APPENDIX C
GRANTEE SITE VISIT INTERVIEW GUIDES
Region III Head Start Administration for Children and Families
Evaluation of the I Am Moving, I Am Learning Enhancement
Site Visit Interview Guide for Directors and Program Managers
Fall 2007
(Estimated interview time: 90 minutes)
INTRODUCTION
Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. My name is [X], and I am a [TITLE] with Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. (MPR), a nonpartisan research firm that has extensive experience conducting both early childhood and nutrition research. The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) under the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has contracted with MPR to conduct an implementation evaluation of the I Am Moving, I Am Learning enhancement (IM/IL) in Region III. This study will examine to what extent grantees are implementing IM/IL after attending the spring 2006 Regional Training of Trainers (TOT) events.
During this interview, we will be following up on the information you shared with us during the survey conducted in winter 2007 and the telephone interview conducted in spring 2007. We will also want to discuss how IM/IL is being implemented this program year; what changes were made after year 1; how these changes were implemented; what initial successes and challenges have been encountered; and your plans for sustaining the IM/IL enhancements. As part of this evaluation, we are now conducting site visits to 16 grantees. During the visits, we will be talking to program directors, program managers, teachers, and parents.
During our conversation, I would like to hear about your experiences with IM/IL, and will also ask you your opinions. Everything you say is confidential. The information we gather will be used to write a report about programs’ experiences implementing IM/IL activities, including their successes, challenges, and lessons learned. Our report will describe experiences and views expressed by staff across grantees, but comments will not be attributed to specific individuals or programs. Staff members will not be quoted by name.
Do you have any questions before we get started?
To begin, could you describe your position and the role you have played in the I am Moving, I am Learning (IM/IL) enhancement?
PROBES:
What is your current position?
How long have you held your current position? What other positions have you held within the agency?
Did you attend the spring 2006 Training of Trainers?
Did you play a major role in getting IM/IL implemented?
Are you still playing that same role?
What are your primary responsibilities associated with the IM/IL enhancement?
PROGRAM UPDATE
Since the telephone interview in spring 2007, have there been any significant changes to your program structure?
Since spring 2007, have there been any significant changes to the way that your program is staffed?
Since spring 2007, have there been any significant changes in the characteristics of the families and children your program serves?
How common is the problem of overweight among children in your program? About what proportion of children are overweight?
How common is the problem of underweight among children in your program? About what proportion of children are underweight ?
How common is it for the children in your program to make food choices that make it difficult to maintain a healthy weight? About what proportion of the children make these kinds of food choices?
How common is sedentary behavior (i.e. little or no physical activity) among the children in your program, such as high levels of television viewing or living in a place that is not conducive to outside play? About what proportion of the children have limited physical activity outside of Head Start?
Of the health problems affecting children in your program, how would you rank these three conditions?: __ Asthma, __ Obesity, and __ Oral Health (tooth decay and cavities)?
NOTE: “1” IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PROBLEM, AND “2” IS THE SECOND MOST IMPORTANT PROBLEM, AND “3” IS THE THIRD IMPORTANT PROBLEM.
In spring 2007, we talked with you about your program’s goals, the IM/IL enhancements your program implemented, the outcomes your program aimed to achieve, and how you measured those outcomes. Here is a summary of the information we obtained:
INTERVIEWER INSERT INFORMATION FROM SURVEY AND SPRING 2007 PHONE INTERVIEW:
Behavioral Goals:
Implementation Strategies:
Program Enhancements:
Intermediate Outcomes:
Child Outcomes:
Does this information seem accurate to you?
Through the course of the interview, we will review this information, noting any changes you made this program year. We will also discuss in more detail the facilitators and barriers to implementation faced by your program, your plans for sustainability, and your advice for the other Head Start programs interested in implementing an IM/IL enhancement.
Behavioral Goals:
In spring 2007, your program defined its main goal(s) for IM/IL as [INTERVIEWER INSERT GOALS]. Are there any additional goals you initially defined?
Has/have the main goal(s) of IM/IL in your program changed over time?
IF YES, ASK:
How?
Why did your goal(s) change?
