Part C Item Justification

The eligibility screener, to be used to identify eligible households for participation in one of the topical surveys.
The Early Childhood Program Participation Survey (ECPP), to be administered to a parent or guardian knowledgeable about the care of children from birth through age 5 and not yet in kindergarten.
The Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey (PFI), to be administered to a parent or guardian knowledgeable about the education of a child who is either enrolled in school (virtually or physically) in grades K-12, or homeschooled at these grade levels.

The topics addressed in these two questionnaires have been covered in NHES previous administrations, most recently in 2019. The 2023 questionnaires are mostly unchanged from 2019. Expert content review was undertaken during the development of the 2019 questionnaires. For the 2023 questionnaires, new items were reviewed by a questionnaire design expert, Dr. Jolene Smyth, and tested in cognitive interviews with parents and guardians (OMB# 1850-0803 v. 265, v. 268, v. 287, v. 289, v. 290, and v. 296). As part of the questionnaire development process, NCES solicited recommendations from its contractors and consultants for item deletions to ease survey burden. Items recommended for deletion have data quality issues, such as higher missing data or editing rates, have been flagged in testing as challenging, and/or were flagged during content review as outdated. Five items were deleted after NCES review determined the affected items are not a research priority and that removing them will not jeopardize the analytic utility of the survey estimates. (Deleted items are listed in Exhibit 3.0.)

C.1 Screener

The initial step in distributing the NHES survey to potential participants is the mailing of a letter with either a paper version of the screener or a link to the screener. The screener is used to confirm that the sampled address is residential, and to assess whether eligible children reside in the household. (Eligible children are household members age 20 or under.) The screener contains items that inquire about all required information needed to determine eligibility and to sample an eligible child from the household.

As part of determining whether eligible children reside in the household, the screener “screens out” households without eligible children. Households with eligible children are asked to enumerate the children living in the household (starting with the youngest) and to provide basic demographic information about each child. The screener format in the paper version lists all questions about household children, for five children, on a single, landscape-oriented page. This reduces the space needed for listing children and decreases potential errors, including the possible omission of an eligible child. In the web, instead of a single page for all items, the respondent is asked to provide the first name, initials, or nickname of up to ten children in the household. Then those names are used as autofills in the demographic questions, for the five youngest children.

An insert in the screener mailings includes a page of “frequently asked questions”, intended to pre-emptively address questions that many respondents may have. The purpose of this document is to inform respondents more fully of the purpose of the survey, and assure them of the sponsorship, legitimacy, and privacy protections of the survey.

An experimental, paper version of the screener will be tested in NHES:2023 as part of the “alternate materials” experiment which will attempt to increase response rates (for households both with and without children) by being more explicit in the screener materials about how the purpose and nature of the data collection differs depending on whether there are children in the household. The experimental screener instrument (the “opt-out’ screener) will allow households to indicate on the cover of the survey that there are no children in the household. About two thirds of sampled households will not have children in the household, but we need responses from these households in order to generate nationally representative estimates of children and their characteristics. Therefore, we want to make response from households without children as easy as possible. This version of the screener was tested in 2019 and increased response rates for households with children, but had no effect on the response of households without children. We hypothesize that by being more explicit about the purpose of the survey in the accompanying letters, we can increase response to this screener for both households with children and households without children.

The web version of the NHES:2023 screener will utilize pre-programmed skip patterns to provide respondents with a more user-friendly experience. Verification questions are also added to the NHES:2023 web survey instrument to ensure that important data are collected in cases where the respondent leave an item blank or when clarification is needed. The verification questions help funnel the respondent into the correct skip patterns and/or to clarify the accuracy of the information reported. Exhibit 1 lists each item question on the NHES screener.

Exhibit 1. Screener Items

Question #	Item Stem	Purpose
1	Are there any children or youth age 20 or younger living in this household?	Determine Eligibility
2	How many children or youth age 20 or younger live in this household?	Sampling
3	What is his or her first name, initials, or nickname?	Sampling
4	What is this child/youth’s month and year of birth?	Sampling
5	What is this child/youth’s sex?	Sampling
6	Is this child/youth currently in…? [enrollment options]	Sampling
7	What is this child/youth’s current grade or equivalent?	Sampling

NHES:2023 Screener Experiment

No substantive changes were made to the main NHES:2023 screener instrument from NHES:2019. Changes were made to the experimental screener, adding language to clarify the purpose of the survey. These changes are displayed in Exhibit 2.

Exhibit 2. Initial item on NHES:2019 screener and NHES:2023 experimental screener

NHES:2019 NHES:2023

C.2 Early Childhood Program Participation (ECPP) Survey

The following topics are covered in the NHES:2023 ECPP questionnaire:

Participation in relative care, nonrelative care, center-based programs, and Early Head Start/Head Start
Care/program characteristics such as location, days and hours per week, and cost
Care provider characteristics such as language spoken with child
Difficulty in finding care and child care selection criteria
Family education activities such as visiting a library and reading to the child
Child’s emerging literacy and numeracy skills
Child’s health and disability status
Parent characteristics
Household characteristics

The questionnaire items are reviewed further below. Each section is presented in the order of appearance in the questionnaire.

Frequently Asked Questions and Instructions

The first page of the paper survey (after the cover), and a menu option after web-login, provides frequently asked questions (and responses) intended to pre-emptively address questions that respondents may have. As noted above, the purpose of this “FAQ” is to inform respondents more fully of the purpose of the survey and assure them of the sponsorship, legitimacy, and privacy protections of the survey.

The second page of the questionnaire (and first and second pages after web-login/screener completion) identifies the focus child selected (based on the screener) and provides the respondent with instructions for completing the questionnaire. A toll-free number is listed for participants to call in case of confusion, or if the household has no child fitting the description given. In the paper survey, respondents are presented with an example of an item with a skip pattern, and with text explaining that the arrow and instructions in such items will help route them through the survey.

Section 1. Early Childhood Care and Programs

This section collects information on three types of non-parental care and education: care by relatives, care by nonrelatives, and center-based early childhood/preschool programs. These items provide detailed information on the extent of current participation in each type of care arrangement, location where the care takes place, the time children spend in each arrangement, and the financial cost of current care arrangements to the child’s household. Using survey items in later sections, this information can be related to children’s personal, family, and household characteristics. The following information is collected across the three subsections of “Early Childhood Care and Education” items:

The number of current arrangements of each type (one or more than one), and the full amount of time child spends in each type of arrangement
The location of the arrangement, and distance from the child’s household
The number of days and hours per week the child is in the arrangement, and the length of time in attendance
The language(s) used by the care provider
Whether the care provider will care for the child when the child is sick
The cost to the household of the arrangement, and any applicable assistance in paying for the arrangement
How well the arrangement covers work hours

The questions above are asked for each type of arrangement; questions unique to one or two subsections are noted below. We use the term “parent” throughout to mean the parent or guardian respondent.

Care Your Child Receives from Relatives (Questions 1-19). This subsection asks respondents about care provided by relatives other than the child’s parents. Care is specified to be on a regular basis. In addition to the information noted above, the items gather information on the relationship of caregiver to child, age of caregiver, and number of children in the care arrangement.

Care Your Child Receives from Non-Relatives (Questions 20-40). This subsection asks respondents about care provided by non-relatives in a private home. Care is specified to be on a regular basis. In addition to the information noted above, items in this subsection gather information on whether the caregiver lives in the home, whether the caregiver was previously known to the household, age of caregiver, number of children in the care arrangement, and whether the parent would recommend the caregiver to other parents.

Day Care Centers and Preschool Programs Your Child Attends (Questions 41-62). This subsection asks respondents about programs provided for groups of children in day care centers, preschools, and pre-kindergartens. This can include daycare centers, preschools, pre-kindergartens, or center-based Head Start or Early Head Start programs. In addition to the information noted above, items in this subsection gather information on whether the program: teaches religious content, is located at a parent’s workplace, provides medical services, is a Head Start or Early Head start program, or is a program the parent would recommend to other parents.

