Appendix A: Recruitment and Follow-Up Materials

Appendix A: Recruitment and Follow-up Materials

Under each header of the subsequent sections of this document, we include email templates and phone scripts for each type of potential contact with prospective interview participants (i.e., CCDF Administrators). We also provide the email attachments that we plan to include in our confirmation and reminder emails.

Initial Request Email

The initial request email will be sent by agency liaisons to CCDF Lead Administrators at the beginning of recruitment to inform potential participants about the study and invite them to participate in the study.

Email Template

TO: [CCDF ADMINISTRATOR]

FROM: [AGENCY LIAISON]

CC: [______________]

SUBJECT: Consumer Education Environmental Scan- An ACF Study Invitation

Dear [name],

Hello. My name is [name] and I am a member of the Consumer Education and Parental Choice in Early Care and Education (CEPC) research team.

I am pleased to invite you to participate in an interview about the consumer education activities your [state/territory/Tribe] uses to help support families as they look for and make decisions about child care. During this interview, we will discuss your [state/territory/Tribe]’s consumer education and outreach as well as any steps your agency takes to evaluate or monitor your consumer education activities. The CEPC project is funded by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

You can read more about the project here: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/consumer-education-and-parental-choice-early-care-and-education-2020-2025.

Your participation is voluntary and any information you share will be used to provide a better understanding of child care CE, inform future research designs, and develop tools to help CCDF lead agencies evaluate their own CE efforts. Also, the information you share will be kept private. If you are interested in participating, I would like to schedule a phone or video call with you. Public reporting burden for the interview is estimated to average 40 minutes, including the time you may need to review instructions and gather information from others on your team. I will schedule the interview at your convenience and for an hour to make sure we have enough time. Please let me know if there is a different person who you recommend for this interview that is familiar with your [state/territory/Tribe]’s consumer education strategies. Then, please share your (or your colleague’s) availability for an interview.

Please respond with your availability by [DATE 3 days after email is sent]

Option 1: Respond by Email with Availability. Please reply to this email with three dates and times that work best for you between [month/date/year-month/date/year].

Please also let me know whether we have your permission to record the interview.

Option 2: Schedule with Online Calendar Tool “Calendly”

You can indicate available times by using an online scheduling tool called Calendly to schedule interviews. Please follow the link to select dates and times you are available for the interview: http://___________

Once a date and time is confirmed for your interview, I will send you a meeting invitation with a link for video/call-in number and passcode. I will also send you the questions we created to help guide our conversation and a visual overview of the topics I hope to cover. You can review these documents and, if you would like, share with your team.

Thank you for considering participating in the study. The CEPC Team looks forward to hearing from you!

Regards,

[Name]

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 and expiration date for the described collection are OMB #: 0970-0356, Exp: 02/29/2024. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to NORC at the University of Chicago 55 E Monroe St, 30^th Floor, Chicago, IL 60603.

Brief Study Description

Why are we doing this study? We are doing this study to learn more about your [state/territory]’s child care consumer education for families with children birth to thirteen. You are invited to take part as someone who is knowledgeable about your [state/territory]’s child care consumer education.

Who is funding this Study? This study is funded by the Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF) Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation. ACF has contracted NORC, with subcontracts to the Urban Institute and Child Care Aware© of America, to conduct the study.

What would I be asked to do if I am in this study? You will be asked to participate in an interview and have the option to share documents with us.

Discomforts and Risks: There are no risks in taking part in this research beyond those experienced in daily life.

Benefits: Our goal is that this interview will provide a better understanding of your [state/territory]’s current child care consumer education, to inform our future research designs and enable us to develop tools to help Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) lead agencies evaluate their own consumer education efforts.

Follow-Up Email

The follow-up email will be sent by agency liaisons to CCDF Administrators after 5 business days with no response to the initial request email. The purpose of this email is to inform potential participants about the study and invite them to participate in the study. The follow-up email will also be sent by agency liaisons after 5 business days with no response to the initial follow-up email.