In your opinion, how much progress do you think your program has made toward meeting the goals and objectives you designed for the IM/IL enhancement?
In spring 2007, your program reported the following as to how you identified IM/IL goals and objectives, determining who to target, and deciding which activities to provide/promote: [INTERVIEWER INSERT INFORMATION]. In your opinion, how successful were these strategies in helping you design your program’s IM/IL enhancements? Why?
Did your program employ any new strategies to revise your IM/IL goals and objectives, whom you are targeting, and which activities to provide/promote this program year?
IF YES, ASK:
Since spring 2007, have you conducted a needs assessment? If so, who did you consult?
Has the intended target audience of your IM/IL enhancement changed? If so, why did your program decide to make this change?
Did you strategically decide to focus on just one or two of the three targeted IM/IL goals? Is this different from your focus in spring 2007? If it is, why did you change your focus?
In spring 2007, your program reported [INTERVIEWER INSERT BEHAVIOR CHANGES] as the specific behavior changes you hoped to influence through IM/IL. Have these changed over time?
IF YES, ASK:
How have they changed? What are the primary behaviors you currently hope to change through your IM/IL enhancement? For example, increase exercise levels among staff and families? Encourage children and families to switch from whole milk and reduced-fat milk (2 percent) to low-fat milk (1 percent) and skim milk, for age-appropriate groups?
Why did you make these changes?
Who is the target audience for this behavior change? Teachers/home visitors? Other staff? Children? Parents? Other?
How successful do you think your program has been in achieving these behavior changes?
PROBES:
Have these behavior changes been more challenging to achieve than you initially expected, or less? Why?
Implementation Strategies:
Since spring 2007, have you consulted with other organizations in the community or sought advice from experts to help design/redesign your program’s IM/IL enhancement, such as local universities, dietitians, or nutritionists?
IF YES, ASK:
Did you consult with these organizations on the IM/IL enhancement before spring 2007?
How and why did you approach them?
Were they eager to participate, or did they have reservations?
Who was involved in the design phase?
Do you plan to continue to consult with them in the future? Why or why not?
In spring 2007, your program reported [INTERVIEWER INSERT THOSE INVOLVED IN IM/IL DESIGN] was involved in your IM/IL enhancement design. Does your program continue to work with these people on IM/IL implementation?
PROBES:
How has their role changed since spring 2007?
How important was their involvement to the initial design of the IM/IL enhancements? Would you have been able to design the IM/IL enhancement without these staff?
How essential has their involvement been to any changes to the design you have made since the initial design?
Do you plan to continue to work with them on the IM/IL enhancement in the future? Why or why not?
Have you consulted with any other of the following about your IM/IL design? What role did they play?
Region III Head Start staff
Head Start-State Collaboration Office
Your TA Specialist and/or a Content Specialist
Your Health Services Advisory Committee
Policy Council or families as a whole
IM/IL listserv set up by Region III
A consultant such as a nutritionist, dietitian, or obesity prevention expert
How important has their involvement been to the design and/or redesign of the IM/IL enhancements? Would you be able to design the IM/IL enhancement without these staff?
Do you plan to continue to work with them on the IM/IL enhancement in the future? Why or why not?
INTERVIEWER, IF PROGRAM DEVELOPED A WRITTEN PLAN FOR IMPLEMENTATION ASK QUESTION #12. IF PROGRAM DID NOT HAVE A WRITTEN PLAN, SKIP TO QUESTION #13.
Has the written plan for implementation developed by your program changed since spring 2007?
IF YES:
Why did you make these changes? Why did you decide to develop a written plan?
Who wrote the plan?
Was this plan approved by the Policy Council? By the Health Services Advisory Committee? Other?
INTERVIEWER, IF PROGRAM WAS USING A CURRICULUM ASK QUESTION #13. IF PROGRAM DID NOT USE A CURRICULUM, SKIP TO QUESTION #14.
In spring 2007, your program reported using [INSERT CURRICULUM]. Does your program still use this curriculum?
PROBES:
How essential has this curriculum been to your program’s IM/IL enhancement?
What do you like and dislike about this curriculum?