Section 2. Finding and Choosing Care for Your Child (Questions 63-71)

This section includes questions about access to early childhood care and education programs, whether parents feel as though quality options for care are available to them, whether parents found the type of care they wanted, and how much difficulty they had in finding care.

Section 3. Family Activities (Questions 72-78)

This section asks about developmentally enriching family activities, such as the amount of time spent reading to the child. Parents are also asked about teaching letters and numbers, telling stories, and visiting bookstores or libraries. These items are designed to assess the degree of educational engagement by the child’s parents and in the child’s home environment.

Section 4. Your Child’s Early Learning (Questions 79-87)

This section asks about developmental milestones that serve as markers for school readiness, such as knowledge of the alphabet and ability to count. These items can help to inform policy efforts focused on tracking literacy and numeracy and how these markers relate to early childhood programs and educational family activities.

Section 5. Child’s Health (Questions 88-94)

This section asks about the child’s overall health, as well as specific medical conditions and disabilities. Items also ask about disability services that the child may receive, and the referral process. Medical conditions and disabilities are developmental risks, and are related to childhood educational experiences and progress, and overall development.

Section 6. Child’s Background (Questions 95-104)

This section asks about the child’s date of birth, country of origin, race and ethnicity, and language spoken at home, in order to examine how participation in care programs vary by and relate to these characteristics.

Section 7. Household Members (Questions 105-106)

This section asks about the total number of people living in the household, and how the survey respondent is related to the focus child.

Section 8. Child’s Family – Parent 1 and Parent 2 Living in Household (Questions 107-144)

This section includes questions about the child’s parents (or guardians) living in the household. Items include native language, country of origin, marital status, educational attainment, and employment status. These items on parent characteristics measure factors that may be associated with participation in early care and education and may also indicate risk factors, such as low socioeconomic status, that could be associated with child development, and preparation for school.

Section 9. Your Household (Questions 145-150)

This section includes questions on the receipt of public assistance, household income, home ownership, internet access, and the child’s internet use for educational purposes. These questions are used to classify families according to the economic resources available to them, and to examine the relationship of the family’s economic status to early childhood program participation. These questions, as well as questions on parent characteristics, can be used to identify children who may be at risk in terms of development and education preparation.

Research Questions

The items in the Early Childhood Program Participation Survey (ECPP) assess the following research questions:

1. To what extent do preschool children (birth to age 6 and not yet in kindergarten) participate in non-parental care and early childhood programs?

a. In what different types of non-parental care arrangements do children participate?

b. How many children participate in multiple care arrangements?

c. Where are care arrangements located?

d. How much time do children spend in non-parental care arrangements?

e. What is the relationship of relative care providers to the children for whom they are caring?

f. What is the cost of the care arrangements ?

g. How are child and family characteristics related to the care or early childhood education children receive?

h. What resources do parents use to find child care?

i. Is (emergent) literacy and numeracy related to the type of child care, amount of time in child care, or stability of child care?

j. What is the availability of sick child care?

k. How is parents’ employment status related to their choice of arrangements?

l. Do parents report difficulty in finding child care?

m. What factors do parents consider important when selecting child care arrangements?

n. How well does the child care fit the parents’ needs?

o. How many other children are sharing the care provided?

2. How has the participation of preschool children in non-parental care arrangements changed from 1991 to the present?

a. Have the subpopulations of children participating in various types of care arrangements changed?

b. Has the amount of time children spend in care arrangements changed?

3. Is access to non-parental care arrangements equitable for all children?

a. Are some subpopulations of children more or less likely to participate in non-parental care arrangements (for example, based on their race/ethnicity, sex, disability status, language, household income, or other family characteristics)?

b. Do some subpopulations of children participate in different numbers and/or types of care arrangements?

4. What type of child care subsidies/benefits have parents received from government agencies or from their employers?

5. What is the extent of families’ involvement in family-child education activities?

a. To what extent do families participate in selected education activities at home with their child?

b. Is participation in education activities related to preschoolers’ emerging literacy and numeracy?

Exhibit 3 provides item descriptions of each question in the Early Childhood Program Participation Survey, as well as the research question addressed by each item. New or deleted items from 2019 to 2023 are noted with “NEW” or “DELETED” in the Item Stem column. Exhibit 3 uses the question numbers for the control version of ECPP questionnaire. An experimental version of the ECPP questionnaire will be tested in 2023 and is discussed in the next section.