Email Template

TO: [CCDF ADMINISTRATOR]

FROM: [AGENCY LIAISON]

CC: [______________]

SUBJECT: Consumer Education Environmental Scan- An ACF Study Invitation Follow-Up

Hello. My name is [name] and I am a member of the Consumer Education and Parental Choice in Early Care and Education (CEPC) research team. I am writing to follow up with you regarding a recent email I sent about the CEPC study.

I am pleased to invite you to participate in an interview about the consumer education activities your [state/territory/Tribe] uses to help support families as they look for and make decisions about child care. During this interview, we will discuss your [state/territory/Tribe]’s consumer education and outreach as well as any steps your agency takes to evaluate or monitor your consumer education activities. The CEPC project is funded by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

You can read more about the project here: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/consumer-education-and-parental-choice-early-care-and-education-2020-2025.

Your participation is voluntary and any information you share will be used to provide a better understanding of child care CE, inform future research designs, and develop tools to help CCDF lead agencies evaluate their own CE efforts. Also, the information you share will be kept private. If you are interested in participating, I would like to schedule a phone or video call with you. Public reporting burden for the interview is estimated to average 40 minutes, including the time you may need to review instructions and gather information from others on your team. I will schedule the interview at your convenience and for an hour to make sure we have enough time. Please let me know if there is a different person who you recommend for this interview that is familiar with your [state/territory/Tribe]’s consumer education strategies. Then, please share your (or your colleague’s) availability for an interview.

Please respond with your availability by [DATE 3 days after email is sent]

Option 1: Respond by Email with Availability. Please reply to this email with three dates and times that work best for you between [month/date/year-month/date/year].

Please also let me know whether we have your permission to record the interview.

Option 2: Schedule with Online Calendar Tool “Calendly”

You can indicate available times by using an online scheduling tool called Calendly to schedule interviews. Please follow the link to select dates and times you are available for the interview: http://___________

Once a date and time is confirmed for your interview, I will send you a meeting invitation with a link for video/call-in number and passcode. I will also send you the questions we created to help guide our conversation and a visual overview of the topics I hope to cover. You can review these documents and, if you would like, share with your team.

Thank you for considering participating in the study. The CEPC Team looks forward to hearing from you!

Regards,

[Name]

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 and expiration date for this collection are OMB #: 0970-0356, Exp: 02/29/2024.

Brief Study Description

Why are we doing this study? We are doing this study to learn more about your [state/territory]’s child care consumer education for families with children birth to thirteen. You are invited to take part as someone who is knowledgeable about your [state/territory]’s child care consumer education.

Who is funding this Study? This study is funded by the Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF) Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation. ACF has contracted NORC, with subcontracts to the Urban Institute and Child Care Aware© of America, to conduct the study.

What would I be asked to do if I am in this study? You will be asked to participate in an interview and have the option to share documents with us.

Discomforts and Risks: There are no risks in taking part in this research beyond those experienced in daily life.

Benefits: Our goal is that this interview will provide a better understanding of your [state/territory]’s current child care consumer education, to inform our future research designs and enable us to develop tools to help Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) lead agencies evaluate their own consumer education efforts.

Initial Request Phone Script

In addition to sending the follow-up e-mail, if there is no response to the follow-up request email, the agency liaison will call the CCDF Administrator. The initial request phone script will be followed by agency liaisons to when they call CCDF Administrators. The purpose of the call is to inform potential participants about the study and invite them to participate in the study.

Phone Script

Hello [name]. My name is [name]. I am a researcher at NORC at the University of Chicago and a member of the Consumer Education and Parental Choice in Early Care and Education (CEPC) research team. I am calling to follow up with you regarding a recent email I sent about the CEPC study.

I am pleased to invite you to participate in an interview about the consumer education activities your [state/territory/Tribe] uses to help support families as they look for and make decisions about child care. During this interview, we will discuss your [state/territory/Tribe]’s consumer education and outreach as well as any steps your agency takes to evaluate or monitor your consumer education activities. The CEPC project is funded by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

May I share a bit about the project with you to see if you may be interested in participating?

