 		/			/	2021
   M	M		D	D

   Today’s Date:

2. What is your job title?

1	Center director/Executive director
2	Instructional or educational director/coordinator
3	Other (please specify: _______________________________________)

3. In what year were you born?

	Y	Y	Y	Y

4. What is your sex?

1	Female
2	Male

5. What is your Ethnicity?

   1	Hispanic or Latino
   2	Not Hispanic or Latino

6. What is your Race?

SELECT ONE OR MORE.

1	American Indian or Alaska Native
2	Asian
3	Black or African American
4	Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
5	White

3. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

7. Indicate the total number of years that you have worked in the positions listed below, counting this year.

Throughout the survey, the term “teacher” is used to refer to a teaching position with primary responsibility for providing instruction and supervision of children in a classroom. The term “assistant teacher” is used to refer to an assistant teacher, paraprofessional, or aide that works under the supervision of a teacher to give additional attention, support and instruction to children in the classroom.

1. How many years have you been an administrator/director of an early care and education center, including the current year?

________ years

2. How many years have you been an administrator/director at your current center, including the current year?

________ years

3. How many years did you work as a teacher/assistant teacher before becoming an administrator/director?

________ years

8. Which age levels or grade(s) did you teach before becoming an administrator/director?

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.

1	Infants	5	1st through 5th grade
2	Toddlers (under 36 months)	6	6th grade through High School
3	Preschool (ages 3-5)	7	None: No prior teaching experience
4	Kindergarten

9. What is the highest level of schooling you have completed?

SELECT ONE.

1	Less than a High School Diploma/GED  SKIP TO 11
2	High School Diploma/GED  SKIP TO 11
3	Vocational or Technical Diploma  SKIP TO 11
4	Some College but no Degree  SKIP TO 11
5	Associate’s Degree
6	Bachelor’s degree
7	Graduate or Professional School but no Degree
8	Master’s degree
9	Education specialist or professional diploma based on at least one year of course work at a master’s degree level
10	Doctorate
11	Other

10. Indicate the major field of study of your highest level degree.

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.

1	Early childhood education
2	Elementary education
3	Special education
4	Child development
5	Reading specialist
6	Curriculum and instruction
7	Bilingual/bicultural education
8	Other education-related major (such as educational psychology, education administration, music education, etc.)
9	Non-education major (such as history, English, etc.)

11. Are you currently a salaried worker in your position as director/administrator?

1	Yes  GO TO 13, THEN 15
2	No  SKIP TO 14

12. What is your annual salary (before taxes) for this year (2021-2022) in your position as director/administrator, not including bonuses?

SELECT ONE.

1	Less than $20,000	6	$60,001-$70,000
2	$20,001-$30,000	7	$70,001-$80,000
3	$30,001-$40,000	8	$80,001-$90,000
4	$40,001-$50,000	9	$90,001-$100,000
5	$50,001-$60,000	10	More than $100,000

13. What is your hourly wage in your position as director/administrator?

SELECT ONE.

1	$12.99 or less an hour	6	$21.00 $24.99 an hour
2	$13.00– $16.99 an hour	7	$25.00 – $28.99 an hour
3	$17.00– $20.99 an hour	8	$29.00 or more an hour

14. Do you get overtime pay for your current position as director/administrator?

1	Yes
2	No

15. How many hours are you regularly scheduled to work per week as director/administrator for this year (2021-2022)?

SELECT ONE.

1	Less than 10 hours	7	36-40 hours
2	10-15 hours	8	41-45 hours
3	16-20 hours	9	46-50 hours
4	20-25 hours	10	51-55 hours
5	26-30 hours	11	56-60 hours
6	31-35 hours	12	More than 60 hours

16. Which option best describes how many days you are regularly scheduled to work in your position as director/administrator this [year]?

SELECT ONE.

1	I work as a director/administrator year-round (January through December)
2	I work as a director/administrator during the “school year” only*
*Consider “school year” to be the typical months that public schools in your area are open.

17. In addition to being a director/administrator in an early care and education center, do you currently hold any other jobs? This may include other permanent full-time or part-time jobs, or temporary, transitional or seasonal jobs.