Will you continue to use this curriculum in the future? Why or why not?
Since spring 2007, has your program selected a specific curriculum to support IM/IL efforts? Have you changed curricula since spring 2007? If so, why did your program decide to make this change?
IF YES: Which curriculum are you using? Was it designed by an outside vendor or internal staff? Are you using the curriculum in its entirety or certain parts of it? Is it a stand-alone curriculum, or did you modify/supplement your primary Head Start curriculum?
Since Spring 2007, have teachers [and home visitors] continued to incorporate IM/IL activities into the regular Head Start curriculum? How do they do this? For example, is movement and/or healthy eating integrated into literacy or early math activities? Are transitions more physically active? Do you have any plans to change your program’s approach to integration of IM/IL?
Since spring 2007 have you developed a manual, reference guide, lesson plans, or similar items for IM/IL? If previously developed, have you made changes since spring 2007? If so, why did your program decide to make this change?
Did your program take into account children with IEPs or IHPs in designing the IM/IL enhancement?
IF YES: How was this accomplished? Have you had to make any adjustments since spring 2007? If so, why?
Did your program take into account English Language Learners in designing the IM/IL enhancement?
IF YES: How was this accomplished? Have you had to make any adjustments since spring 2007? If so, why?
Did your program take into account cultural preferences and/or special dietary needs of children, families, and/or staff in designing the IM/IL enhancement?
IF YES: How was this accomplished? Have you had to make any adjustments since spring 2007? If so, why?
Did your program need to acquire materials, equipment, and/or incentives to implement the IM/IL enhancement? Has your program acquired any new materials, equipment, and/or incentives since spring 2007? If so, why did you decide to make the change?
IF YES: Which kinds of items (music cassettes/CDs, coloring books, videos/DVDs, posters, scales, growth charts, cookbooks, jump ropes, exercise mats, balls, other toys that encourage movement, etc.)? Were these items purchased or donated? Are they available for use at the centers only, or can families borrow them through a lending library?
What resources were most helpful to you in designing IM/IL? Why were they helpful? Have the resources that are most helpful to you changed over time? If so, why?
Would additional technical assistance or other resources have been helpful in designing your IM/IL enhancement? If so, what specifically? Have the types of technical assistance and resources that you thought would be most helpful to you changed over time? If so, why?
What were the most challenging aspects of the design and planning process? What went smoothly?
What lessons did you learn during the design and planning phase? Would you have done anything differently?
Now I’d like to learn more about the staff that are directly involved in implementing your IM/IL enhancement and any changes you have made since spring 2007.
Has the number of other staff that work on the IM/IL enhancement changed since spring 2007?
IF YES, ASK:
How many staff were added to work on the IM/IL enhancement since spring 2007?
Did these staff replace the staff that worked on the IM/IL enhancement in spring 2007? If so, why were staff replaced?
Did you add other staff? If so, why were other staff added?
Has there been a change in how receptive staff are to implementing the IM/IL enhancement? Are staff more receptive or less receptive now than they were in spring 2007?
IF YES (MORE RECEPTIVE/LESS RECEPTIVE), ASK:
What do you attribute this change to?
If they were hesitant or had concerns, what were their concerns and how did you address them? Has this changed from how you addressed staff previously? Why did you make this change?
Have staff voiced any concerns about being overweight themselves in terms of being role models or participating with children in structured movement activities? If so, how did you address these concerns? Have these concerns become more or less prevalent since your program started implementing IM/IL?
We want to know to what extent your staff endorses the IM/IL enhancements your program is trying to implement. On a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 would be “resistant” and 5 “enthusiastic,” how would you rate your staff’s interest in the following:
Moderate to vigorous physical activity
Structured movement
Healthy nutrition
IM/IL overall
Since spring 2007, has your program experienced staff turnover that has affected IM/IL implementation?
IF YES: How? What strategies is your program using to address this turnover? Have these strategies changed since spring 2007? If so, why?
How well is the staffing structure working so far? How well are any changes you made since spring 2007 working so far?
PROBES:
Are there sufficient staff resources to implement IM/IL?