[Pause]

[If they cannot talk at the time] Is there another time I can call that would be better?

[If no other time mentioned] May I please verify your email address to send information to you about the study? Is it [email address]?

[If now is ok] Great, thank you!

The CEPC project is funded by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We are doing this study to learn more about your [state/territory]’s child care consumer education for families with children birth to thirteen. You are invited to take part as someone who is knowledgeable about your [state/territory]’s child care consumer education.

I need to briefly note that 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 is 0970-0356 and the expiration is 02/29/2024.

Your participation is voluntary and any information you share will be used to provide a better understanding of child care CE, inform future research designs, and develop tools to help CCDF lead agencies evaluate their own CE efforts. Also, the information you share will be kept private. If you are interested in participating, I would like to schedule a phone or video call with you. Public reporting burden for the interview is estimated to average 40 minutes, including the time you may need to review instructions and gather information from others on your team. I will schedule the interview at your convenience and for an hour to make sure we have enough time. Please let me know if there is a different person who you recommend for this interview that is familiar with your [state/territory/Tribe]’s consumer education strategies. Would you be interested in participating in an interview?

[If yes] Great, thank you! I can help schedule your interview now over the phone, or I can send an email link for you to schedule online. Which would you prefer?

[Schedule via phone if requested] Can you tell me a few dates and times that work for you? [check outlook for team availability] it looks like [name] is available on [date] at [time]. May I confirm your email address so that I can send you the interview invitation and link? Is it [email address]?

[Schedule via email] May I confirm your email address to send the scheduling link? Is it [email address]?

If you have any questions, I can be reached via email at [EMAIL] or phone at [PHONE].

Thank you very much, and we look forward to talking with you soon!

[If no] Thank you for your consideration, and I hope you have a great day!

Brief Study Description – recruiter can reference during the call, as needed.

Why are we doing this study? We are doing this study to learn more about your [state/territory]’s child care consumer education for families with children birth to thirteen. You are invited to take part as someone who is knowledgeable about your [state/territory]’s child care consumer education.

Who is funding this Study? This study is funded by the Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF) Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation. ACF has contracted NORC, with subcontracts to the Urban Institute and Child Care Aware© of America, to conduct the study.

What would I be asked to do if I am in this study? You will be asked to participate in an interview and have the option to share documents with us.

Discomforts and Risks: There are no risks in taking part in this research beyond those experienced in daily life.

Benefits: Our goal is that this interview will provide a better understanding of your [state/territory]’s current child care consumer education, to inform our future research designs and enable us to develop tools to help Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) lead agencies evaluate their own consumer education efforts.

Voicemail Script

The Voicemail Script will be followed by agency liaisons to leave a message for CCDF Administrators if they do not answer our call. The purpose of the voicemail is to inform potential participants about the study and invite them to participate in the study.

Phone Script

Hello [name].

My name is [name]. I am a researcher at NORC at the University of Chicago and a member of the Consumer Education and Parental Choice in Early Care and Education research team.

I would like to invite you to participate in a 40-minute interview about the ways your [state/territory/Tribe] helps support families as they look for and select child care. The Consumer Education and Parental Choice in Early Care and Education project is funded by the Administration for Children and Families.

Our team knows you have many other commitments, and we value your time. Your participation is voluntary. Information you share will be kept private and used to improve child care CE in the future. Please let me know if you would like to be interviewed or if you want to learn more.

I can be reached via email at [EMAIL] or by phone at [PHONE].

Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to hearing back from you soon!

Please note that 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 is 0970-0356 and the expiration is 02/29/2024.

Interview Confirmation Email

After scheduling the interview, agency liaisons will send a confirmation email to the CCDF Administrator including the interview date and time, the virtual meeting link and phone number, and the interview questions and visual aid.