1	Yes
2	No

4. Staffing

18. Which of the following benefits are available to the staff at this center, even if some individuals do not participate or use them?

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.

1	Health insurance coverage
2	Dental benefits, including any offered at a cost to staff
3	Vision benefits, including any offered at a cost to staff
4	Paid holidays
5	Paid time off (e.g., vacation, sick days)
6	Free or reduced cost early care and education for staff members’ child
7	A retirement or 401K plan
8	Paid tuition
9	Free professional development and training

Note: The following items in this section are pulled from the ECE-ICHQ Center Director Questionnaire.

The next section includes questions about staff who work at your early care and education center. The categories listed are for staff who may work directly with children. We are also interested in learning about the number of full-time and part-time specialists, administrators, and support staff who may also work in your center.

The terms may not be the same as those being used in your center. But, please do your best to put staff working directly with children into one of the categories listed below.

• Here, and throughout the survey, the term “teacher” is used to refer to a teaching position with primary responsibility for providing instruction and supervision of children in a classroom.

• The term “assistant teacher” is used to refer to an assistant teacher, paraprofessional, or aide that works under the supervision of a lead teacher to give additional attention, support and instruction to children in the classroom.

• The term “coach” is used to refer to a professional who provides teachers/assistant teachers with feedback and support to help improve what they do in the classroom.

19. How many of each staff category work at your center?

    	Total number of regular, permanent staff at your center	Total number of other staff who are available to work in your center (e.g., shared with partner agency, grantee)
    Teachers
    Assistant teachers (assistant teacher, paraprofessional, or aide)
    Floater teachers (not assigned to a particular classroom)
    Coaches (who focuses on providing feedback and support for teachers to improve their practice)
    Education specialists or master teachers (who focus on development or support of the educational program or curriculum or are a support for teachers)
    Specialists who provide or connect children and their families with services outside of the classroom (such as to assist with nutrition, health, mental health or support services)
    Staff who focus on administration or management of operations or finances
    Other staff (include clerical staff, drivers, cooks, maintenance and janitorial staff, etc.)

20. What are the minimum education requirements for each type of staff in your center listed below?

SELECT ONE PER ROW.
	N/A; NONE AT MY CENTER	HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE	ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE	BACHELOR’S DEGREE	MASTER’S DEGREE OR HIGHER
Teachers who work with children ages 3 to 4	1	2	3	4	5
Assistant teachers who work with children ages 3 to 4	1	2	3	4	5
Aides who work with children ages 3 to 4	1	2	3	4	5
Center director	1	2	3	4	5
Coaches	1	2	3	4	5
Educational specialists	1	2	3	4	5

21. What informed the education requirements, credentials, and level of experience required for each position?

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY FOR EACH POSITION.

	Teacher	Assistant Teacher
Licensing standards	1	1
Standards set by funding source (for example, Head Start program performance standards, state pre-k standards, or private funder)	2	2
Standards set by participation in a quality rating and improvement system	3	3
Standards set to achieve child care accreditation by a local, state, or national accrediting entity	4	4
Standards set by sponsoring organization (for example, public school or oversight entity such as an umbrella organization)	5	5
Internal background, training, or performance assessment information on successful staff	6	6

STAFFING CHANGES

22. How many different directors have there been in your center within the past five years?

number of directors

23. How many individuals who work directly with children ages 3 to 4 left the center by their own decision last year (2020-2021)? Do not include staff who have been terminated.

number of teachers number of assistant teachers

24. How many individuals who work directly with children ages 3 to 4 were terminated last year (2020-2021)?

number of teachers number of assistant teachers

25. During last year (2020-2021), did any full-time positions for teachers or assistant teachers go unfilled when there was a vacancy?

1	Yes
2	No  SKIP TO 27

26. How long did the following full-time positions go unfilled when there was a vacancy last year (2020-2021)?

SELECT ONE PER ROW.

	No vacancy	Less than one week	More than one week, but less than a month	One to two months	Three to four months	More than four months
Teachers who work with children ages 3 to 4	1	2	3	4	5	6
Assistant teachers who work with children ages 3 to 4	1	2	3	4	5	6

27. Choose the option that best characterizes teacher assignments (pairings of co-teachers or teacher and assistant teacher) in classrooms working with children ages 3 to 4 in your early care and education center last year (2020-2021).

