Attachment F - Time Use Survey Outreach

ATTACHMENT f.1

TIME-USE SURVEY advance email

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TO: [EMAIL]

FROM: eceichq@mathematica-mpr.com

SUBJECT: Invitation to Complete the ECE-ICHQ Time-use Survey

ATTACHMENT: Time-use survey FAQs

[INSERT OPRE LOGO] [INSERT MATHEMATICA LOGO]

Dear [First Name] [Last Name]:

I am writing to request your help on an important research study about early childhood care and education. As you know, high quality early care and education (ECE) in childhood builds a strong foundation of emotional, social, language and cognitive skills that are key for future success in school. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) has partnered with Mathematica, an independent research organization, to conduct a study on how centers use their resources to maximize the quality of ECE.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an especially profound impact on the child care industry. Child care centers like yours have had to make many trade-offs in order to maintain health and safety requirements and continue to offer services to young children and their families. We hope the study will also help us understand how centers have fared through the COVID-19 pandemic and that the findings can inform the types of supports that could help centers like yours in the future.

We are asking teachers and administrators from select early childhood programs to complete a short time-use survey to help us learn how you spend your time. The survey asks questions about how much time you spend on various tasks, including teaching, working with families, staff development, communication activities, and management tasks and how that compares to time spent on similar activities before the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are excited about the study and hope you will be too. As one of only a small number of teachers and administrators taking part, your help is vital to the study’s success.

The time-use survey should only take about 15 minutes to complete. [IF INCENTIVE TO STAFF ALLOWED: As a thank you, we will send a $ [AMOUNT] Amazon gift code to you once you complete the survey.] For your convenience, the survey is accessible on the web.

Taking part in this study is voluntary. The purpose of the study is to help identify improvements in early childhood services; there are no risks from taking part in the study. The information in this study will be used only for research purposes and in ways that will not reveal who you are or identify your center. Federal or state laws may require us to show information to government officials (or sponsors) who are responsible for monitoring the safety of this study. Neither you or your center will be identified in any publication from this study. If you have questions about ECE-ICHQ, please call Annalee Kelly, the survey director, toll-free, at 1-833-616-0137 or email us at eceichq@mathematica-mpr.com.

To complete the time-use survey, please click the secure link below. This link is unique to you and should not be shared with anyone.

We encourage you to complete the survey online at:

[Customized Survey URL]

We have attached a list of frequently asked questions. Mathematica staff will be happy to answer any other questions about the study and to assist you in any way you need. You can contact us toll-free at XXX-XXX-XXXX or email us at eceichq@mathematica-mpr.com.

Thank you in advance for your help with this important study.

Sincerely,

Annalee Kelly

Survey Director

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: The referenced collection of information 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 collection is 0970-0499 and it expires 11/30/2022.

ATTACHMENT f.2

TIME USE SURVEY followup email

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TO: [EMAIL]

FROM: eceichq@mathematica-mpr.com

SUBJECT: Reminder to Complete the ICHQ Time-use Survey

ATTACHMENT: Time-use survey FAQs

[INSERT MATHEMATICA LOGO]

Dear [First Name] [Last Name]:

As you may recall, your center is taking part in a study on the Implementation and Cost of High Quality Early Care and Education, also known as ECE-ICHQ.

A few weeks ago, you were invited to fill out a short time-use survey to help us learn how you spend your time. The survey asks questions about time you spend on various tasks and how that compares to time spent on similar activities before the COVID-19 pandemic. It should only take about 15 minutes to complete. As a reminder, participation is completely voluntary, but we hope you will complete the short survey to help inform this important work.

We encourage you to complete the survey online at:

[Customized Survey URL]

[IF INCENTIVE TO STAFF ALLOWED: As a thank you, we will send a $[AMOUNT] Amazon gift code to you after you complete the survey.] We have attached a list of frequently asked questions. If you have additional questions about the study or are having difficulty in accessing your web survey, please call us toll-free at XXX-XXX-XXXX or email us at eceichq@mathematica-mpr.com.

Thank you in advance for your help with this important study.

Sincerely,

Annalee Kelly

Survey Director

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: The referenced collection of information 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 collection is 0970-0499 and it expires 11/30/2022.