If you could, would you change the staffing structure? If so, how and why?
How important do you think the staffing structure you selected has been for implementation? Very important? Somewhat important? Not at all related? Why?
IF OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDED STAFF IN SPRING 2007, ASK: Are outside organizations/community partners continuing to provide staff for the IM/IL enhancement?
IF YES, ASK:
Have there been any changes to their job titles since spring 2007?
Have their main duties changed since spring 2007? If so, why did you make these changes?
How important are these staff to the functioning of the IM/IL enhancements? Would you be able to implement the IM/IL enhancement without these staff?
Do you plan to continue to work with these outside organizations on the IM/IL enhancement in the future? Why or why not?
IF NO, ASK:
Why are outside organizations no longer providing staff?
Are you going to replace these staff with staff from other organizations? If no, why not?
How important were these staff to the functioning of the IM/IL enhancements? Are you be able to implement the IM/IL enhancement without these staff?
IF OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS WERE NOT PROVIDING STAFF IN SPRING 2007, ASK: Do any outside organizations/community partners provide staff for the IM/IL enhancement?
IF YES, ASK:
What are their job titles and main duties?
Why did you decide to add these staff?
How important are these staff to the functioning of the IM/IL enhancements? Would you be able to implement the IM/IL enhancement without these staff?
Do you plan to continue to work with these outside organizations on the IM/IL enhancement in the future? Why or why not?
The next several questions address the types of training and technical assistance your program provides staff and other capacity-building activities.
How important do you think ongoing training and technical assistance are to the implementation of IM/IL? To long-term sustainability of IM/IL? Why?
Have staff received formal training on the IM/IL enhancement since spring 2007?
IF NO: Why not? SKIP TO QUESTION #3
IF YES: Who provided the training? Did you bring in outside staff to
do it?
When was the training provided? During pre-service training? As
an in-service?
How many and which types of staff participated? Only new staff?
All staff?
How long did it last?
What was the format of the training? What topics were covered?
Which activities types of were included? Lecture? Modeling?
Breakout sessions? Role play?
Were written materials distributed, such as a manual, a
curriculum, a lesson plan, or a list of resources to be used during
implementation? If so, please describe the materials.
Did you train staff on how to monitor progress made by children,
such as observations of structured movement or tracking of body mass
index and height/weight?
Which part(s) of the training did staff find most helpful, and
why?
Was there anything about the training that wasn’t helpful?
If so, why?
Was this training similar to the training you provided in the
past? If not, how was it different? Why did you decide to make
these changes?
SKIP
TO QUESTION #4
Since there hasn’t been a formal training since spring 2007, did staff receive any special preparation to implement the IM/IL enhancement?
PROBES:
Did you share the materials from the TOT event with staff? Which staff? Was it required that they review it, or was it voluntary? When did you share these materials?
Do you plan to offer local training for staff on the IM/IL enhancement? If so, who will be trained and what will be covered? When will the training take place, and how long will it last? If you don’t plan to offer an initial training, why not?
Were new staff trained on the IM/IL enhancement since spring 2007?
IF NO: Why does your program not provide training for new staff?
IF YES: Who developed the training activities?
Who provided the training?
When was the training provided? During pre-service training? As
an in-service? With all staff? With only new staff?
How long did it last?
What was the format of the training? What topics were covered?
Which activities types of were included? Lecture? Modeling?
Breakout sessions? Role plays?
Were written materials distributed, such as a manual, a
curriculum, a lesson plan, or a list of resources to be used during
implementation? If so, please describe the materials.
Did you train staff on how to monitor progress made by children,
such as observations of structured movement or tracking BMI and
height/weight?
Which part(s) of
training did staff find most helpful, and why? Was there
anything about the training that wasn’t helpful? If so, why?
Does your program have ongoing training and/or technical assistance to support the IM/IL enhancement?
IF NO: Why does your program not provide ongoing training and/or seek TA? Did your
program ever provide ongoing T/TA? If so, why did you discontinue it?
IF YES: What kind of support do staff receive?
What topic(s) are covered? How often is T/TA provided?
Which staff get trained on these topics? How many staff?