Exhibit 3. Item Descriptions of the Early Childhood Program Participation Survey

Question #	Item Stem for ECPP	Research Question or Purpose
Section 1: Childhood Care and Programs, Questions 1-62
1	Child receiving relative care from someone other than a parent or guardian	Research Question 1a
2	Arrangements regularly scheduled at least once a week	Research Question 1d
3	Relative care provider’s relationship to the child	Research Question 1e
4	Age of relative care provider	Research Question 1e
5	Place care is provided	Research Question 1c
6	Time to travel from own home to relative’s home	Research Question 1c, 1n
7	Number of days each week child receives care	Research Question 1d
8	Number of hours each week child receives care	Research Question 1d
9	How well arrangement covers hours needed for work	Research Question 1n
10	Age of child when this particular care began	Research Question 1d
11	Language relative speaks while giving care	Research Question 1g
12	Relative care for child when sick	Research Question 1j
13	Number of other children cared for by provider at same time	Research Question 1o
14	Fee charged for care	Research Question 1f
15	People/programs/organizations that help pay childcare expenses	Research Question 1f, 4
16	Total amount paid for relative childcare	Research Question 1f
17	Number of children amount covers, including sampled child	Research Question 1f
18	Any other relative care arrangements on a regular basis	Research Question 1a
19	Total hours each week spent in those other relative care arrangements	Research Question 1d
20	Child receiving non-relative home-based care on a regular basis	Research Question 1a
21	Arrangements regularly scheduled at least once a week	Research Question 1d
22	Does non-relative care provider live in household	Research Question 1c
23	Non-relative care provided in home or in another home	Research Question 1c
24	Time to travel from own home to provider’s home	Research Question 1c, 1n
25	Number of days each week child receives care	Research Question 1d
26	Number of hours each week child receives care	Research Question 1d
27	How well arrangement covers hours needed for work	Research Question 1n
28	Age of child when this particular care arrangement began	Research Question 1d
29	Was the care provider someone the respondent knew	Research Question 1h
30	Provider aged 18 or over	Research Question 1e
31	Language non-relative speaks while giving care	Research Question 1g
32	Non-relative care for child when sick	Research Question 1j
33	Number of other children cared for by provider at same time	Research Question 1o
34	Would you recommend this care provider to another parent	Research Question 1h
35	Fee charged for care that is paid by respondent or another person/agency	Research Question 1f
36	People/programs/organizations that help pay childcare expenses	Research Question 1f, 4
37	Total amount paid for non-relative childcare	Research Question 1f
38	Number of children amount covers, including sampled child	Research Question 1f
39	Any other non-relative home-based care arrangements on a regular basis	Research Question 1a
40	Total hours each week spent in those other non-relative home-based care arrangements	Research Question 1d
41	Is child now in any center-based/preschool/prekindergarten care arrangements	Research Question 1a
42	Does child go to a center-based care/preschool/prekindergarten at least once a week	Research Question 1d
43	Location of center-based care arrangement	Research Question 1a, 3b
44	Religious content taught	Research Question 1c, 1g
45	Care provided at parents’ workplace	Research Question 1c
46	Is this program a Head Start or Early Head Start program	Research Question 1a, 3b
47	Number of days each week child receives care	Research Question 1d
48	Number of hours each week child receives care	Research Question 1d
49	How well program covers hours needed for work	Research Question 1n
50	Age of child when this particular care arrangement began	Research Question 1d
51	Language main care provider speaks while giving care	Research Question 1g
52	Time to travel from own home to provider	Research Question 1c, 1n
53	Would you recommend this program to another parent	Research Question 1h
54	NEW - Asked to remove child from care due to behavior	Research Question 1g
55	Program provides services to the child/family	Research Question 1g
56	NEW - Program will care for child when sick	Research Question 1j
57	Fee charged for care	Research Question 1f
58	People/programs/organizations that help pay childcare expenses	Research Question 1f, 4
59	Total amount paid for this program	Research Question 1f
60	Number of children amount covers, including sampled child	Research Question 1f
61	Does this child have any other center-based care arrangements on a regular basis	Research Question 1a
62	Total hours each week spent in those other center-based care arrangements	Research Question 1d
Section 2: Finding and Choosing Care (63-71)
63	Has child ever attended Head Start	Research Question 1g, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4
64	Main reason for wanting childcare	Research Question 1m, 11
65	Good choices for childcare	Research Question 1m, 11
66	Ever searched for care for child	Research Question 1a
67	Difficulty finding care	Research Question 1m, 11
68	Main reason for difficulty finding care	Research Question 1m, 1n, 11
69	Did child have a care arrangement in past year	Research Question 1a
70	Main reason household chose this care arrangement	Research Question 1m, 1n, 11
71	Importance of factors considered when choosing childcare arrangement	Research Question 1m, 11
Section 3: Family Activities (72-78)
72	Number of books this child owns	Research Question 1i
73	Number of times child was read to in the past week	Research Question 1i, 5a
74	During those times, how many minutes are spent reading to the child	Research Question 1i, 5a
75	Activities done in the past week	Research Question 1i, 5a
76	Number of days eaten the evening family meals together in the past week	Research Question 1i
77	Visited the library in the past month	Research Question 1i, 5a
78	Visited a bookstore in the past month	Research Question 1i, 5a
Section 4: Your Child’s Early Learning (79-87)
79	Child 2 years of age or younger/older	Verification item
80	Child can recognize letters of the alphabet	Research Question 1i, 5b
81	Can child write his/her name even if letters are backwards	Research Question 1i, 5b
82	Can child recognize beginning sounds of a word	Research Question 1i, 5b
83	Can child explain things well enough to get a good idea	Research Question 1i, 5b
84	How high can this child count	Research Question 1i, 5b
85	Can this child identify basic shapes	Research Question 1i, 5b
86	NEW – Parent expressed child development concern to professional	Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b
87	NEW – Parent satisfaction with professional response to concern	Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b
Section 5: This Childs Health (88-94)
88	Describe child’s health	Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b
89	Child's diagnosed conditions (disabilities)	Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b
90	If child under 3, has professional said child is “at-risk” for developmental delay	Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b
91	Yes response to question 89 or 90	Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b
92	Does child receive services for condition by an IFSP or IEP	Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b
93	Overall satisfaction/dissatisfaction with child’s IFSP or IEP	Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b
-	DELETED - Child currently enrolled in special education classes/services	Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b
94	Does child’s condition affect his/her ability to do the following things	Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b
-	DELETED - Does child’s condition interfere with ability to attend care	Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b
Section 6: Child’s Background (95-104)
95	In what month and year was this child born	Research Question 1g, 2a, 3a, 3b
96	Where was this child born	Research Question 1g, 2a, 3a, 3b
97	Age of child when first moved to the US/ District of Columbia	Research Question 1g, 2a, 3a, 3b
98	Is this child of Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino origin	Research Question 1g, 2a, 3a, 3b
99	Child’s race	Research Question 1g, 2a, 3a, 3b
100	Child’s sex	Research Question 1g, 2a, 3a, 3b
101	Does child live at this address and another address	Research Question 1g, 2a, 3a, 3b
102	Time spent at joint addresses	Research Question 1g, 2a, 3a, 3b
103	Language child speaks at home	Research Question 1g, 2a, 3a, 3b
104	Child currently enrolled in English as a second language, bilingual education, or an English immersion program	Demographic/ background characteristics
Section 7: Household Members (105-106)
105	Number of people in household	Household Demographics
-	DELETED - How many of the following types of relatives/non-relatives live in the household with this child	Household Demographics
106	How is respondent related to child	Household Demographics
-	DELETED - Languages spoken by adults in household	Household Demographics
Section 8: Child’s Family (107-144)
Parent 1	Parent/Guardian section
107	NEW – Does respondent consider themselves a parent/guardian to child	Research Question 1g
108	Parent/guardian relationship to child	Research Question 1g
109	Is this person male or female	Research Question 1g
110	Marital status of this parent or guardian	Research Question 1g
111	Is parent or guardian living with partner in household	Research Question 1g
112	First language parent or guardian learned to speak	Research Question 1g
113	What language does this parent or guardian speak most at home now	Research Question 1g
114	Where was this parent or guardian born	Research Question 1g
115	How old was this parent or guardian when he/ she first moved to the US	Research Question 1g
116	Is this parent or guardian of Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino origin	Research Question 1g
117	What is this parent or guardian’s race	Research Question 1g
118	Parent/guardian’s highest level of education completed	Research Question 1g
119	Is parent or guardian currently attending or enrolled in a school/vocational education/job training	Research Question 1g
120	Parent/guardian employment status	Research Question 1g
121	Number of hours worked per week for pay, if employed/self-employed	Research Question 1g, 1k
122	Looking for work in the past 4 weeks, if unemployed	Research Question 1g, 1k
123	Worked for pay or income in the past 12 months	Research Question 1g, 1k
124	NEW – Does parent/guardian have internet access on cell phone	Research Question 1g, 1h
125	Age of parent/guardian	Research Question 1g
Parent 2	Parent/Guardian section
126	Parent/guardian # 2 present in the household	Research Question 1g
127	Parent/ guardian relationship to child	Research Question 1g
128	Is this parent or guardian male or female	Research Question 1g
129	Marital status of this parent or guardian	Research Question 1g
130	Is parent or guardian living with partner in household	Research Question 1g
131	First language parent or guardian learned to speak	Research Question 1g
132	What language does this parent or guardian speak most at home now	Research Question 1g
133	Where was this parent or guardian born	Research Question 1g
134	How old was this parent or guardian when he/she first moved to the US	Research Question 1g
135	Is this parent or guardian of Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino origin	Research Question 1g
136	What is this parent or guardian’s race	Research Question 1g
137	Parent/guardian highest level of education completed	Research Question 1g
138	Is parent or guardian currently attending or enrolled in a school/vocational education/job training	Research Question 1g
139	Parent/guardian employment status	Research Question 1g
140	Number of hours worked per week, if employed/self-employed	Research Question 1g, 1k
141	Looking for work in the past 4 weeks, if unemployed	Research Question 1g, 1k
142	Worked for pay or income in the past 12 months	Research Question 1g, 1k
143	NEW – Does parent/guardian have internet access on cell phone	Research Question 1g, 1h
144	Age of parent/guardian	Research Question 1g
Section 9: Your Household (145-150)
145	Benefits received in the past 12 months	Household Demographics
146	Total household income	Variables used for weighting; Research Question 1g, 2a.
147	Is home or apartment owned or rented	Household Demographics
-	DELETED – Household internet access on cell phone	Household Demographics
148	Internet access at home on a computer or tablet	Household Demographics
149	How frequently child uses Internet for learning activities	Household Demographics
150	Type of device used	Household Demographics

NHES:2023 ECPP Split-Panel Questionnaire Experiments

The ECPP will include a split-panel experiment, using two versions of the questionnaire, in order to test (1) revised child’s health items in both the web and paper instruments and (2) a grouped format for asking about child care arrangements in the web instrument only. The items in Exhibit 3 are the control version of the questionnaire. The experimental version and the rationale for testing the experimental items are described below.