Email Template

TO: [CCDF ADMINISTRATOR]

FROM: [AGENCY LIAISON]

CC: [______________]

SUBJECT: Consumer Education Environmental Scan- Interview Information

Dear [name],

You have been scheduled for an interview with the Consumer Education and Parental Choice in Early Care and Education (CEPC) research team on [month] [day], [year] at [time] CST. The interview will last approximately 40 minutes and we scheduled the interview for an hour to make sure we have enough time. Please confirm that you are still available and will attend the interview.

On [month] [day], [year] at [time] CST please join the interview by clicking on this link:

[link]

Meeting ID: [meeting ID #]

Password: [password]

You can call-in using any of the following phone numbers:

[list of phone numbers by location, including toll-free]

Click here to find your local number: [link]

I attached the questions our team created to guide our conversation to this email. I also attached two images: one lists the topics we plan to discuss and the other includes some consumer education terms we plan to use during the interview and how we define them. You may wish to review these documents and share them with your team to help you prepare for the interview.

If you need to reschedule, please reply to this email with three dates and times that work best for you between [month/date/year-month/date/year]. You can also reschedule online using Calendly by following this link and selecting a new date and time you are available for the interview: http://___________

The CEPC team looks forward to talking with you soon!

Regards,

[Name]

The described collection of information is voluntary and will be used to provide a better understanding of child care CE, inform future research designs, and develop tools to help CCDF lead agencies evaluate their own CE efforts. Information will be kept private. Public reporting burden for the described collection of information is estimated to average 40 minutes per response, 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 OMB control number. The OMB number and expiration date for the described collection are OMB #: 0970-0356, Exp: 02/29/2024. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to NORC at the University of Chicago 55 E Monroe St, 30^th Floor, Chicago, IL 60603.

Attachments:

Interview questions

Visual Aid

Interview Reminder Email

Approximately 24 hours before the interview, agency liaisons will send an email to the CCDF Administrator reminding them of the interview. The email will include the interview date and time, the virtual meeting link and phone number, and the interview questions and visual aid.

Email Template

TO: [CCDF ADMINISTRATOR]

FROM: [AGENCY LIAISON]

CC: [______________]

SUBJECT: Consumer Education Environmental Scan- Interview Reminder

Dear [name],

This is a reminder that you have an interview with the Consumer Education and Parental Choice in Early Care and Education (CEPC) research team tomorrow [month] [day], [year] at [time] CST. The interview will last approximately 40 minutes and we scheduled the interview for an hour to make sure we have enough time.

Tomorrow at [time] CST please join the interview by clicking on this link:

[link]

Meeting ID: [meeting ID #]

Password: [password]

You can call-in using any of the following phone numbers:

[list of phone numbers by location, including toll-free]

Click here to find your local number: [link]

You may wish to review the questions our team created to guide our conversation and the two images (one lists the topics we plan to discuss and the other includes some consumer education terms we plan to use during the interview and how we define them) that are attached to this email.

If you need to reschedule, please reply to this email with three dates and times that work best for you between [month/date/year-month/date/year]. You can also reschedule online using Calendly by following this link and selecting a new date and time you are available for the interview: http://___________

The CEPC team looks forward to talking with you tomorrow!

Regards,

[Name]

The described collection of information is voluntary and will be used to provide a better understanding of child care CE, inform future research designs, and develop tools to help CCDF lead agencies evaluate their own CE efforts. Information will be kept private. Public reporting burden for the described collection of information is estimated to average 40 minutes per response, 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 OMB control number. The OMB number and expiration date for the described collection are OMB #: 0970-0356, Exp: 02/29/2024. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to NORC at the University of Chicago 55 E Monroe St, 30^th Floor, Chicago, IL 60603.

Attachments:

Interview questions

Visual Aid

Document Request Email

After the interview, the agency liaison will send a document request email to those CCDF Administrators who said that they would share documents with relevant information.