Who delivers the T/TA? Head Start regional specialists? Outside experts?
Is this T/TA helpful? Why or why not?
How frequently are these IM/IL topics included during in-service days?
Approximately when was the last time one of these topics was included in a staff development activity?
What was the topic of that training?
Does your program participate in the listserv created by Region III for those who have attended IM/IL training events? If yes, who accesses the listserv? How often? Is the listserv helpful, and if so why? If your program doesn’t use the listserv, why not?
Has the type of T/TA your program provides changed over time? If so, how has it changed? Why did you make these changes?
Did you include T/TA on IM/IL enhancements on your current T/TA plan? Why or why not? Did you allocate any of your T/TA budget for IM/IL? If so, how much? (Estimate ok)
In spring 2007, you reported [INTERVIEWER INSERT WAYS PROGRAM MONITORED AND SHARED FEEDBACK] as ways your program planned to monitor and share, or was monitoring and sharing, feedback. Is your program going to continue to use these strategies this program year? Why or why not? How do you use this information? How do you plan to use it in the future?
In spring 2007, you reported [INTERVIEWER INSERT ADDITIONAL TRAINING AND SUPPORT THAT STAFF NEED] as additional training and support that staff needed. Have you been able to meet these needs?
IF YES: How have you met these needs? Were outside organizations/regional office
staff/regional TA network staff/others involved?
IF NO: Why weren’t you able to meet these needs? What supports/resources would your
program have needed to meet these needs?
Do staff need any additional training or support that they have not yet received?
IF YES: What types of support do they need? Are there specific plans in place to meet these support needs?
In this section, let’s talk about the IM/IL enhancement activities targeted toward staff and children that your program has implemented since attending the TOT events.
How did your program plan to achieve the behavior changes? Has your approach changed since spring 2007? If so, why did you make these changes?
PROBES:
Change teacher practices, curriculum
Supplemental activities (type or intensity, such as add/increase MVPA)
Change classroom/outdoor environment (such as materials, play equipment)
Change menu planning
Change home environment
In spring 2007, your program reported instituting the following new policies to support your IM/IL enhancement: [INTERVIEWER INSERT PRIORITIES]. Are these policies still in place?
IF YES: Have you changed any of these policies? If, so how? Why did you decide to make these changes?
How successful have you been in implementing these policies? What barriers have you faced in implementing them? If barriers exist, how did you over come them?
Do you plan to continue to institute these policies in the future? Why or why not?
IF NO: Why are you no longer instituting these policies?
Did you face barriers that prevented you from instituting these policies? Did you try to overcome these barriers? If so, how? Why were you not able to overcome these barriers?
In spring 2007, your program reported instituting the following new policies targeted at families to support your IM/IL enhancement: [INTERVIEWER INSERT PRIORITIES]. Are these policies still in place?
IF YES: Have you changed any of these policies? If, so how? Why did you decide to make these changes?
How successful have you been in implementing these policies? What barriers have you faced in implementing them? If barriers exist, how did you over come them?
Do you plan to continue to institute these policies in the future? Why or why not?
What new policies, if any, did your program institute since spring 2007 to support your IM/IL enhancement? Why did you decide to institute these policies? How successful have you been in implementing them? What barriers have you faced in implementing these policies? How did you overcome them?
PROBES:
Require that children engage in a targeted amount of MVPA each week? If so, how much physical activity? Is this the same amount for different ages?
Require that teachers incorporate guided, structured movement activities for certain amount of time each day or week?
Require that your nutrition staff reexamine your menu planning and foods offered and implement new food purchasing or preparation guidelines?
Require that families attend trainings on healthy eating and physical activity?
Other policy changes?
In spring 2007, you reported that the following outside organizations provided resources for your IM/IL enhancement: [INTERVIEWER INSERT OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS AND TYPES OF SERVICES/RESOURCES/SUPPORTS]. Do any other outside organizations provide resources?
PROBES:
Are these organizations continuing to provide resources? Have the types of services/resources/supports changed over time?
When did the outside organizations begin providing resources?
Do have formal agreements with these organizations? (If formal agreement, request a copy.)
