Attachment D: Phase 2 Recruitment

Attachment D Phase 2 Recruitment 13

HS DSC Study

Attachment D Phase 2 Disability Services Coordinators Survey Recruitment Materials

Table 1. List of Phase 2 Recruitment Materials

Email Invitation to Disability Services Coordinators from Study Team
Letter of Support from OHS
Follow-Up Email 1 from OHS to Disability Services Coordinators
Follow-Up Email 2 from OHS to Disability Services Coordinators
Follow-up Email 1 from Study Team to Disability Services Coordinators
Follow-up Email 2 from Study Team to Disability Services Coordinators
Follow-up Phone Recruitment from Study Team to Disability Services Coordinators
Follow-up Phone Recruitment FAQ

EMAIL INVITE TO DISABILITY SERVICES COORDINATORS FROM STUDY TEAM

Dear [FIRST NAME] [LAST NAME],

We are pleased to invite you to take part in the Study of Disability Services Coordinators and Inclusion in Head Start. We are excited about the study, and we hope you are too!

The survey is designed to provide a national picture of the Disability Services Coordinators (DSC) workforce for Early Head Start (EHS) and Head Start (HS), including American Indian/Alaska Native (Region XI) and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) (Region XII) grantees and/or delegate agencies.

The study is funded by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The study is being conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago, their partners at SRI International, and their consultant, Amanda Schwartz.

The goals of the study are to improve understanding of:

• How DSC roles are implemented across EHS/HS programs;

• Partnerships with agencies and community-based service providers;

• Practices used to collaborate with families of children with disabilities; and

• Challenges to inclusion and providing disability services, support, and education to families, children, and staff.

Am I eligible to participate? The study is the first of its kind and should include the perspectives of all DSCs nationally. We want to understand the variations in EHS/HS disability services. Even if you are new to the role, we encourage you to participate!

How do I participate? As part of the study, we would like you to complete a 56-minute web survey. The survey does not have to be completed all at once; you can save your responses and return to the survey later! Your responses will not be shared with your supervisor. Information from the study will not be used for monitoring purposes and ACF funding for your program will not be impacted by your responses.

Getting started. To begin the survey, please click or type your unique URL into any computer or mobile device’s web browser. The survey does not have to be completed all at once; you can save your responses and return to the survey later.

SURVEY TIPS:

• Want to prepare for the survey?

• Preview the survey using the attached PDF.

• While we are primarily interested in your perspective, you are welcome to confer with colleagues, as needed, to get answers to the survey questions.

• SAVE the survey and resume at any time

• You can save your progress and come back to the survey later when you are ready to complete it.

URL address: [UNIQUE SURVEY LINK]

Questions? NORC will answer any questions about the survey and help you in any way you need. You can contact the research team at HeadStartDSCStudy@norc.org. If you have questions about your rights as a research volunteer, please call the NORC Institutional Review Board toll free at 1-866-309-0542.

Thank you for your help with this important research!

Sincerely,

Michael López, Ph.D. Shannon TenBroeck, MA

Principal Investigator Co-Principal Investigator

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement

The described 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 number for the described information collection is 0970-0585 and the expiration date is 01/31/2025. If you have questions about this data collection, please contact HeadStartDSCStudy@norc.org.

LETTER OF SUPPORT FROM OHS TO DISABILITY SERVICES COORDINATOR

Dear Head Start/Early Head Start Disabilities Service Coordinator,

We are pleased to announce the start of the DSC Surveys of the national Study of Disability Service Coordinators (DSCs) and Inclusion in Head Start! The study is the first opportunity to understand the roles, responsibilities and variations in Head Start disability services, nationally and regionally. Your responses will provide Head Start with essential details to better understand trainings and supports for inclusion, processes for delivery of disabilities services, and collaborations with local education agencies (LEAs), early intervention (EI) programs, health providers, and other community partners. This information will inform Head Start policy and the design and provision of training and technical assistance at the national and regional level.

Why do we need your participation? We want your experiences and input to be part of this groundbreaking effort. If you are new to the DSC role, have been a DSC for 30 years, or anywhere in between we want to know your perspective. [You will receive your link to the survey from NORC (STUDY TEAM EMAIL).] Please respond to the survey as soon as possible.

The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) sponsors the study, in close partnership with the Office of Head Start (OHS). The study is being conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago.