Email Template

TO: [CCDF ADMINISTRATOR/DELEGATE]  

FROM: [AGENCY LIAISON]  

CC: [______________]  

SUBJECT: Thank You and Document Request for CEPC Environmental Scan Project  

Dear [Name],  

Thank you for participating in an interview for the Consumer Education and Parental Choice in Early Care and Education (CEPC) project. I appreciate your time and the helpful insights you shared regarding [state/territory/Tribe]’s consumer education efforts.  

As we discussed, our team is interested in any documents that you would like to share about your state’s/territory’s consumer education efforts to complement the information you shared during our interviews. Public reporting burden for the document collection is estimated to average 30 minutes, including the time you may need to review instructions and gather information from others on your team.

Our team is seeking up to 5 of the most recent and informative documents that are not typically available to the public. 

Examples of the types of documents we are seeking include: 

• Internal CE policies, plans, & meeting notes  

• Example materials shared with families  

• Local partner’s/vendor scope of work  

• Evaluation tools, plans, or reports 

• Internal assessment tools, such as surveys and regular grantee reports 

If you have other documents that do not fit these categories and you think they may be important for us to have, please send them. Please do not send documents that are considered legally confidential.  

I would appreciate it if you could please upload documents and/or web links to our secure SharePoint site using this link: http://______________ by [Date 2 weeks post interview OR when email is sent]. 

If you would like me to contact a member of your staff about submitting these documents, please share that individual’s name and contact information by [Date 3 days post interview OR when email is sent] so that I can contact them. 

Thank you again for your participation in the CEPC Environmental Scan project! 

Regards, 

[Name] 

The described collection of information is voluntary and will be used to provide a better understanding of child care CE, inform future research designs, and develop tools to help CCDF lead agencies evaluate their own CE efforts. Information will be kept private. 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 and expiration date for the described collection are OMB #: 0970-0356, Exp: 02/29/2024. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to NORC at the University of Chicago 55 E Monroe St, 30^th Floor, Chicago, IL 60603.

Document Request Follow Up Email

If the CCDF Administrator does not submit documents by the deadline in the original request email, the agency liaison will send a follow up email.

Email Template

TO: [CCDF ADMINISTRATOR/DELEGATE]  

FROM: [AGENCY LIAISON]  

CC: [______________]  

SUBJECT: Document Request for CEPC Environmental Scan Project - Follow Up

Dear [Name],  

I am following up on our team’s request for any documents that you would like to share about your state’s/territory’s consumer education efforts to complement the information you shared during our interview. Public reporting burden for the document collection is estimated to average 30 minutes, including the time you may need to review instructions and gather information from others on your team.

Our team is seeking up to 5 of the most recent and informative documents that are not typically available to the public. 

Examples of the types of documents we are seeking include: 

• Internal CE policies, plans, & meeting notes  

• Example materials shared with families  

• Local partner’s/vendor scope of work  

• Evaluation tools, plans, or reports 

• Internal assessment tools, such as surveys and regular grantee reports 

If you have other documents that do not fit these categories and you think they may be important for us to have, please send them. Please do not send documents that are considered legally confidential.  

I would appreciate it if you could please upload documents and/or web links to our secure SharePoint site using this link: http://______________ by [Date 1 week from when email is sent]. 

If you would like me to contact a member of your staff about submitting these documents, please share that individual’s name and contact information by [Date 2 days from when email is sent] so that I can contact them. 

Thank you again for your participation in the CEPC Environmental Scan project! 

Regards, 

[Name] 

The described collection of information is voluntary and will be used to provide a better understanding of child care CE, inform future research designs, and develop tools to help CCDF lead agencies evaluate their own CE efforts. Information will be kept private. 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 and expiration date for the described collection are OMB #: 0970-0356, Exp: 02/29/2024. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to NORC at the University of Chicago 55 E Monroe St, 30^th Floor, Chicago, IL 60603.

Email Attachments

Formatted Interview Questions

Interview guide will be formatted for CCDF administrator and added to this section upon COR approval of the interview questions.

Visual Aids