Child’s Health Items Split Panel

A new version of the Child’s Health section will be tested as a potential replacement for the current section. This will be tested in both the web instrument and the paper questionnaire.
- The primary change is to the grid in the item that asks about health conditions that identify children as having a disability, and the specific disability they have. To date, the ECPP version of grid has been identical to the PFI version. The PFI grid was developed using lists in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) legislation that categorize the conditions that qualify students for special education services. The new version of the grid consists of a subset of the items included in the NHES:2019 grid.
- The reduced set of disability items reflects the fact that young children are more often diagnosed with “developmental delays,” than with medical diagnoses such as “a specific learning disability” or “a serious emotional disturbance.” which would only be diagnosable in older children. The three conditions that were kept--A speech or language impairment, autism, and ADHD--are conditions that may be diagnosed within the preschool population and have higher prevalence rates than other conditions. Some other conditions may be diagnosable at early ages (e.g., blindness or deafness) but have low prevalence rates and were dropped to reduce respondent burden. The “specify” box with the “another disability or health impairment lasting 6 months or longer” item in the experimental condition will provide an opportunity for parents to provide the name of any other conditions (the NHES:2019 version of this item does not include a “specify” box). Finally, the question stem will change slightly to ask if the child “is at risk for or has” any of the conditions, while the NHES:2019 version only asks if the child “has” any of the conditions.
- This new version of the disability status item was developed in response to (1) feedback from Census telephone interviewers in 2019 that the conditions list was long and that it was offensive to use the term “mental retardation” in one of the items, (2) findings that the existing items have a relatively high grade-reading level, and (3) subsequent content expert recommendations from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and the National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER).
Other notable changes to this section include:
- The items in this section are incorporated into the end of the “Your Child’s Early Learning” section, and their original section title—“Child’s Health”—no longer appears in the paper questionnaire.¹
  - The first item from this section (general child’s health question) is moved later in the questionnaire (to the “Child’s Background” section) so that the section can be focused questions that pertain to young children’s development. General measures of health are qualitatively different than developmental measures and should not be intermingled.
- In both versions, two new items are added before the disabilities grid that ask about the parent’s concerns about the child’s development.
- The question asking about the child being at-risk for a developmental delay is modified to ask if the child “has or is at risk for a developmental delay,” while the 2019 version asks if the child is “at risk for a substantial developmental delay”. This item is also no longer limited to children who are under 3 years old.
- The battery of items about special education services are restructured to first ask if the child is receiving any services and to then ask if any of the services were from an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). Also, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) recommended that “services plan” be dropped from all disability measures, reversing a recommendation made by the Office of Nonpublic Education (ONPE) that had been implemented in the 2016 and 2019 questionnaires.
- The grid item that asks whether the child’s condition interferes with his or her ability to do things like learn or make friends is changed from a series of yes/no items to a series of frequency items (i.e., “how often”) with responses of “often,” “sometimes,” “never,” and “don’t know.” The “don’t know” response option reflects usability test participants’ reluctance to make judgement calls about how typical or atypical their young children’s challenges are relative to children without a disability.

Fifty percent of the sample will be randomly assigned to the experimental version of the ECPP. This allocation was selected to facilitate the dual goals of: (1) evaluating the quality of responses from the experimental version of the items (compared to the control version) and (2) producing estimates that will have enough power to enable comparisons of estimates across versions. In particular, NCES hopes to find that the two versions yield comparable results, so that the data from the new and old disability status items can be combined to create one composite disability status measure for use in analysis. Exhibit 4 presents a crosswalk of the health items that will be in the control and experimental condition, including their comparability.

Exhibit 4. Crosswalk of the child’s health items between the control and experimental versions for the Early Childhood Program Participation Survey

Control Version

Experimental Version

Comparability

Section/Question #

Item

Section/Question #

Item

Your Child’s Early Learning #86

Has a parent or guardian expressed concerns to a health, education, or early intervention professional about this child’s development (for example, speech and language, social emotional, or motor skill development)?

Yes

Your Child’s Early Learning #86

Yes

Yes, question wording is the same and location is the same.

Your Child’s Early Learning #87

Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with responses from health, education, or early intervention professionals about your concerns about this child’s development?

Very satisfied

Somewhat satisfied

Somewhat dissatisfied

Very dissatisfied

Your Child’s Early Learning #87

Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with responses from health, education, or early intervention professionals about your concerns about this child’s development?

Very satisfied

Somewhat satisfied

Somewhat dissatisfied

Very dissatisfied

Yes, question wording is the same and location is the same.

Child’s Health

#88

In general, how would you describe this child’s health?

Excellent

Very good

Good

Fair

Poor

Child’s Background #101

In general, how would you describe this child’s health?

Excellent

Very good

Good

Fair

Poor

Yes, question wording is the same. Location is different.

Child’s Health

#89

Has a health, education, or early intervention professional told you that this child has any of the following conditions?

Yes No

A speech or language impairment…..

A serious emotional disturbance…….

Deafness or another hearing impairment……

Blindness or another visual impairment not corrected with glasses……………………...

An orthopedic impairment……………

Autism or autism spectrum disorder..

Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD)…………………………………..

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD or ADD……...…....

A specific learning disability………….

A developmental delay……………….

Traumatic brain injury………………...

An intellectual disability, formerly known as mental retardation………

Another health impairment lasting 6 months or longer………………………

Your Child’s Early Learning #88

Has a health, education, or early intervention professional told you that this child has any of the following conditions?

Yes No

A speech or language impairment…..

Autism or autism spectrum disorder..

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD or ADD…………………………………

Another disability or health impairment lasting 6 months or longer………...……

If this child has another disability or health impairment lasting 6 months or longer, please specify:

Yes, question stem is the same and some sub-items wording is the same. In the experimental version sub-item d will be reviewed to determine if write-ins fit into control version categories.

Child’s Health

#90

(If child is under 3 years old) Has a health, education, or early intervention professional told you that this child is at risk for or has a developmental delay?

Yes

Child is age 3 or older

Your Child’s Early Learning #89

Has a health, education, or early intervention professional told you that this child is at risk for or has a developmental delay?

Yes

Yes, the question wording is similar but will need to subset the experimental version to compare to the control.

Child’s Health

#91

Did you mark YES to any condition in question 89 or question 90?

Yes

Your Child’s Early Learning #90

Did you mark YES to any condition in question 88 or question 89?

Yes

Yes, question wording is the same. It is a paper only variable used for routing.

N/A

Your Child’s Early Learning #91

Is this child receiving services for his or her condition (for example, speech therapy or physical therapy)?

Yes

No, experimental item is new.

Child’s Health

#92

Is this child receiving any services through an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), Individualized Education Program (IEP), or services plan?

Yes

Your Child’s Early Learning #92

Are this child’s services through an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) or Individualized Education Program (IEP)?

Yes

Yes, question wording is similar but will need to take into account the Q91 response in the experimental version to make it comparable.

Child’s Health

#93

Thinking about this child’s IFSP, IEP, or services plan, since September, how satisfied or dissatisfied have you been with the service provider’s or school’s communication with your family?

Very satisfied

Somewhat satisfied

Somewhat dissatisfied

Very dissatisfied

Does not apply

Your Child’s Early Learning #93

Thinking about this child’s IFSP or IEP, since September, how satisfied or dissatisfied have you been with the service provider’s or school’s communication with your family?

Very satisfied

Somewhat satisfied

Somewhat dissatisfied

Very dissatisfied

Does not apply

Yes, question wording is the same and location is the same.

Child’s Health

#94

Does this child’s condition interfere with his or her ability to do any of the following things?