SELECT ONE.

1	I/We generally try to keep teacher assignments the same each year. If assignments change, it is because someone has left the center.
2	I/We generally try to rotate or change up teacher assignments every year.
3	I/We generally try to rotate or change up teacher assignments every few years.
4	Assistant teachers rotate around to different classrooms on a frequent (daily/weekly/monthly) basis.
5	Unsure/Don’t know

5. Additional Services

We are interested in learning about the types of services that children and their families can access through your center.

28. In addition to early care and education, does your center offer…

	Yes	No
Health screening such as medical, dental, vision, hearing or speech screening?	1	2
Medical care?	1	2
Dental care?	1	2
Mental health care for children or parents?	1	2
Home visiting?	1	2
Therapeutic service such as speech therapy, occupational therapy, or services for children with special needs?	1	2
Education or job training for parents?	1	2
Social services for parents, such as housing or food assistance, emergency cash assistance, legal assistance, or another service for parents?	1	2
Wrap-around care or early morning care?	1	2

[PROGRAMMING NOTES: If 28a is yes, ask 29. Otherwise, disable 29.]

29. Who provides health screening, such as medical, dental, vision, hearing or speech screening?

1	Provided directly by my program/center
2	Provided by a community partner

[PROGRAMMING NOTES: If 28b is yes, ask 30. Otherwise, disable 30.]

30. Who provides medical care?

1	Provided directly by my program/center
2	Provided by a community partner

[PROGRAMMING NOTES: If 28c is yes, ask 31. Otherwise, disable 31.]

31. Who provides dental care?

1	Provided directly by my program/center
2	Provided by a community partner

[PROGRAMMING NOTES: If 28d is yes, ask 32. Otherwise, disable 32.]

32. Who provides mental health care for children or parents?

1	Provided directly by my program/center
2	Provided by a community partner

[PROGRAMMING NOTES: If 28e is yes, ask 33. Otherwise, disable 33.]

33. Who provides home visiting?

1	Provided directly by my program/center
2	Provided by a community partner

[PROGRAMMING NOTES: If 28f is yes, ask 34. Otherwise, disable 34.]

34. Who provides therapeutic service, such as speech therapy, occupational therapy, or services for children with special needs?

1	Provided directly by my program/center
2	Provided by a community partner

[PROGRAMMING NOTES: If 28g is yes, ask 35. Otherwise, disable 35.]

35. Who provides education or job training for parents?

1	Provided directly by my program/center
2	Provided by a community partner

[PROGRAMMING NOTES: If 28h is yes, ask 36. Otherwise, disable 36.]

36. Who provides social services for parents, such as housing or food assistance, emergency cash assistance, legal assistance, or another service for parents?

1	Provided directly by my program/center
2	Provided by a community partner

[PROGRAMMING NOTES: If 28i is yes, ask 37. Otherwise, disable 37.]

37. Who provides wrap-around care or early morning care?

1	Provided directly by my program/center
2	Provided by a community partner

6. Child Assessments

We are interested in learning about the child assessments used in your center last year (2020-2021).

38. What kinds of child assessments were teachers required to use in classrooms with children ages 3 to 4 last year (2020-2021)?

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.

1	Work Sampling System®
2	Teaching Strategies GOLD®
3	High Scope Child Observation Record (COR)
4	Other published assessment tools (e.g., Ages and Stages Questionnaires, Brigance Preschool Screen, Galileo, Hawaii Early Learning Profile (HELP), Learning Accomplishment Profile Screening (E-LAP, LAP-R, LAP-D))
5	Child Portfolios and/or Work Samples (Electronic or Hardcopy)
6	Teacher observation of specific objectives
7	Locally-designed, or teacher- or center-created assessment

39. How did you use the results from any of the above assessments last year (2020-2021)?

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.