NORC [STUDY TEAM EMAIL] [will email/emailed] to you a personal link to access the web-based survey. If you have any questions about the survey please contact them at [STUDY TEAM QUESTIONS EMAIL].

We thank you in advance for your quick response to the survey. Should you have any concerns about your participation in the study, please contact the study’s Federal Project Officers, Laura Hoard (laura.hoard@acf.hhs.gov) and Wendy DeCourcey (wendy.decourcey@acf.hhs.gov) from the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, or Dayana Garcia (dayana.garcia@acf.hhs.gov) from Office of Head Start, of the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Sincerely,

[OHS SIGNATOR; Dr. Bernadine Futrell

Director, Office of Head Start]

FOLLOW UP EMAIL 1 FROM OHS TO DISABILITY SERVICES COORDINATORS

Dear [PROGRAM TYPE] Disability Services Coordinators,

We are following up with you about participating in the Study of Disability Services Coordinators (DSCs) and Inclusion in Head Start. This is the first opportunity for the Office of Head Start to understand disabilities services in programs both nationally and regionally. [Currently, the [NATIONAL or SUBSAMPLE] DSC response rate for this groundbreaking study is at [X percentages]]. Please make sure this national study includes your perspective on disabilities services and how they are carried out within your program.

This is a friendly reminder to log in and complete the online survey.

Thank you for your attention to this important national research,

[OHS SIGNATOR]

FOLLOW UP EMAIL 2 FROM OHS TO DISABILITY SERVICES COORDINATORS

Dear [PROGRAM TYPE] Disability Services Coordinators,

The Study of Disability Services Coordinators (DSCs) and Inclusion in Head Start is nearing its conclusion. At the Office of Head Start, we are excited to learn so much about DSC processes, roles and responsibilities as possible. [OPTIONAL: Currently, the [NATIONAL or SUBSAMPLE] DSC response rate for this groundbreaking study is at [X percentages].]

We hope you will take this opportunity to add your voice to the study. Without the information about your program, the national picture of disabilities services will be incomplete. Even if you are new to the DSC role, have been a DSC for 30 years, or anywhere in between we really want to know your experiences.

This is a friendly reminder to log in and complete the online survey.

Thank you for your attention to this important national research,

[OHS SIGNATOR]

FOLLOW UP EMAIL 1 FROM STUDY TEAM TO DISABILITY SERVICES COORDINATORS

Dear [FIRST NAME] [LAST NAME].

You are the missing piece! We wanted to remind you about participating in the Study of Disability Services Coordinators and Inclusion in Head Start. Please log in and complete the web Survey of Early Head Start (EHS) and Head Start (HS) Disability Services Coordinators (DSCs).

[IF SUBGROUP TARGETED WITH FOLLOW UP: It is important that all DSCs participate if the study is going to inform national and regional guidance and technical assistance. Currently the response rate for [SUBGROUP or NATIONAL SAMPLE} is at XX percent. Please help make sure the study is a success and log in to begin the DSC survey.]

Your input will contribute to a national snapshot of disability support activities and programming within EHS and HS programs, to better understand the variety and context of disability services, and to identify the current needs of DSCs. Your responses will not be shared with your supervisor. Information from the study will not be used for monitoring purposes and ACF funding for your program will not be impacted by your responses.

In this survey we ask about:

• The characteristics and responsibilities of DSCs;

• The current landscape of services offered to children with disabilities and their families;

• Collaboration with agencies and community partners related to disability services; and

• Challenges to inclusion and providing disability services, support, and education to children, families, and staff.

Tell us about your experiences with disability services! As one goal of the study, we really want to understand all the varied ways DSCs do their work. Even if you are new to the role, your input is valuable. To provide your perspective, please type or click your unique URL below into any computer or mobile device’s web browser. The survey does not have to be completed all at once; you can save your responses and return to the survey later.

SURVEY TIPS:

• Want to prepare for the survey?

• Preview the survey using the attached PDF.

• While we are primarily interested in hearing your perspective, you are welcome to confer with colleagues, as needed, to get answers to the survey questions.

• SAVE the survey and resume at any time

• You can save your progress and come back to the survey later when you are ready to complete it.

URL address: [UNIQUE SURVEY LINK]

While your participation is voluntary, we do hope you will decide to contribute to this important study. It will take about 56 minutes of your time. Your participation is the piece missing from the national picture and we greatly appreciate your time and the information you can provide.

