Search results

The Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships (EHS-CCP) datasets contains data from two studies: (1) the 2016 National Descriptive Study (the NDS), which collected information about the 2015 EHS-CC Partnerships grantees and their child care partners (including child care centers and family child care providers) and the activities they engaged in to develop and maintain partnerships and meet the Head Start Program Performance Standards, assess their quality improvement needs, and support high quality caregiving and learning environments for infants and toddlers; and (2) the 2022 EHS-CCP Sustainability Study (the Sustainability Study), a follow-up study of the 2016 NDS, which collected information about how partnerships from the first round of grants had fared as of 2022 and factors that supported or impeded partnership sustainability. Both studies were conducted by Mathematica.

The NDS collected data through web-based surveys of grantee directors and a sample of child care directors and family child care providers. The Sustainability Study collected data using web-based surveys of EHS program directors and child care providers in sustained and dissolved partnerships. It also collected qualitative data using semi-structured interviews to provide more in-depth information from purposively selected providers in sustained and dissolved partnerships. (Both NDS and Sustainability Study analyses of EHS programs are conducted at the grant level, with information about partnerships between providers and any delegate agencies rolled up to the level of the EHS-CCP grant. The term "program" is used in the Sustainability Study. Previously, in the NDS, "grantee" was used to refer to the same level of analysis.)

The responses to the survey of grantees and their delegate agencies produced three NDS datasets. The first dataset, Partnership Grantee and Delegate Agency Director Survey, contains data from a survey of Early Head Start grantees and their delegate agencies. This dataset contains questions answered by the grantee or delegate agencies about themselves and contains one observation per grantee. Datasets two and three are also associated with the grantee and delegate agency survey. The second dataset, Grantee and Delegate Agencies Partner Characteristics, contains responses to the initial survey from the grantee or delegate regarding characteristics of all of their child care partners. This dataset was used to create a random sampling of approximately 20 percent of the child care partners for additional questions as well as a separate Child Care Partner survey, which were used to create both datasets three and four. Dataset three, Grantee and Delegate Agencies Randomly Sampled Partner Characteristics, contains responses from grantee and delegate agencies regarding the partners identified by the random sampling created from dataset two. The second survey conducted by Mathematica was of these selected child care partners, and dataset four, Child Care Partner Survey, is comprised of responses to questions asked of the child care partners about themselves. Demographic information contained in these datasets includes education level, degree field, length of occupation, and occupation.

The Sustainability Study examined how partnerships from the first round of grants had fared as of 2022 and factors that supported or impeded partnership sustainability. The Sustainability Study also looks at features of sustained partnerships (partnerships from the NDS that were still in place at the time of the Sustainability Study) as well as active partnerships (which include sustained partnerships as well as those that are new since the NDS, and regardless of whether they are funded through an EHS-CC Partnerships grant).

There are four Sustainability Study data files. Two program director survey files (one at the program level, and one at the provider level, for information about individual child care providers reported by the program director), one child care provider survey file, and one file containing transcripts of semi-structured interviews with dissolved and sustained partnership providers.

Citation

Skidmore, S., Clochard, A., Carlson, B., Doran, E., Cannon, J., Bernstein, S., Albanese, S., Del Grosso, P., and Xue, Y. (2023). Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships Sustainability Study Data Documentation. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The Early Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (Baby FACES) is a nationally representative descriptive study of Early Head Start. The first cohort of Baby FACES was fielded in 2009-2012. It used a longitudinal design and followed two age cohorts of children (newborns and 1-year-olds) through their time in Early Head Start. Baby FACES was redesigned in 2015 to employ a repeated cross-sectional approach to provide a comprehensive snapshot of Early Head Start with a nationally representative sample of programs, centers, home visitors, teachers/classrooms, and enrolled families, children of all age groups, and pregnant women in Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Regions I through X. Using the cross-sectional design, the second cohort of Baby FACES was fielded in the spring of 2018 (Baby FACES 2018) and a third is planned for spring of 2020 (Baby FACES 2020). Baby FACES 2018 and 2020 have a particular focus on the processes in the classrooms/home visits that support responsive relationships, including teacher-child relationships, staff-parent relationships, and parent-child relationships. These studies address the overarching research question: How do Early Head Start services support infant/toddler growth and development in the context of nurturing, responsive relationships?