1	Identify children who may need additional testing (for a learning problem, for example)
2	Share or discuss results with teachers in a group setting such as a staff meeting or Common Planning Time
3	Refer children for therapeutic services or additional assessment
4	Share or review results with coaches or mentors
5	Inform plans for professional development opportunities for teachers or staff
6	Develop or modify center or classroom goals
7	Include in formal evaluations
8	Include in reporting requirements (for example, for Head Start, QRIS, or other funding requirements)

40. Were teachers required to submit child assessment data to you or another administrator at your center last year (2020-2021)?

1	Yes
2	No  SKIP TO 43

41. How often were teachers required to submit child assessment data last year (2020-2021)?

1	Monthly or more often
2	Quarterly
3	Twice per year
4	Once per year

7. Professional Supports

We are interested in learning about the professional supports provided for teachers and assistant teachers in your center last year (2020-2021).

TEACHERS

For the next questions, please think about the teachers at your center. (You will report on assistant teachers at your center in later questions.)

42. Please indicate which of the following professional support opportunities were offered to teachers of children ages 3 to 4 in your center last year (2020-2021).

SELECT ONE PER ROW.

During the workday, are teachers able to…	Yes	No
Plan or prepare for teaching/their classroom on their own	1	2
Plan or prepare for teaching/their classroom with another teacher or assistant assigned to the same classroom	1	2
Meet with other teachers to collaborate and plan (e.g., as part of common planning time or a professional learning community)	1	2
Observe other teachers while their class is covered	1	2
Participate in peer mentoring as part of a formal arrangement recognized or supported by your center	1	2
Attend workshops, conferences or training sessions (including training provided by your center)	1	2
Attend coaching sessions or be observed by a coach while teaching	1	2

43. Did your center provide teachers with time for the professional support opportunities listed above during their regular scheduled hours?

1	Yes
2	No  SKIP TO 46

44. Which of the following were used to provide teachers in your center with time for professional support opportunities during regular scheduled hours last year (2020-2021)?

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.

1	Substitute teachers to cover classes
2	Early dismissal or late start for children
3	Professional days built in during breaks of one week or more
4	Professional days built in during weeks when children are in attendance
5	Common planning time for teachers
6	Reduced teacher workloads (less time in the classroom with children or less time on other assigned duties)

45. How many total “professional days” of training did teachers last year (2020-2021) as part of their regular scheduled hours?

days

ASSISTANT TEACHERS

For the next questions, please think about the assistant teachers at your center.

46. Please indicate which of the following professional support opportunities were offered to assistant teachers of children ages 3 to 4 in your center last year (2020-2021).

SELECT ONE PER ROW.

During the workday, are assistant teachers able to…	Yes	No
Plan or prepare for teaching/their classroom on their own	1	2
Plan or prepare for teaching/their classroom with another teacher assigned to the same classroom	1	2
Meet with other teachers to collaborate and plan (e.g., as part of common planning time or a professional learning community)	1	2
Observe other teachers while their class is covered	1	2
Participate in peer mentoring as part of a formal arrangement recognized or supported by your center	1	2
Attend workshops, conferences or training sessions (including training provided by your center)	1	2
Attend coaching sessions or be observed by a coach while teaching	1	2

47. Did your center provide assistant teachers with time for the professional support opportunities listed above during their regular scheduled hours?

1	Yes
2	No  SKIP TO 50

48. Which of the following were used to provide assistant teachers in your center with time for professional support opportunities during regular scheduled hours last year (2020-2021)?

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.

1	Substitute teachers to cover classes
2	Early dismissal or late start for children
3	Professional days built in during breaks of one week or more
4	Professional days built in during weeks when children are in attendance
5	Common planning time for teachers
6	Reduced teacher workloads (less time in the classroom with children or less time on other assigned duties)

49. How many total “professional days” of training did assistant teachers receive last year (2020-2021) as part of their regular scheduled hours?

days

GENERAL PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS AND RESOURCES

50. What sources of funding are used to cover operating costs and expenditures for your center?

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.