If you have any questions or need help with the survey, please contact the NORC research team at HeadStartDSCStudy@norc.org.

Thank you in advance for your help with this important research!

Sincerely,

Michael López, PhD Shannon TenBroeck, MA

Principal Investigator Co-Principal Investigator

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement

The described 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 number for the described information collection is 0970-0585 and the expiration date is 01/31/2025. If you have questions about this data collection, please contact HeadStartDSCStudy@norc.org.

FOLLOW UP EMAIL 2 FROM STUDY TEAM TO DISABILITY SERVICES COORDINATORS

Dear [FIRST NAME] [LAST NAME].

We are reaching to remind you about participating in the Study of Disability Services Coordinators and Inclusion in Head Start.

[IF SUBGROUP TARGETED WITH FOLLOW UP: It is important that all DSCs participate if the study is going to inform national and regional guidance and technical assistance. Currently the response rate for [SUBGROUP or NATIONAL SAMPLE} is at XX percent. Please help make sure the study is a success and log in to begin the DSC survey.] Your responses will not be shared with your supervisor. Information from the study will not be used for monitoring purposes and ACF funding for your program will not be impacted by your responses.

Please log in and complete the web Survey of Early Head Start (EHS) and Head Start (HS) Disability Services Coordinators (DSCs). Your input will contribute to a national snapshot of disability support activities and programming within EHS and HS programs, to better understand the variety and context of disability services, and to identify the current needs of DSCs.

SURVEY TIPS:

• Want to prepare for the survey?

• Preview the survey using the attached PDF.

• While we are primarily interested in hearing your perspective, you are welcome to confer with colleagues, as needed, to get answers to the survey questions.

• SAVE the survey and resume at any time

• You can save your progress and come back to the survey later when you are ready to complete it.

Getting started. To begin the survey, please click or type your unique URL below into any computer or mobile device’s web browser. The survey does not have to be completed all at once; you can save your responses and return to the survey later.

URL address: [UNIQUE SURVEY LINK]

While your participation is voluntary, we do hope you will decide to contribute to this important study. It will take about 56 minutes of your time. If you have any questions or need help with the survey, please contact the NORC research team at HeadStartDSCStudy@norc.org.

Thank you in advance for your help with this important research!

Sincerely,

Michael López, PhD Shannon TenBroeck, MA

Principal Investigator Co-Principal Investigator

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement

The described 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 number for the described information collection is 0970-0585 and the expiration date is 01/31/2025. If you have questions about this data collection, please contact HeadStartDSCStudy@norc.org.

FOLLOW UP PHONE RECRUITMENT FROM STUDY TEAM TO DISABILITY SERVICES COORDINATORS

Hello [FIRST NAME] [LAST NAME].

My name is [Name] and I am calling from NORC at the University of Chicago to follow-up with you about participating in the Study of Disability Services Coordinators and Inclusion in Head Start.

We have sent emails describing the study, and we wanted to see if you had any questions? As a reminder, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation in partnership with the Office of Head Start has contracted with NORC to conduct this study.

Your input will contribute to a national snapshot of disabilities support within Early Head Start (EHS) and Head Start (HS) programs, to better understanding of the variety and context of disabilities services, and to identification of the current needs of DSCs and programs as they implement high quality disability supports for EHS/HS children, families, and staff. Individual DSCs and programs will not be identifiable in reports or findings: this will be a national picture.

Without your participation, the national picture will be incomplete!

Each DSC’s perspective is very important for the study. Have you received the emails from us asking for your participation?

[If no]: Would you mind giving me your email address so I can update our information and send you a link to the survey?

[If yes]: Great, glad to know our emails are making it to you.

Would you like me to give you your unique link right now? (If Yes: Provide URL).

Do you have any questions about the study that I can answer for you?

Thank you for taking my call today! While your participation is voluntary, we do hope you will decide to contribute to this first national study of Disability Services. Your answers would contribute significantly to study success! Thank you for your time, if you have any questions please reach out to NORC at HeadStartDSCStudy@norc.org.

FOLLOW UP PHONE RECRUITMENT FAQ

Title of Project: The Study of Disability Services Coordinators and Inclusion in Head Start, 2019-2024

Principal Investigator(s): Michael López and Shannon TenBroeck

Why are we doing this study? This study will provide a national picture of the Disability Services Coordinators (DSC) workforce for Early Head Start (EHS) and Head Start (HS), including American Indian/Alaska Native (Region XI) and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) (Region XII) grantees and/or delegate agencies. This study will improve Head Start’s understanding of how programs implement disability services for children and families.

