Instrument 5 - Provider audio journals

Instrument 5. Provider Audio Journals

Over a four-week period, providers will record two audio journal entries each week where they will record their stories and reflections about the care they offer children and families. Providers will submit audio recordings in response to the prompts below. These prompts are included in an app called EthOS; the app is loaded onto the phone lent to providers by the study team. Detailed instructions for providers are included in Instrument 3. Provider logistics call and Appendix C. Instructions for Providers to Use Study Tools. 

The EthOS app will also include the following Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) Burden Statement as part of text with general instructions for submitting the photo and audio journal entries.

The PRA Burden Statement: This collection of information is voluntary and will be used to learn about the experiences of child care providers. Public reporting burden for this collection of information (which includes photo journals [Instrument 4] and audio journals [Instrument 5]) is estimated to average 2 hours, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and reviewing the collection of information. 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 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The OMB number for this collection is 0970-0612and the expiration date is 09/30/2024. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to Patricia Del Grosso, pdelgrosso@mathematica-mpr.com; Attn: OMB-PRA 0970-0612.

Journal entry	Each week we will ask you to complete two audio journal entries, each responding to one prompt. There are no right or wrong answers here. Just tell us what is important to you. We encourage you to share specific examples or to tell a story about something that happened.
Week one	Please respond to the following prompt:
	Describe something that happened with children or families this week that brought you joy, affirmed your love for this work, made doing child care worthwhile. Also, describe something that was stressful, frustrating, or made you feel discouraged.
Week one	Please also choose one of the following prompts to respond to:
	Tell us about a time this week when you used your knowledge of a family’s cultural values and community expectations for children to respond to a child's emotional needs. Include any discussions you had with family members about how to best comfort their child. Tell us about a time when you used a child's first language to comfort them or you were able to support a child feeling good about communicating in two languages. What were you and the children doing? How do you think the children felt? How did it make you feel? Tell us about something that happened this week when you helped children affirm or feel good about their own cultural, ethnic, racial, or linguistic identity. How do you think your own cultural, ethnic, racial, and/or linguistic identity and experiences influenced these interactions with children?
Week two	Please respond to the following prompt:
	Describe something that happened with children or families this week that brought you joy, affirmed your love for this work, made doing child care worthwhile. Also, describe something that was stressful, frustrating, or made you feel discouraged.
Week two	Please also choose one of the following prompts to respond to:
	Tell us about a time this week when you responded to a child’s interests (for example, reading a book together, playing a game). What were you doing? How did you use your own knowledge about this child and their cultural and family background to interact with them? How do you think this child felt? Tell us about an interaction that you had this week with the children where you were helping them learn about reading or numbers. What did this look like? What do you hope children learned from this interaction? Tell us about a time this week when you encouraged a child to be physically active or you did a physical activity with a child. What were you doing? How did you feel during this interaction with children? How do you think children felt?
Week three	Please respond to the following prompt:
	Describe something that happened with children or families this week that brought you joy, affirmed your love for this work, made doing child care worthwhile. Also, describe something that was stressful, frustrating, or made you feel discouraged.
Week three	Please also choose one of the following prompts to respond to:
	Tell us about a time this week when you helped children of different ages do an activity or play together. What did the children get out of the activity or experience? What do you think children learned from each other? Tell us about a time this week when you had to address a child’s behavior that you found challenging (for example, infants who sleep very lightly or spit up a lot, toddlers who bite, preschoolers who hit, school-age children who struggle with their homework)? What did you do? How did the child react? In what ways did you reach out to the child’s family? In what ways did you draw on your own cultural knowledge to support this child? How did you feel about this interaction? Tell us about a time this week when you helped children understand and appreciate their differences or when you helped children recognize their bias towards others who are different from them. How do you think your own experiences with racism or other inequities or inequalities influence these interactions with children?
Week four	Please respond to the following prompt:
	Describe something that happened with children or families this week that brought you joy, affirmed your love for this work, made doing child care worthwhile. Also, describe something that was stressful, frustrating, or made you feel discouraged.
Week four	Please also choose one of the following prompts to respond to:
	Tell us about a time this week you were communicating with a child’s family about their child. For example, you were giving advice to a parent about caregiving, you were answering a parent’s question about their child, or you were sharing something the child accomplished in your care. Did you initiate the conversation or did they? How did you feel about the conversation? How do you think the family member felt about it? Tell us about a time this week when you were talking with a child’s family about your care of their child. For example, the hours of care they need, the way you take care of their child, the payment for child care. How did you feel about the conversation?

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