1	Tuition and fees paid by parents from children attending center
2	State Pre-K
3	Other state government (e.g., Child Care subsidy programs such as Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), including voucher/certificates, state contracts; preschool development grants)
4	Federal Head Start/Early Head Start grant
5	Other federal government (e.g., Title I, Child and Adult Care Food Program)
6	Local government (e.g., school board or other local agency funds, grants from city or county government)
7	Revenues from fundraising activities (e.g., cash contributions, gifts, special events)
8	Revenues from community organizations or other grants (United Way, local charities, or other service organizations)
9	Other: _____________________________________________________________

51. To what extent is your center’s capacity to support children’s learning and development impacted by any of the following issues?

SELECT ONE PER ROW.

	Not at all	Very little	To some extent	A lot
Lack of opportunities and support for professional development for myself	1	2	3	4
Lack of opportunities and support for professional development for teachers	1	2	3	4
Difficulties with covering classrooms so teachers can attend trainings	1	2	3	4
Difficulties with covering classrooms so teachers can attend coaching sessions	1	2	3	4
Shortage of qualified and/or high-performing teachers	1	2	3	4
Shortage of teachers with competence in teaching children with special needs	1	2	3	4
Shortage of teachers with competence in teaching dual language learner children	1	2	3	4
High turnover among classroom staff	1	2	3	4
Shortage or inadequacy of classroom materials (e.g., books, art supplies, manipulatives)	1	2	3	4
Shortage or inadequacy of technology (e.g., computers, tablets)	1	2	3	4
Prevalence of children with behavior problems	1	2	3	4
Lack of a curriculum or prescribed classroom activities	1	2	3	4

8. Supervision

We are interested in learning about supervision provided for teachers and assistant teachers in your center last year (2020-2021).

TEACHERS

For these questions, please think about the supervision provided only to teachers at your center.

52. Who was the direct supervisor of teachers of children ages 3 to 4 last year (2020-2021)?

1	Center director/Executive director
2	Instructional or educational director/coordinator
3	Other

53. What was the format for formal supervision of teachers and how often did it occur?

SELECT ONE PER ROW.

	Frequency
Type of Supervision	Never	Weekly	Monthly	Quarterly	Yearly	As needed
One-on-one	1	2	3	4	5	6
Group meeting	1	2	3	4	5	6

54. Which of the following topics were covered during any formal supervision that you reported teachers receiving above?

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.

1	Implementing lessons or activities from a curriculum
2	Children’s language or literacy/reading development
3	Children’s mathematics development
4	Children’s scientific knowledge development
5	Teaching practices and/or classroom quality
6	Professional, state and national standards (e.g., NAEYC; Curriculum Frameworks; Common Core; QRIS)
7	Using quality observational tools to improve classroom quality (e.g. CLASS or ECERS)
8	Conducting child assessments through observation, screening, and/or formal instruments
9	Supporting or fostering children’s social-emotional development
10	Behavior management
11	Family engagement
12	Supporting children with special needs in the classroom
13	Supporting English Language Learners (ELLs) or Dual Language Learners (DLLs)
14	Cultural competence for working with diverse populations
15	Organization and management (e.g., classroom routines and schedules)
16	Classroom set up and physical environment
17	Health and safety
18	None of the above

55. How often were teachers observed formally as part of an official performance appraisal process (i.e., formal evaluation) last year (2020-2021)?

1	Never
2	Yearly
3	Quarterly
4	Monthly
5	Weekly
6	As needed

ASSISTANT TEACHERS

For these questions, please think about the supervision provided to assistant teachers at your center.

56. Who was the direct supervisor of assistant teachers of children ages 3 to 4 last year (2020-2021)?

1	Teacher
2	Center director/Executive director
3	Instructional or educational director/coordinator
4	Other

57. What was the format for formal supervision of assistant teachers and how often did it occur?

SELECT ONE PER ROW.

	Frequency
Type of Supervision	Never	Weekly	Monthly	Quarterly	Yearly	As needed
One-on-one	1	2	3	4	5	6
Group meeting	1	2	3	4	5	6

58. Which of the following topics were covered during any formal supervision that you reported assistant teachers receiving above?

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.