Who is funding this study? The Study of Disability Services Coordinators and Inclusion in Head Start 2019-2024 is funded by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The study is being conducted by NORC at The University of Chicago, their partners at SRI International, and their consultant, Amanda Schwartz.

Will my responses impact my program or be shared with my supervisor? Your responses will not be shared with your supervisor. Information from the study will not be used for monitoring purposes and ACF funding for your program will not be impacted by your responses. Your responses will be combined with others and reported together so that individual information is not identifiable.

How do I prepare for the survey?

• Preview the survey using the attached PDF.

• While we are primarily interested in hearing your perspective, you are welcome to confer with colleagues, as needed, to get answers to the survey questions.

Privacy: We will protect privacy of your identifiable data to the extent allowed by law. We cannot guarantee complete privacy for data that is sent over the Internet. To minimize risks to loss of privacy, we use a secure system to collect these data. Once the data is collected, we will remove all identifying information and replace it with a study ID. Only the researchers involved in the study will know that someone from your agency participated in the study. In any written reports of the data, your responses will be combined with others and reported together so that individual information is not identifiable. If quotes are used in any reports, they will not be connected to an individual or grantee/delegate agency. If you would like to withdraw from the study, please notify the research team at HeadStartDSCStudy@norc.org to request that we destroy all of your data and exclude your responses from the study results. We will honor your request unless the data has already been aggregated, at which point we will no longer be able to separate person-level data. The NORC Institutional Review Board (IRB) and the Office for Human Subjects Research Protections in the Department of Health and Human Services may review records related to this research study.

The de-identified data from this study, including survey responses and interview notes, will be maintained for use in future research projects by other researchers. The data will be linked at the program-level to administrative data such as the Program Information Report (PIR) and national reports of disability policies.

You must be 18 years of age or older to take part in this research study.

Benefits: The study will provide a national understanding of how HS provides disability services. HS is a national early childhood leader, and the variety of ways that HS programs implement the Head Start Program Performance Standards for disability services will inform practice, policy, guidance and technical assistance. Your participation in this study will also help HS to improve disability services and to design supports for programs to enhance their disability coordination programming.

Risks: There are no risks in participating in this research beyond those experienced in everyday life.    

Right to Ask Questions: If you have any questions, concerns, or comments about the study, please contact the research team at HeadStartDSCStudy@norc.org. If you have questions about your rights as a research volunteer, please call the NORC Institutional Review Board toll free at 1-866-309-0542.

Phase 1 – Survey of EHS/HS Directors

How do I participate? As part of this study, we are asking all grantee or delegate agency directors to complete a brief 25-minute web-based survey that will provide us with information about your program. If you are unable to complete the survey online, you can request to complete it by phone.

Your responses to this survey will provide important information about:

• Names and contact information for your program’s DSC(s);

• Details about your program; and

• Your perspective on disability services and inclusion in your program.

How long will it take? It will take about 25 minutes to complete the online survey. The survey allows you to stop and save your responses at any time and return to them later for completion.

Phase 2 – Survey of EHS/HS DSCs

How do I participate? As part of this study, we will ask all DSCs within EHS and HS programs to complete a 56-minute online survey. If you are unable to complete the survey online, you can request to complete it by phone. While we are primarily interested in your perspective, you are welcome to confer with other staff to improve the accuracy of your answers, if needed.

Your participation will help the study capture current practices, strengths, and challenges related to disability services in EHS and HS programs.

Your responses to this survey will provide important information about:

• The characteristics and responsibilities of DSCs;

• The processes and approaches to partnering with agencies and community partners to offer services to children with disabilities and their families;

• Collaboration with families of children with disabilities; and

• Challenges to inclusion and providing disability services, support, and education to children, families, and staff.

How long will it take? It will take about 56 minutes to complete the online survey. The survey allows you to stop and save your responses at any time and return to them later for completion.

Phase 3 – DSC Interviews

How long will it take? The interview will take about 45 minutes.

How do I participate? If you are willing to participate, please let us know, and we will schedule a time for the interview over the next several weeks. Your participation in this interview will provide important details about key aspects of the DSC role and processes. Your responses will help HS improve understanding and supports for disability services.