Early Head Start (EHS) programs are comprehensive, two-generation programs that focus on enhancing children's development while strengthening families. Designed for low-income pregnant women and families with infants and toddlers up to age 3, Early Head Start programs strive to achieve their goals by designing program options based on family and community needs. Programs may offer one or more options to families, including a home-based option, a center-based option, a combination option in which families receive a prescribed number of home visits and center-based experiences, and locally designed options, which in some communities include family child care.

The Early Head Start Research and Evaluation (EHSRE) Study was conducted by Mathematica Policy Research (MPR) and included five major components: (1) an implementation study; (2) an impact evaluation, using an experimental design; (3) local research studies to learn about pathways to desired outcomes; (4) policy studies to respond to information needs in areas of emerging policy-relevant issues; and (5) continuous program improvement. The study involved 3,001 children and families in 17 sites representing diverse program models, racial/ethnic makeup, urban-rural location, program auspice, and program experience in serving infants and toddlers. Three phases comprise the collection: Birth to Three ("0-3"), Pre-Kindergarten ("PreK") Follow-up and the Elementary School ("G5") Follow-up. A brief description of each phase is provided below:

• Birth to Three Phase (1996-2001): included a cross-site national study that encompassed an Impact Evaluation and Implementation Study that investigated program impacts on children and families through their time in the program as well as site-specific research conducted by local research projects.
• Pre-Kindergarten Follow-up Phase (2001-2005) : built upon the earlier research and followed the children and families who were in the original study from the time they left the Early Head Start program until they entered kindergarten. It was designed to document the long-term consequences of receiving either Early Head Start services or other community services up until age 3 combined with subsequent Head Start or other formal early care and education programs on children's school readiness and parent functioning.
• Elementary School Follow-up Phase (2005-2010): assessed children and families when the children were fifth graders or attending their sixth year of formal schooling. The study included direct assessments of children's cognitive, socio-emotional, and physical development; parent interviews; teacher questionnaires; and videotaping of maternal-child interactions.

The Early Head Start findings are based on a mixture of direct child assessments, observations of children's behavior by in-person interviewers, ratings of videotaped parent-child interactions in standardized ways, ratings of children's behaviors by their parents, and parents' self-reports of their own behaviors, attitudes, and circumstances. Data in this collection were constructed by the Mathematica Policy Research (MPR) researchers for use in their analyses. Very few of the original source variables are present in this public-use file. The constructs came from several data sources:

1. Baseline data, which were collected from the Head Start Family Information System (HSFIS) program application and enrollment forms and the MPR Tracking System. These data contain information on the program status of each case, characteristics of the applicant, mother, and focus child from the MPR Tracking System, summary variables pertaining to all family members, and information on the father, on family circumstances, on the mother's pregnancy, and on the focus child.

2. Parent services follow-up interviews (PSI) targeted for 6, 15, and 26 months after random assignment. These data contain information on use of services both in and outside of Early Head Start, progress toward economic self-sufficiency, family health, and children's health.

3. Parent interviews (BPI) targeted for completion when children were 14, 24, and 36 months old. These interviews obtained a large amount of information from the primary caregivers about their child's development and family functioning. Specific questions asked of parents in the parent interview included items about raising a baby, child's health, household composition, child care, mother figure, father figure, family routines, parents' and parent-child activities, child behavior, and stressful events.

4. Child and family assessments targeted for administration when children were 14, 24, and 36 months old. Field interviewers recorded information from their observations of children's behavior and home environments. Direct child assessments included Bayley Assessments, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Tests (PPVTs), and videotaped semi-structured parent-child interactions.

5. Child care provider interviews and observations targeted for administration when children were 14, 24, and 36 months old. Interview and observation data were collected from child care providers for children who were in child care arrangements that met particular criteria when they were approximately 14, 24 and 36 months old. Different data collection instruments were used for children in child care centers and children cared for by family child care providers or relatives. Data from both types of providers may be used together for some types of analyses.

6. Father interviews targeted for collection when children were 24 and 36 months old. In addition to asking mothers about their child's father, biological fathers and father figures in 12 sites were interviewed directly about fathering issues at the time of the 24- and 36-month birthday-related interviews (but not when children were 14 months old).