Shape3 Yes No

Learn…………………………
Play with other children………
Go on outings………………….
Make friends…………………

Your Child’s Early Learning #94

How often does this child’s condition interfere with his or her ability to do any of the following things?

Often Sometimes Never Don’t know

Learn…………………………

Play with other children………

Go on outings………………….

Make friends…………………

Not comparable due to question wording and response options differing.

Childhood Care and Programs Split Panel

A new format of asking about the types of care the child receives will be tested in the web instrument only.² In the experimental condition, the initial section on Childhood Care and Programs will start with a grouped format item that consolidates the child care arrangement filter items³ into a single grid item-- instead of the interleafed format (that is, as a series of individual items that are each asked right before the relevant follow-up items) used in the control condition. Based on responses to the new grid item, respondents will be routed to follow-up questions about the different types of care the child receives; these follow-up questions are the same in the experimental and control conditions.⁴
This change is driven by usability testing findings that some respondents who select both non-relative care and center-based care are referring to the same care arrangement for both of these responses. The new format will provide information about all the different care arrangements a child may be in at the beginning of the instrument; this change will hopefully make it easier for respondents to accurately answer each item and reduce double-counting of care arrangements. Prior research also suggests that the grouped format may increase reporting of child care arrangements due to a reduction in motivated underreporting to the filter items (Kreuter et al. 2011; Eckman et al. 2014).
About 20 percent of the sample will be randomly assigned to the experimental version of the Childhood Care and Programs section (though respondents in this condition will only be exposed to the experimental version of the section if they respond by web or phone). This allocation was selected to facilitate the dual goals of: (1) evaluating the quality of responses from the experimental version of the items (compared to the control version) and (2) producing estimates that will have enough power to enable comparisons of estimates across versions. Because the change in collection of care arrangement data in the ECPP can affect key estimates and a critical time series, this sample allocation is designed to allow for estimates on child care arrangements to be created without using data from the experimental version. However, if the new version of the item is found to be successful, it will be merged with existing data and this version will be considered for use in future data collections.

Exhibit 5 is a crosswalk of the childhood care and program items that will be in the control and experimental condition by their comparability.

Exhibit 5. Crosswalk of the childhood care and programs items between the control and experimental versions for the Early Childhood Program Participation Survey – web only

Control Version	Experimental Version	Comparability
N/A	Does [this child] receive care or early education from anyone besides [his/her/his or her] parents or guardians on a REGULAR BASIS? 1 = Yes 2 = No	No, experimental item is new for a direct comparison. Can make a composite variable from the control version to see if those receiving nonparental care is comparable.
In this survey we’ll first be asking about care this child receives from a relative, then care received by someone who is not related, and then care in a center like a daycare or preschool. These questions ask about different types of childcare [this child] may now receive on a REGULAR BASIS from a relative other than [his/her/his or her] parents or guardians. Is [this child] now receiving care from a relative other than a parent or guardian on a REGULAR BASIS, for example, from grandparents, brothers or sisters, or any other relatives? 1 = Yes 2 = No The next questions ask about any care [this child] receives from someone NOT related to [him/her/him or her], EITHER IN YOUR HOME OR SOMEONE ELSE'S HOME. This includes home childcare providers or neighbors, but NOT day care centers or preschools. 1 = Yes 2 = No Is [this child] now receiving care in your home or another home on a REGULAR BASIS from someone who is NOT related to [him/her/him or her]? The next questions ask about any day care centers and early childhood programs that [this child] attends. This does not include care provided in a private home. Is [this child] now attending a day care center, preschool, or prekindergarten not in a private home? 1 = Yes 2 = No	Who provides care or early education for [this child] on a REGULAR BASIS? A parent or guardian, (1=Yes, 2=No) A relative such as grandparent, brother, sister, or other relative, who is NOT [this child]’s guardian. (1=Yes, 2=No) A person NOT related to [this child] such as neighbor, home child care provider, nanny, or au pair. (1=Yes, 2=No) A teacher or staff person in a day care center, child care center, preschool, or prekindergarten (not in a private home). (1=Yes, 2=No)	Yes, though the experimental item is new a composite variable can be developed from the control version to see if those receiving each type of care is comparable.
Are any of these care arrangements regularly scheduled at least once a week? 1 = Yes 2 = No	These next questions are about the care that [this child] receives from the relative who provides the most care, OTHER THAN [his/her/his or her] parent(s) or guardian(s). Does this other relative provide care regularly at least once a week? 1 = Yes 2 = No	Yes, item wording is comparable outside of the intro text that slightly varies.
These next questions are about the care that [this child] receives from the relative who provides the most care. How is that relative related to [this child]? 1= Grandmother/Grandfather 2= Aunt/Uncle 3= Brother/Sister 4= Another relative	How is that relative related to [this child]? 1= Grandmother/Grandfather 2= Aunt/Uncle 3= Brother/Sister 4= Another relative	Yes, item wording is comparable outside of the intro text that slightly varies.
Are any of these care arrangements regularly scheduled at least once a week? 1 = Yes 2 = No	The next questions ask about any care that [this child] receives from someone NOT related to [him/her/him or her]; the care can be provided EITHER IN YOUR HOME OR SOMEONE ELSE'S HOME. This includes home childcare providers or neighbors, but NOT day care centers or preschools. Does this non-relative provide care regularly at least once a week? 1 = Yes 2 = No	Yes, item wording is comparable outside of the intro text that slightly varies.
Does [this child] go to a day care center, preschool, or prekindergarten, at least once each week? 1 = Yes 2 = No	Does [this child] attend the [program] regularly at least once a week? 1 = Yes 2 = No	Yes, item wording is comparable outside of the intro text that slightly varies.
The next questions ask about the PROGRAM where [this child] spends the most time. Is [this child]’s current PROGRAM a day care program, a childcare center program, a preschool program, or a prekindergarten program? 1= Day care 2=Childcare center 3= Preschool 4= Prekindergarten	We are interested in learning more about day care centers and early childhood programs that [this child] attends. The next questions ask about the PROGRAM where [this child] spends the most time. How would you like to refer to that program in these questions? There are no right or wrong answers. 1= Day care 2=Childcare center 3= Preschool 4= Prekindergarten	This variable is only used to provide information to fill in the web items and is not released on the data file. Yes, item wording is comparable outside of the intro text that slightly varies.

Control Version

Experimental Version

Comparability

Item

N/A

Does [this child] receive care or early education from anyone besides [his/her/his or her] parents or guardians on a REGULAR BASIS?

1 = Yes

2 = No

No, experimental item is new for a direct comparison. Can make a composite variable from the control version to see if those receiving nonparental care is comparable.

In this survey we’ll first be asking about care this child receives from a relative, then care received by someone who is not related, and then care in a center like a daycare or preschool.

These questions ask about different types of childcare [this child] may now receive on a REGULAR BASIS from a relative other than [his/her/his or her] parents or guardians.

Is [this child] now receiving care from a relative other than a parent or guardian on a REGULAR BASIS, for example, from grandparents, brothers or sisters, or any other relatives?

1 = Yes

2 = No

The next questions ask about any care [this child] receives from someone NOT related to [him/her/him or her], EITHER IN YOUR HOME OR SOMEONE ELSE'S HOME. This includes home childcare providers or neighbors, but NOT day care centers or preschools.

1 = Yes

2 = No

Is [this child] now receiving care in your home or another home on a REGULAR BASIS from someone who is NOT related to [him/her/him or her]?

The next questions ask about any day care centers and early childhood programs that [this child] attends. This does not include care provided in a private home.

Is [this child] now attending a day care center, preschool, or prekindergarten not in a private home?

1 = Yes

2 = No

Who provides care or early education for [this child] on a REGULAR BASIS?