1	Implementing lessons or activities from a curriculum
2	Children’s language or literacy/reading development
3	Children’s mathematics development
4	Children’s scientific knowledge development
5	Teaching practices and/or classroom quality
6	Professional, state and national standards (e.g., NAEYC; Curriculum Frameworks; Common Core; QRIS)
7	Using quality observational tools to improve classroom quality (e.g. CLASS or ECERS)
8	Conducting child assessments through observation, screening, and/or formal instruments
9	Supporting or fostering children’s social/emotional development
10	Behavior management
11	Family engagement
12	Supporting children with special needs in the classroom
13	Supporting English Language Learners (ELLs) or Dual Language Learners (DLLs)
14	Cultural competence for working with diverse populations
15	Organization and management (e.g., classroom routines and schedules)
16	Classroom set up and physical environment
17	Health and safety
18	None of the above

59. How often were assistant teachers observed formally as part of an official performance appraisal process (i.e., formal evaluation) last year (2020-2021)?

1	Never
2	Yearly
3	Quarterly
4	Monthly
5	Weekly
6	As needed

9. Coaching

We are interested in learning about the coaching provided for teachers in your center last year (2020-2021). A coach is a professional who provides teachers with feedback and support to help improve what teachers do in the classroom. Do NOT include observations completed by center directors, other center administrators or supervisors, or master teachers.

TEACHERS

For these questions, please think about the coaching provided only to teachers at your center. (You will report on assistant teachers at your center in later questions.)

60. How often was coaching offered to teachers last year (2020-2021)? Do NOT include observations completed by center directors, other center administrators or supervisors, or master teachers.

	Frequency
Type of Coaching	Never	Weekly	Monthly	Quarterly	Yearly	As needed
One-on-one	1	2	3	4	5	6
In a group	1	2	3	4	5	6

[PROGRAMMING NOTES: If “never” (1) is chosen for 61a or 61b, skip to 64. If any other option (2 through 6) is chosen for 61a or 61b, go to 62.]

61. Which of the following topics were covered during any coaching sessions that you reported teachers receiving above?

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.

1	Implementing lessons or activities from a curriculum
2	Children’s language or literacy/reading development
3	Children’s mathematics development
4	Children’s scientific knowledge development
5	Teaching practices and/or classroom quality
6	Professional, state and national standards (e.g., NAEYC; Curriculum Frameworks; Common Core; QRIS)
7	Using quality observational tools to improve classroom quality (e.g. CLASS or ECERS)
8	Conducting child assessments through observation, screening, and/or formal instruments
9	Supporting or fostering children’s social-emotional development
10	Behavior management
11	Family engagement
12	Supporting children with special needs in the classroom
13	Supporting English Language Learners (ELLs) or Dual Language Learners (DLLs)
14	Cultural competence for working with diverse populations
15	Organization and management (e.g., classroom routines and schedules)
16	Classroom set up and physical environment
17	Health and safety
18	None of the above
19	Don’t know

62. Which organizations provided coaching to teachers?

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.

1	My center	7		A college or university
2	Head Start Grantee agency	8		School district
3	Child care umbrella organization	9		Curriculum author or publisher
4	State or local resource and referral agency	10		Other: ______________________________
5	State or local QRIS agency	11		Don’t know
6	External institution (e.g., professional association; non-profit education organization)

ASSISTANT TEACHERS

For these questions, please think about the coaching provided only to assistant teachers at your center.

63. What, if any coaching was offered to assistant teachers last year (2020-2021)? Do NOT include observations completed by center directors, other center administrators or supervisors, or master teachers.

	Frequency
Type of Coaching	Never	Weekly	Monthly	Quarterly	Yearly	As needed
One-on-one	1	2	3	4	5	6
In a group	1	2	3	4	5	6

[PROGRAMMING NOTES: If “never” (1) is chosen for 64a or 64b, skip to 67. If any other option (2 through 6) is chosen for 64a or 64b, go to 65.]

64. Which of the following topics were covered during any coaching session that you reported assistant teachers receiving above?

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.