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

ATTACHMENT f.3

TIME USE SURVEY ADVANCE LETTER

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Annalee Kelly Survey Director

P. O. Box 2393 Princeton, NJ 08543-2393 Telephone (609) 799-3535 Fax (609) 799-0005 www.mathematica-mpr.com

ECE-ICHQ

[DATE]

Dear [TEACHER]:

I am writing to request your help on an important research study about early childhood care and education. As you know, high quality early care and education (ECE) in childhood builds a strong foundation of emotional, social, language and cognitive skills that are key for future success in school. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) has partnered with Mathematica, an independent research organization, to conduct a study on how centers use their resources to maximize the quality of ECE.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an especially profound impact on the child care industry. Child care centers like yours have had to make many trade-offs in order to maintain health and safety requirements and continue to offer services to young children and their families. We hope the study will also help us understand how centers have fared through the COVID-19 pandemic and that the findings can inform the types of supports that could help centers like yours in the future. We are asking teachers and administrators from select early childhood programs to complete a short time-use survey to help us learn how you spend your time. The survey asks questions about how much time you spend on various tasks, including teaching, working with families, staff development, communication activities, and management tasks and how that compares to time spent on similar activities before the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are excited about the study and hope you will be too. As one of only a small number of teachers and administrators taking part, your help is vital to the study’s success.

The time-use survey should only take about 15 minutes to complete. [IF INCENTIVE TO STAFF ALLOWED: As a thank you, we will send a $[AMOUNT] Amazon gift code to you once you complete the survey.] For your convenience, the survey is accessible on the web.

Taking part in this study is voluntary. The purpose of the study is to help identify improvements in early childhood services; there are no risks from taking part in the study. The information in this study will be used only for research purposes and in ways that will not reveal who you are or identify your center. Federal or state laws may require us to show information to government officials (or sponsors) who are responsible for monitoring the safety of this study. Neither you or your center will be identified in any publication from this study. If you have questions about ECE-ICHQ, please call Annalee Kelly, the survey director, toll-free, at 1-833-616-0137 or email us at eceichq@mathematica-mpr.com.

To complete the time-use survey, please use the username and password below. The website, your username and the password are secure and should not be shared with anyone.

We encourage you to complete the survey online at:

[Customized Survey URL]

USERNAME: «WebUserName»

PASSWORD: «WebPassword»

We have enclosed a list of frequently asked questions. Mathematica staff will be happy to answer any other questions about the study and to assist you in any way you need. You can contact us toll-free at XXX-XXX-XXXX or email us at eceichq@mathematica-mpr.com.

Thank you in advance for your help with this important study.

Sincerely,

Annalee Kelly

Survey Director

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: The referenced collection of information 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 collection is 0970-0499 and it expires 11/30/2022.

ATTACHMENT f.4

TIME USE SURVEY FOLLOW-UP LETTER

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Annalee Kelly Survey Director

P.O. Box 2393 Princeton, NJ 08543-2393 Telephone (609) 799-3535 Fax (609) 799-0005 www.mathematica-mpr.com

[DATE]

Dear [FIRST NAME] [LAST NAME]:

As you may recall, your center is taking part in a study on the Implementation and Cost of High Quality Early Care and Education, also known as ECE-ICHQ.

A few weeks ago, you were invited to fill out a short time-use survey to help us learn how you spend your time. The survey asks questions about time you spend on various tasks and how that compares to time spent on similar activities before the COVID-19 pandemic. It should only take about 15 minutes to complete. As a reminder, participation is completely voluntary, but we hope you will complete the short survey to help inform this important work.

We encourage you to complete the survey online at:

[Customized Survey URL]

USERNAME: «WebUserName»

PASSWORD: «WebPassword»

[IF INCENTIVE TO STAFF ALLOWED: As a thank you, we will email a $[AMOUNT] Amazon gift code to you after you complete the survey.] If you have questions about the study or are having difficulty in accessing your web survey, please call us toll-free at XXX-XXX-XXXX or email us at eceichq@mathematica-mpr.com.

Thank you in advance for your help with this important study.