A parent or guardian, (1=Yes, 2=No)
A relative such as grandparent, brother, sister, or other relative, who is NOT [this child]’s guardian. (1=Yes, 2=No)
A person NOT related to [this child] such as neighbor, home child care provider, nanny, or au pair. (1=Yes, 2=No)
A teacher or staff person in a day care center, child care center, preschool, or prekindergarten (not in a private home). (1=Yes, 2=No)

Yes, though the experimental item is new a composite variable can be developed from the control version to see if those receiving each type of care is comparable.

Are any of these care arrangements regularly scheduled at least once a week?

1 = Yes

2 = No

These next questions are about the care that [this child] receives from the relative who provides the most care, OTHER THAN [his/her/his or her] parent(s) or guardian(s).

Does this other relative provide care regularly at least once a week?

1 = Yes

2 = No

Yes, item wording is comparable outside of the intro text that slightly varies.

These next questions are about the care that [this child] receives from the relative who provides the most care.

How is that relative related to [this child]?

1= Grandmother/Grandfather

2= Aunt/Uncle

3= Brother/Sister

4= Another relative

How is that relative related to [this child]?

1= Grandmother/Grandfather

2= Aunt/Uncle

3= Brother/Sister

4= Another relative

Yes, item wording is comparable outside of the intro text that slightly varies.

Are any of these care arrangements regularly scheduled at least once a week?

1 = Yes

2 = No

The next questions ask about any care that [this child] receives from someone NOT related to [him/her/him or her]; the care can be provided EITHER IN YOUR HOME OR SOMEONE ELSE'S HOME. This includes home childcare providers or neighbors, but NOT day care centers or preschools.

Does this non-relative provide care regularly at least once a week?

1 = Yes

2 = No

Yes, item wording is comparable outside of the intro text that slightly varies.

Does [this child] go to a day care center, preschool, or prekindergarten, at least once each week?

1 = Yes

2 = No

Does [this child] attend the [program] regularly at least once a week?

1 = Yes

2 = No

Yes, item wording is comparable outside of the intro text that slightly varies.

The next questions ask about the PROGRAM where [this child] spends the most time.

Is [this child]’s current PROGRAM a day care program, a childcare center program, a preschool program, or a prekindergarten program?

1= Day care

2=Childcare center

3= Preschool

4= Prekindergarten

We are interested in learning more about day care centers and early childhood programs that [this child] attends. The next questions ask about the PROGRAM where [this child] spends the most time.

How would you like to refer to that program in these questions? There are no right or wrong answers.

1= Day care

2=Childcare center

3= Preschool

4= Prekindergarten

This variable is only used to provide information to fill in the web items and is not released on the data file.

Yes, item wording is comparable outside of the intro text that slightly varies.

C.3 Parent and Family Involvement in Education (PFI) Survey

The following topics are covered in the PFI questionnaire:

School characteristics such as control (public/private) and school choice
Student experiences in school, academic grades, and grade repetition
Parent and family involvement/participation in school
School practices to involve and support families
Family involvement in children’s schoolwork
Homeschooling
Virtual education
Family activities such as arts and crafts, visiting a library, or attending a play or concert
Children’s backgrounds
Children’s health and disabilities
Parent characteristics
Household characteristics

Whether a child is enrolled in school or homeschooled, and the child’s current grade level are collected for all household children in the screener; the name of the sampled child is displayed at the beginning of the self-administered (paper) topical questionnaire, and on the web, respondents are told that we have additional questions about the sampled child. As indicated below, parents of homeschooled children are asked questions about the extent and nature of their child’s homeschooling; parents of children enrolled in elementary or secondary school are asked about their child’s experiences in school, their school choices, and their involvement in school activities. All parents are asked questions about virtual education and family involvement in enrichment activities outside of school, as well as questions on their children’s health and demographic characteristics, the characteristics of the parents in the household, and household characteristics.

Questionnaire items are reviewed further below. Each section is presented in the order of appearance in the questionnaire. We use the term “parent” throughout to mean the parent or guardian respondent.

Frequently Asked Questions and Instructions

Section 1. Child’s Schooling (Questions 1-3)

This section is functions as a navigational router for respondents based on the type of schooling in which the focus child is enrolled. This section serves to direct respondents to either the Child’s Homeschooling section or Child’s School section.

Section 2. Child’s Homeschooling (Questions 4-28)

This section is intended for respondents completing the survey for a child who is homeschooled, either full time or part time. Respondents are asked whether the focus child is homeschooled for some or all classes, who mainly provides the home instruction, the teaching style used in homeschooling, whether the child attends a co-op and whether the child interacts with other homeschooled children, whether the parent has taken courses to help prepare home instruction, the grades for which the child has been homeschooled, the subject areas taught to the child in home instruction, why the respondents chose to homeschool this child, participation in local and national homeschooling associations, whether the child is in a military family, and whether the child is also enrolled in a school and for how many hours the child is enrolled. Respondents are also asked whether the focus child is enrolled in any online, virtual, or cyber courses (hereafter, virtual courses), as well as how many such courses the child takes. Respondents are also asked the hours spent in virtual courses, who provides the virtual instruction, the reasons the child is enrolled in virtual courses, and the total cost for the child’s virtual courses.

Section 3. Child’s School (Questions 29-56)

This section is intended for respondents completing the survey for a child who is enrolled in a (brick-and-mortar or virtual) school on at least a part-time basis. This section asks about whether the school is public or private, a charter school, or a magnet school or whether the child attends a magnet program; whether respondents moved so their child could attend the school; whether respondents had a choice of schools for the child to attend; whether respondents considered other schools for the child; and the importance placed on various school factors when choosing a school. Respondents are asked how they found out about the child’s school, whether the school was their first choice, whether the child has been in the same school for the entire school year. Respondents are also asked a few questions about the child’s performance and in school.

In addition, respondents are asked the same series of questions about virtual education that are asked in the homeschooling section: whether the child is enrolled in any virtual courses, how many virtual courses the child takes, the hours spent in virtual courses, who provides the virtual instruction, the reasons the child is enrolled in virtual courses (the listed reasons differ from those in the homeschooling section), and the total cost for the child’s virtual courses.

Section 4. Families and School (Questions 57-62)

This section asks respondents about their involvement in school activities, such as volunteering at the child’s school, serving on school committees, participating in fundraising, and other contact with faculty and staff. Respondents are also asked about whether the school communicates with parents or guardians, and the form in which communication is made. Respondents are also asked about how well the school provides information about different aspects of the child’s education and academic performance, as well as how satisfied they are with various aspects of the child’s school.

Section 5. Homework (Questions 63-69)

This section asks respondents about the amount of homework the child is assigned, the space available for the child to perform his or her homework, and how much assistance the family members provide with the child’s homework. These questions address the engagement and involvement of parents or guardians in the child’s education.

Section 6. Family Activities (Questions 70-72)

This section asks about developmentally enriching family activities, such as working on a project together, playing sports or games together, discussing time management, or doing arts and craft together. Respondents are also asked the number of days the family ate the evening meal together, as well as whether the family has visited bookstores, libraries, or cultural events. These items are designed to assess the degree of engagement with the child by the child’s parents or guardians.

Section 7. Child’s Health (Questions 73-78)

This section asks about the child’s overall health, as well as specific medical conditions and disabilities. Items also include questions about disability services that the child may receive, parent satisfaction with services, and whether the child’s condition interferes with educational and social activities. Medical conditions and disabilities can be educational risk factors. They also relate to children’s educational experiences and may impact parents’ educational choices for the child.

Section 8. Child’s Background (Questions 79-88)

This section asks about the child’s date of birth, country of origin, race and ethnicity, sex, and language spoken at home. The section also asks if the child sometimes resides at a second address, and if the child is enrolled in courses for non-native English speakers. These items permit analysis of how educational choices vary by and relate to these characteristics.