1	Implementing lessons or activities from a curriculum
2	Children’s language or literacy/reading development
3	Children’s mathematics development
4	Children’s scientific knowledge development
5	Teaching practices and/or classroom quality
6	Professional, state and national standards (e.g., NAEYC; Curriculum Frameworks; Common Core; QRIS)
7	Using quality observational tools to improve classroom quality (e.g. CLASS or ECERS)
8	Conducting child assessments through observation, screening, and/or formal instruments
9	Supporting or fostering children’s social/emotional development
10	Behavior management
11	Family engagement
12	Supporting children with special needs in the classroom
13	Supporting English Language Learners (ELLs) or Dual Language Learners (DLLs)
14	Cultural competence for working with diverse populations
15	Organization and management (e.g., classroom routines and schedules)
16	Classroom set up and physical environment
17	Health and safety
18	None of the above
18	Don’t know

65. Which organizations provided coaching to assistant teachers?

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.

1	My center	7		A college or university
2	Head Start Grantee agency	8		School district
3	Child care umbrella organization	9		Curriculum author or publisher
4	State or local resource and referral agency	10		Other: ______________________________
5	State or local QRIS agency	11		Don’t know
6	External institution (e.g., professional association; non-profit education organization)

10. Teaching and Learning

66. Recognizing that some things in early care and education centers (ECE) are required by external sources, what are YOUR OWN PERSONAL BELIEFS about early care and education centers?

Please select the number that most nearly represents YOUR BELIEFS about each item’s importance for early care and education centers for children ages 3 to 4.
(1 = Strongly agree; 5 = Strongly disagree)

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neither Agree nor Disagree	Agree	Strongly Agree
ECE classroom activities should be responsive to individual differences in development.	1	2	3	4	5
Each curriculum area should be taught as a separate subject at separate times.	1	2	3	4	5
Children should be allowed to select many of their own activities from a variety of learning areas that the teacher has prepared (writing, science center, etc.).	1	2	3	4	5
Children should be allowed to cut their own shapes, perform their own steps in an experiment, and plan their own creative drama, art, and writing activities.	1	2	3	4	5
Children should work silently and alone on seatwork.	1	2	3	4	5
Children in ECE classrooms should learn through active explorations.	1	2	3	4	5
ECE teachers should use treats, stickers, or stars to encourage appropriate behavior.	1	2	3	4	5
ECE teachers should use punishments or reprimands to encourage appropriate behavior.	1	2	3	4	5
Children should be involved in establishing rules for the classroom.	1	2	3	4	5
Children should be instructed in recognizing the single letters of the alphabet, isolated from words.	1	2	3	4	5
Children should learn to color within predefined lines.	1	2	3	4	5
Children should learn to form letters correctly on a printed page.	1	2	3	4	5
Children should dictate stories to the teacher.	1	2	3	4	5
Children should know their letter sounds before they learn to read.	1	2	3	4	5
Children should form letters correctly before they are allowed to create a story.	1	2	3	4	5
Source: Burts, Buchanan, Benedict, Broussard, Dunaway, Richardson & Sciaraffa, 2000; Charlesworth et al., 1993; FACES, 2006.

11. Work Environment

The next set of questions asks about your work environment. Your responses will be kept private and will only be used for research and program improvement purposes.

ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE

The next two items are placeholders for items about center readiness to implement.