Sincerely,

Annalee Kelly

Survey Director

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: The referenced collection of information 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 collection is 0970-0499 and it expires 11/30/2022.

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

ATTACHMENT f.5

TIME-USE SURVEY FAQs

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Frequently asked questions about the Time-use Survey of the Assessing the Implementation and Cost of High Quality Early Care and Education (ECE-ICHQ) study

• Q: WHAT IS THE TIME-USE SURVEY?

The time-use survey is part of the study on the Implementation and Cost of High Quality Early Care and Education, also known as ECE-ICHQ.

The time-use survey is an online survey which asks questions about how much time staff spend on various tasks, including teaching, working with families, staff development, communication activities, and management tasks, and how that compares to time spent on similar activities before the COVID-19 pandemic. This should take approximately 15 minutes to complete.

• Q: What if none of the roles listed in the survey matches my role at the center?

We understand staff sometimes fill multiple roles at a center. If none of the listed roles match perfectly, please select the role that you spend most of your time doing.

• Q: Should I count hours I spend working outside of the center?

We are interested in the time you spend on tasks regardless of where you do the work. However, we do want to make a distinction between paid and unpaid work hours. In sections where we ask the number of hours worked, please only count the hours for which you are paid to work

• Q: How do I calculate hours for tasks that I do on an ongoing basis?

For tasks that you do frequently throughout a typical day, such as providing instruction or care, please think about how many times you do it each day and about how long it takes each time you do it. You may use this daily estimate to produce a weekly estimate by multiplying by the number of days you work per week.

• Q: How do I calculate hours when I am doing more than one task at the same time?

If you are doing more than one task at a time, please count hours for the task that was your primary responsibility at the time.

• Q: How do I compare time spent on an activity before the COVID-19 pandemic?

If you worked at the center before March 2020, we will ask you to compare your current hours to your hours before the COVID-19 pandemic. When comparing your current hours spent on these activities before the COVID-19 pandemic, please consider if you spend more time on this activity, less time, or about the same amount of time that you spent on it before the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, if you spent 10 hours on an activity but spent 4 hours on that activity before the COVID-19 pandemic then please select “More time”.

If you were not working at this center before March 2020, please check Not applicable.

• Q: How do I calculate hours spent on activities that occuR less frequently than weekly?

Please think of your work from August 2020 to March 2021 when considering time spent on activities that occur less frequently.

If you worked at the center before March 2020, we will ask you to compare your current hours to your typical work week before the COVID-19 pandemic. When comparing your current hours spent on these activities before the COVID-19 pandemic, please think about the period from August 2019 to March 2020. If you were not working at this center before March 2020, please check Not applicable.

• [IF INCENTIVE TO STAFF ALLOWED: Q: What will i receive for participating?

As a thank you, we will email a $[AMOUNT] Amazon gift code to you once you complete the survey.

We will send the gift code to the email address we have on record for you. ]

• Q: What do i do if i have other questions or can’t access the survey?

If you have any questions about or have any trouble accessing the time-use survey, please call us toll-free at XXX-XXX-XXXX or email us at eceichq@mathematica-mpr.com.

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ATTACHMENT F.6

tIME-USE SURVEY FLYER

Y our help is needed!

Mathematica, a respected independent research organization, will be emailing teachers soon about completing a time-use survey as part of a study on the Implementation and Cost of High Quality Early Care and Education (ECE-ICHQ) study.

What is the time-use survey?

The 15-minute survey will ask about how much time teachers spend doing various tasks, like teaching, working with families, staff development, communication activities, management tasks and how that compares to time spent on similar activities before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mathematica will send you an email directly to log into the survey.

[IF INCENTIVE TO STAFF ALLOWED: As a thank you, Mathematica will email you a $[AMOUNT] Amazon gift code once you complete the survey, so be on the lookout! ]

What is ECE-ICHQ?

ECE-ICHQ is a study funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families and conducted by Mathematica. The study aims to learn about how centers use their resources to maximize the quality of early childhood care and education.

OMB Number: 0970-0499

Expires: 11/30/2022

Questions? Didn’t get the email?

Contact Mathematica toll-free at XXX-XXX-XXXX or send an email to eceichq@mathematica-mpr.com.

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