The ELMC Study collected data to describe the objectives, activities, approaches, strategies, and other aspects of the Early Learning Mentor Coach (ELMC) initiative from the perspectives of Head Start grantees, coaches, and staff. In October 2010, the funds to support the ELMC initiative were distributed to 130 Head Start grantees in 42 states and the District of Columbia for a seventeen month period. Grantees used the funds to hire coaches to provide on-the-job guidance, training, mentoring and technical assistance to Head Start staff. The grant recipients reflected the diversity of Head Start programs, including Migrant and Seasonal Head Start and American Indian and Alaskan Native Head Start grantees. Data was collected using a mixed-methods design (qualitative and quantitative) and the following data collection instruments: a grantee census survey; a coach census survey; coach telephone interviews; and staff telephone interviews with staff who received coaching. At this time, only the quantitative data are available via ICPSR.

The Office of Head Start Program Information Report (PIR) provides comprehensive data on the services, staff, children, and families served by Head Start and Early Head Start programs nationwide. All grantees and delegates are required to submit PIR for Head Start and Early Head Start Programs. PIR data is compiled for use at the federal, regional, state, and local level.

The PIR collects data on child, staff, and family demographics and program characteristics including data on physical health, mental health, disabilities, and family services. All of this data is aggregated and reported by each program to the Office of Head Start.

The Partnership Impact Research Project is a three-year study designed to assess the nature of early education partnerships among Head Start, pre-kindergarten (pre-k), child care, and early care and education programs and their influence on child care quality and access to services. The project analyzes qualitative data in an existing database that was collected by the Quality in Linking Together (QUILT) Early Education Partnerships initiative. The QUILT database was designed to provide training and technical assistance in the development and sustainment of partnerships to professionals across the nation, including early care and education providers and state leaders. It is divided into two sections: state-level and local provider-level information. Both sections contain narratives, factual data, and documents. Additionally, the project collected new quantitative and qualitative data from randomly selected child care and Head Start providers in Ohio to study the influence of partnerships on the quality of and access to services.

The Partnership Impact Research Project explored questions about partnerships and their impact on child care and parents while attempting to determine whether state actions could influence both the development of provider-level partnerships and the processes partnerships engage in to sustain their work. Specifically, the study was designed to address the following objectives:

1. Conduct a qualitative analysis of data in an existing database to assess the nature of partnerships and state actions to support partnerships.
2. Conduct a longitudinal study that uses a quasi-experimental design and involves original data collection at three points in time to learn about the impact of partnerships on child care center quality, child care classroom quality, and accessibility of services for parents.
3. Develop detailed reports and research briefs, tailored to specific audiences such as legislators, administrators, and providers, that translate research findings into practical information that addresses questions frequently asked about child care partnerships.
4. Disseminate research reports and briefs through established networks of policy makers and practitioners, using their organizations' Web sites and publications.

The six datasets associated with this data collection are summarized below:

1. Child Care Center Data -- contains information on a variety of aspects about a child care center from the director's point of view with many focused questions aimed at the preschool population and an overview of the child care center as a whole. This dataset provides information about the population being served, services provided, teacher ratios, teacher training and education, annual budgets, funding sources, and other major aspects of a child care center in order to achieve an understanding of quality.
2. Child Care Center Partnership Data -- contains information about the child care partnership with the Head Start Agency that provides their services. There are five sections: funding sources, origins of the partnership, resources, nature of the partnership, and benefits/challenges. Information about how the partnership began, what the centers' role is, what services are provided, and a variety of general questions that inform others about the nature of the partnership are available in this dataset.
3. Head Start Background Data -- contains background information about a Head Start Agency that partners with child care centers and other information related to budget, funding sources, number of children served, and Head Start program organization.
4. Head Start Partnership Data -- a companion to the Head Start Background data, this dataset contains information about the specific partnership with each child care center the agency is involved with. There are four sections: background information, teacher training/professional development, services, and director information. Additionally, information on how the partnership began, what the agency's role is, what services are provided, and other general questions about the partnership is available.
5. Parent Data -- contains information on parents' views of the child care center that their preschooler attends. This dataset provides information about the population being served including home/school connection, how a parent views the classroom and the care being provided by the center, and the services available to both the child and parent through the center.
6. Teacher Data -- contains information about teachers' views of the child care center where they are employed. This dataset provides information about the population being served, services provided, teacher ratios, teacher training and education, and teacher experience in order to achieve an understanding of quality.