67. How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neither Agree or Disagree	Agree	Strongly Agree
This center has worked with at least a few other local organizations (related non-profit organizations, other centers, universities, etc.) in the past.	1	2	3	4	5
Teachers/staff in this center believe that I genuinely buy-in to the critical importance of the topics of the VIQI Project (improving teaching and classroom quality).	1	2	3	4	5
This center collects and uses information to figure out what children need to learn best.	1	2	3	4	5
The teachers in this center think they have enough understanding or knowledge to work with their children on [math] activities.	1	2	3	4	5
The teachers in this center think they have enough understanding or knowledge to work with their children on [language and literacy] activities.	1	2	3	4	5
The teachers seek out information about new teaching strategies that might help their children.	1	2	3	4	5
In this community, there are currently new initiatives, funding opportunities, and/or professional development experiences being offered on the topics of the VIQI Project (quality improvement, math, language/ literacy, social-emotional learning, science).	1	2	3	4	5
In general, teachers in this center feel like I am “on their side.”	1	2	3	4	5
Teachers in this center feel like the amount of stress in their job is manageable.	1	2	3	4	5
If the teachers learned about an exciting new teaching practice, they would feel confident that they could use it effectively in their own classrooms.	1	2	3	4	5
When the teachers were searching for this job, I believe they only applied for teaching and teaching-related positions, not other types of jobs.	1	2	3	4	5
This center has strong relationships with other local organizations such as churches, nonprofits, etc.	1	2	3	4	5
Teachers in this center talk to each other for advice/support when faced with a difficult teaching situation.	1	2	3	4	5
If someone told the teachers that they had a new idea to improve their teaching, the teachers would ask to hear more about it.	1	2	3	4	5
People who observe our teachers would say they enjoy working with and teaching children.	1	2	3	4	5
Teachers in this center would say I have a history of making decisions that are in the best interest of the children.	1	2	3	4	5
Teachers at this center are trying to meet specific goals for children’s development in the topics of the VIQI Project (math, language/literacy, social-emotional learning, science).	1	2	3	4	5
Teachers at this center have positive memories of trying to learn a new teaching strategy or curriculum in the past.	1	2	3	4	5
People in this center decide how to improve their teaching based on what is going on in their classroom.	1	2	3	4	5
When the teachers face a challenging situation in the classroom, they can usually figure out how to best deal with it.	1	2	3	4	5
This center provides support for teachers when they begin to feel overwhelmed.	1	2	3	4	5
In the past, I have effectively helped teachers improve their teaching.	1	2	3	4	5
The teachers work hard at their job because they know it has a major impact on children’s development.	1	2	3	4	5
The center’s schedule here allows time for teachers to talk to one another and exchange ideas.	1	2	3	4	5
Teachers in this center could name at least one teaching strategy or curriculum that was added in the past five years and is still being used well.	1	2	3	4	5
Source: Wanless, 2014

68. For each row (across), select one phrase that best completes the following: “When it comes to early care and education practices, the staff in my center who work with children ages 3 to 4…”

1 	Don’t plan to make any changes	Think about making a change but can’t do it now	Are planning to make a change	Are working to change something right now	Are making sure not to go back to their old ways
	1	2	3	4	5
2	Don’t think they need to make any changes	Think they might need to make a change someday	Know they need to make some kind of change	Know what they need to change	Think about how to keep up changes they have made
	1	2	3	4	5
3	Don’t think they need any new information	Think they might look for new information in the future	Are interested in learning new information	Are finding new information on their own	Often learn a lot about the things they want to change
	1	2	3	4	5
4	Don’t think making a change would help the children	Think making a change might help the children	Believes that when they make a change, it will help the children	See how a change that they made helped the children	Often make changes so they can help the children
	1	2	3	4	5
5	Don’t think they have the power to make any changes	Feel overwhelmed by the thought of changing	Believe they can change, even if it isn’t easy	Have made change before, even though it isn’t always easy	Are confident they can keep up the changes they made
	1	2	3	4	5
6	Don’t have anyone who would support them in making a change	Don’t know whether anyone would support them in making a change	Know someone who would support them in making a change	Know several people who support them in making changes	Are active in a community that supports change
	1	2	3	4	5
7	Don’t think of themselves as professionals	Might feel more professional if they made a change	Are beginning to think of themselves as professionals	Feel like professionals because of a change they have made	Feel like true professionals because they often make changes
	1	2	3	4	5
Source: Children’s Institute, Inc., 2009

This is the end of the survey. Thank you!

Communication to Participants Regarding the Survey

Overview: The baseline survey that will be administered to administrators of participating centers will be accompanied by an email or letter that introduces the survey. If a survey is not received, a follow-up reminder email(s) or letter(s) may be sent.

SURVEY EMAILS/LETTERS

The following items will be addressed in communications to administrators regarding the survey administered at baseline:

• Welcome to the study

• Study background and a brief description of the survey

• Link to the online survey [If needed: Description of how to return the survey]

• Deadline for submission

• Toll-free number or study email address for technical issues or questions about the survey

THANK YOU LETTERS/EMAILS

Administrators who submit a survey will receive a thank you email or letter. The note will thank them for their time and encourage future participation. The following items will be addressed in thank you notes:

• Thank you for participation

• Study importance

• Reminder about future data collections

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