Section 9. Household Members (Questions 89-90)

This section asks about the total number of people living in the household and how the survey respondent is related to the child.

Section 10. Child’s Family – Parent 1 and 2 Living in Household (Questions 91-134)

This section includes questions describing the child’s parents or guardians living in the household. Items include relation to child, age, sex, race and ethnicity, native language, country of origin, marital status, educational attainment, and employment status. The section also includes items asking about school communications for those who do not speak English well. These items on parent characteristics measure factors that may be associated with engagement in schools.

Section 11. Your Household (Questions 135-143)

This section asks about the receipt of public assistance, household income, home ownership, and internet access/usage. These questions can be used to classify families according to the economic resources available to them, and to examine the relationship of the family’s economic status to involvement in child’s education. The section also includes a question asking how far the respondent expects the child to go in his or her education. These questions, with parent characteristics, can be used to identify children who may be at-risk educationally.

Section 12. School Identification (Questions 142 and 143)

These two questions ask respondents to identify the child’s school. Identifying the school allows linkage to existing school data collected by NCES in the Common Core of Data (CCD) and Private School Universe Survey (PSS). By linking the identified school to the school data, researchers may investigate how child and family variables relate to school level variables, including location/urbanicity, school type, school size, standardized test scores, and other school demographics.

Research Questions

The items in the Parent and Family Involvement in Education survey assess the following research questions:

1. In what ways and to what extent are parents and families involved in their children’s schooling?

To what extent are parents and families involved in choosing their children’s schools?
What are the reasons for parents’ school choices and what types of information do parents obtain to make these choices?
In what ways are parents and families involved directly with their children’s schools (e.g., meetings, volunteering, etc.)?
What is the relationship between parents’ characteristics and the extent of parents’ and families’ involvement in school choice and children’s schooling?
What is the relationship between parent and family involvement in school and student experiences and performance (e.g., grades, retention)?
What is the relationship between parent and family involvement in school and student characteristics?

2. What are parents’ perceptions of communication by teachers or other school personnel with parents or families?

What is the type and purpose of school communication reported by parents including school contact to discuss both problems and how well the child is doing in school?
What frequency and modes of school contact with families do parents report?
What are the differences in parent perceptions of the purpose and frequency of communication by school characteristics?
How are parent perceptions of school/family communication related to their involvement with the school, in homework, and in learning activities outside of school?

3. What types of school practices to involve and support families are reported by parents?

What are the school practices that parents report?
What is the relationship between school practices and different types and levels of involvement with the school, in homework, and in learning activities outside of school?
What are the differences in reports of school practices based on school characteristics?
What is the relationship of parent-reported school practices to levels of involvement by socioeconomic status?
What is the relationship between family involvement with the school and parent assessments of the school environment concerning parent and family involvement?

4. What are the barriers to school involvement by families?

What are the language barriers that language minority families face and how do they relate to the type and extent of their involvement with the school?
Do parent perceptions of the efficacy of their involvement relate to the type and extent of family involvement?

5. In what ways and to what extent are parents and other household members involved in their children’s homework?

How does the involvement of household members in homework relate to student experiences and performance?
How often do household members help children with homework?
How does the environment that families create for homework completion relate to student experiences and performance?
How do parents’ characteristics relate to the extent of parents’ involvement in children’s homework?

6. In what ways are parents and family members involved in non-school activities with children at home?

What is the type and extent of family involvement in daily activities and other learning activities of children and how does this relate to student experiences and performance?

7. How is children’s health/disability status related to family involvement and student behavior, experiences and performance?

How is children’s health related to the level of parent and family involvement in their education?
What is the extent of parent reporting of children’s disabilities?
How are children’s health and disabilities related to the extent of parent and family involvement, school practices, and student experiences and performance?
To what extent do children receive services for disabilities and from what sources?
What is the extent of children’s participation in Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or enrollment in special education classes?
What is the extent of parents’ and families’ involvement with the school in developing their children’s IEPs?
Are parents satisfied with their children’s IEPs or special education classes or services, including the school’s communication with the family, the special needs teacher or therapist, and the school’s ability to accommodate the child’s special needs?

8. What is the extent of homeschooling of children during their school years?

To what extent do homeschooled students also attend schools to receive some of their instruction?
To what extent do parents use homeschool communities or resources such as distance learning/Internet to obtain materials or develop curricula?
Of the total school-going years, how many years are children homeschooled?
What are the reasons for homeschooling by parents?
What is the role of the Internet and the use of other technology or media for homeschooling instruction and curriculum development?
What types of instruction (by teacher, subject) do homeschooled children receive?
To what extent are homeschool families involved in homeschool communities and groups?

9. What is the extent of participation in virtual classes?

a. To what extent are homeschooled students engaged in virtual classes?

b. To what extent are enrolled students engaged in virtual classes?

c. What are the reasons for enrollment in virtual classes?

d. Who provides instruction for virtual classes?

e. What is the cost of virtual learning?

Exhibit 6 provides item descriptions of each question in the Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey, as well as the research question addressed by each item. New or deleted items from 2019 to 2023 are noted with “NEW” or “DELETED” in the Item Stem column.

Exhibit 6. Item Descriptions of the Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey

Question #	Item Stem for PFI	Research Question/Purpose
Section 1: Childs Schooling (1-3)
1	Confirmation of child’s grade	Verification question
2	Type of schooling this child receives	Verification, Research Question 8a
3	Did respondent mark yes to Homeschool	Navigational router
Section 2. Child’s Homeschooling (Questions 4-28)
4	Is child homeschooled for at least some classes	Verification question
5	Amount of homeschool classes	Research Question 8a
6	Is any instruction provided by homeschool group or co-op	Research Question 8b, 8g
7	Who mainly provides the home instruction	Research Question 8b, 8f
8	Is any home instruction provided by a tutor or teacher	Research Question 8f
9	Is child enrolled in any virtual courses	Research Question 8e, 9a
10	Reasons for enrollment in virtual courses	Research Question 9c
11	Most important reason for enrollment in virtual courses	Research Question 9c
12	Who provides instruction for virtual courses	Research Question 8f, 9d
13	Number of virtual courses	Research Question 8e, 9a
14	Tuition and fees for virtual instruction	Research Question 9e
15	Hours spent in virtual courses	Research Question 8e
16	What is the homeschool teaching style	Research Question 8b, 8f
17	Child’s participation in activities with other homeschool children	Research Question 8b, 8g
-	DELETED - Virtual resources used for home instruction	Research Question 8b
-	DELETED - Physical resources used for home instruction	Research Question 8b
18	Has a family member taken course in home instruction	Research Question 8b
19	Grades child was homeschooled	Research Question 8c
20	Reasons for homeschooling child	Research Question 8d
21	Most important reason for homeschooling child	Research Question 8d
22	Subject areas taught in home instruction	Research Question 8f
23	Does family participate in local homeschooling group	Research Question 8g
24	Number of times participating in local group	Research Question 8g
25	Does family belong to a national homeschooling group	Research Question 8g
26	Is child in a military family	Household demographics
27	Is homeschooled child also enrolled in a school	Research Question 8a
28	Hours each week child attends school for instruction	Research Question 8a
Section 3: Child’s School (29-56)
29	Type of school in which child is enrolled for most hours	Navigational router, verification question
30	Is this the child’s district-assigned school	Research Question 1a
31	Is school a charter school	Research Question 1a
32	Is school a magnet school or child in a magnet program	Research Question 1a
33	Did family move so that this child could attend his/her current school	Research Question 1a, 1d
34	Felt had choice in school child attends	Research Question 1b, 1d
35	Does school district allow family to choose school	Research Question 1a
36	Consider other schools for this child	Research Question 1a, 1d
37	Importance of different reasons in choosing school	Research Question 1a, 1b
38	How found child’s school	Research Question 1a, 1b
39	Is school this child attends your first choice	Research Question 1a, 1d
40	Has child been in the same school since the beginning of this school year	Verification question
41	Is child enrolled in any virtual courses	Research Question 9b
42	Reasons for enrollment in virtual courses	Research Question 9c
43	Most important reason for enrollment in virtual courses	Research Question 9c
44	Who provides instruction for virtual courses	Research Question 9d
45	Number of virtual courses	Research Question 9b
46	Tuition and fees for virtual instruction	Research Question 9e
47	Hours spent in virtual courses	Research Question 9b
48	Child enjoys school	Research Question 1e
49	Grades the child gets	Research Question 1e
50	Child currently enrolled in advanced placement classes	Research Question 1e
51	Number of times this child’s school contacted your household	Research Question 2b
52	Number of days child has been absent	Research Question 1e
53	Has child repeated any grades	Research Question 1e
54	Grade or child repeated	Research Question 1e
55	School suspensions or expulsion	Research Question 1e
56	How to describe child’s work at school	Research Question 1e
Section 4: Families and School (57-62)
57	Type of school where child is enrolled for most hours	Verification question
58	Type of activities adult in the household has done at this child’s school	Research Question 1c, 3a, 3d, 3e
59	Number of school activities household has participated in	Research Question 1c, 3a, 3d, 3e
60	Communication received from school	Research Question 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d
61	How well has this child’s school done the following things	Research Question 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d
62	Overall satisfaction/dissatisfaction	Research Question 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d
Section 5: Homework (63-69)
63	How often does child do homework	Research Question 5
64	Hours spent on homework	Research Question 5
65	Feelings towards the amount of homework (respondent)	Research Question 5
66	Feelings towards the amount of homework (child)	Research Question 5
67	Place set aside in home for child to complete homework	Research Question 5c
68	Adult in household checks homework is done	Research Question 5b, 5d
69	Number of days, per week, an adult in household helps child with homework	Research Question 5b, 5d
Section 6: Family Activities (70-72)
70	In the past week, has anyone in your family done the following things with this child… (home activities)	Research Question 6a
71	Number of days family has eaten the evening meal together in the past week	Research Question 6a
72	In the past month, has anyone in your family done the following things with this child… (cultural activities)	Research Question 6a
Section 7: Childs Health (73-78)
73	Describe child’s health generally	Research Question 7a
74	Child’s diagnosed conditions	Research Question 7a, 7b, 7c
75	Did you mark yes to any condition	Verification question
76	Child receiving services through IEP or service plan	Research Question 7d, 7e
77	Overall satisfaction/dissatisfaction with child’s IEP	Research Question 7g
-	DELETED - Child currently enrolled in special education classes	Research Question 7d
78	Child’s conditions affect his/her ability to do the following things…	Research Question 7c
Section 8: Child’s Background (79-88)
79	In what month and year was this child born?	Demographic/ background characteristics
80	Where was this child born	Research Question 1f
81	Age when first moved to the US/ District of Columbia	Research Question 1f
82	Is this child of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin	Research Question 1f
83	Child’s race	Research Question 1f
84	Child’s sex	Research Question 1f
85	Does child live at this address and another address	Research Question 1f
86	Time spent at joint addresses	Verification question
87	Language child speaks at home	Research Question 1f
88	Child currently enrolled in English as a second language, bilingual education, or an English immersion program	Research question 1f
Section 9: Household Members (89-90)
89	Number of people in household	Household Demographics
-	DELETED - Who lives in household with this child	Household Demographics
90	How is respondent related to this child	Household Demographics
-	DELETED - Language spoken by adults in household	Household Demographics
Section 10: Child’s Family (91-134)
Parent 1	Parent/Guardian section
91	NEW – Does respondent consider themselves a parent/guardian to child	Research Question 1d
92	Parent or guardian relationship to child	Research Question 1d
93	Is this person male or female	Research Question 1d
94	Marital status of this parent or guardian	Research Question 1d
95	Is parent or guardian living with partner in household	Household Demographics
96	First language parent or guardian learned to speak	Research Question 1d
97	What language does parent or guardian speak most at home now	Research Question 1d
98	How difficult for parent to be involved at school because of language barriers	Research Question 1d, 4a
99	Does school have interpreters for parent	Research Question 1d, 4a
100	Does school have translated materials	Research Question 1d, 4a
101	Where was this parent or guardian born	Research Question 1d
102	How old was parent or guardian when he or she first moved to the US	Research Question 1d
103	Is parent or guardian of Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino origin?	Research Question 1d
104	What is parent or guardian’s race	Research Question 1d
105	Parent/guardian highest level of education completed	Research Question 1d
106	Is parent or guardian currently attending or enrolled in a school/job training	Demographic/ background characteristics
107	Parent or guardian employment status	Research Question 1d
108	Number of hours parent or guardian works per week	Research Question 1d
109	Looking for work in the past 4 weeks	Research Question 1d
110	Months parent or guardian worked for pay or income in the past 12 months	Research Question 1d
111	NEW – Does parent/guardian have internet access on cell phone	Research Question 1d
112	Age of parent or guardian	Research Question 1d
Parent 2	Parent/Guardian section
113	Is there a second parent or guardian in household	Household Demographics
114	Parent or guardian relationship to child	Research Question 1d
115	Is this person male or female	Research Question 1d
116	Marital status of this parent or guardian	Research Question 1d
117	Is parent or guardian living with partner in household	Household Demographics
118	First language parent or guardian learned to speak	Research Question 1d
119	What language does parent or guardian speak most at home now	Research Question 1d
120	How difficult for parent to be involved at school because of language barriers	Research Question 1d, 4a
121	Does school have interpreters for parent	Research Question 1d, 4a
122	Does school have translated materials	Research Question 1d, 4a
123	Where was this parent or guardian born	Research Question 1d
124	How old was parent or guardian when he or she first moved to the US	Research Question 1d
125	Is parent or guardian of Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino origin?	Research Question 1d
126	What is parent or guardian’s race	Research Question 1d
127	Parent/guardian highest level of education completed	Research Question 1d
128	Is parent or guardian currently attending or enrolled in a school/job training	Demographic/ background characteristics
129	Parent or guardian employment status	Research Question 1d
130	Number of hours parent or guardian works per week	Research Question 1d
131	Looking for work in the past 4 weeks	Research Question 1d
132	Months parent or guardian worked for pay or income in the past 12 months	Research Question 1d
133	NEW – Does parent/guardian have internet access on cell phone	Research Question 1d
134	Age of parent or guardian	Research Question 1d
Section 11: Your Household (135-141)
135	Benefits received in the past 12 months	Household Demographics
136	Total household income	Household Demographics
137	Home ownership	Household Demographics
-	DELETED – Household internet access on cell phone	Household Demographics
138	Internet access at home on computer or tablet	Household Demographics
139	How frequently child uses Internet for learning activities	Household Demographics
140	Type of device used	Household Demographics
141	How far do you expect child to go in education	Research Question 1e
Section 12: School Identification (142-143)
142	Identify child's school	Household Demographics
143	School Information	Household Demographics

1 In general, the web instrument will no longer display any section titles. They will only appear on the paper questionnaire.

2 This instrument also will be used to collect inbound telephone responses.

3 The child care arrangement items that ask if a child is in each type of care arrangement will include a new item that asks whether a parent or guardian provides care or education for the child on a regular basis. This new item was added because some respondents may report parent care as relative care and NCES wishes to examine the extent to which offering a parent care option impacts relative care estimates.

4 However, there will be a slight difference in the placement of the transitional text that introduces each set of follow-up items (e.g., “These next questions are about….”). This is not expected to affect responses to these questions. However, it is possible that using a grouped format could affect response quality (e.g., increased item nonresponse) for follow-up questions, particularly those later in the section (Kreuter et al. 2011).

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