Did you work/partner with these organizations prior to IM/IL?
What aspects of these partnerships have worked well, and what aspects have been challenging? Has this changed over time? If so, how?
What strategies have you and your partners used to work through these strategies? How well have these strategies worked?
How important were these partnerships to the functioning of the IM/IL enhancements? Are you be able to implement the IM/IL enhancement without these staff?
Do you plan to continue to work with these organizations on your IM/IL enhancement in the future? Why or why not?
Based on your
experiences implementing IM/IL, are there other types of
partners/
organizations that would have been helpful? If so,
what types of partners/
organizations and why?
In spring 2007, you reported that your program was providing the following activities:
INTERVIEWER INSERT SPRING 2007 ACTIVITIES:
Are you still providing these activities?
IF YES: What percentage of [centers/classrooms/home visitors] are
implementing this area of IM/IL?
What has facilitated implementation?
What barriers have you faced in implementing these activities?
What strategies did you use to overcome these barriers?
Will you continue to implement these activities in the future? Why
or why not?
IF NO: What has prevented you from
continuing to provide these activities?
There are many challenges your program may have faced while trying to implement IM/IL activities. How would you rate the success of your program in implementing the following on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 would be “not at all successful” and 5 is “extremely successful”:
Moderate to vigorous physical activity
Structured movement
Healthy nutrition
IM/IL overall
Have there been any changes to the activities your program implemented? If so, please describe the changes. Why did you make these changes?
IF YES: Who decided to make these changes?
Did you consult with staff, families, or staff from outside
organizations about these changes?
What percentage of [centers/classrooms/home visitors] have
implemented these changes?
On a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 would be “low,” and 5
would be “high,” how would you rate the degree of
implementation overall, vis-à-vis the way you envisioned it
when you planned these changes? For MVPA? For structured movement?
For nutrition?
Did you succeed in modifying IM/IL activities for children with disabilities? For children/families for whom English is not the primary home language? For families in the home-based option (if applicable)? What challenges did you face making these modifications?
In spring 2007, your program reported providing the following IM/IL activities for staff [INTERVIEWER INSERT ACTIVITIES]. Is your program still providing these activities?
PROBES:
How receptive have staff been to these activities?
Have there been barriers to staff participation in these activities?
Are you going to continue to provide/promote these activities in the future? Why or why not?
In spring 2007, your program reported [INTERVIEWER INSERT REWARDS/INCENTIVES] as special incentives or rewards your program offers for meeting certain benchmarks. Are you still providing these rewards and/or incentives? Why or why not? How useful do you think these rewards/incentives have been to increasing buy-in among staff? Parents?
In this section, let’s talk about the outreach activities your program implemented that targeted parents, families, and community members.
ASK QUESTION #1 IF PROGRAM IDENTIFIED OUTREACH STRATEGIES IN SPRING 2007.
IF PROGRAM DID NOT IDENTIFY OUTREACH STRATEGIES IN SPRING 2007, PROCEED TO QUESTION #2.
In spring 2007, your program reported using the following outreach strategies to promote your program’s IM/IL enhancement: [INTERVIEWER INSERT OUTREACH STRATEGIES]. Are you still using these outreach strategies?
IF YES:
Have you changed any of these outreach strategies? If, so how? Why did you decide to make these changes?
How successful have these outreach strategies been? What barriers have you faced in implementing these strategies? If barriers exist, how did you over come them?
Do you plan to continue to use these outreach strategies in the future? Why or why not?
IF NO:
Why are you no longer using these strategies?
Did you face barriers that made these outreach strategies less useful than expected? Did you try to overcome these barriers? If so, how? Why were you not able to overcome them?
Are there resources/supports that would have made these outreach strategies more successful?
Since spring 2007, have you used any (new) outreach strategies to promote your IM/IL enhancement? Why did you make these changes?
In spring 2007, your program reported providing parents with information about healthy eating and physical activity in the following ways [INTERVIEWER INSERT WAYS PROGRAMS PROVIDED INFORMATION TO FAMILIES]. Is your program continuing to provide this information? Why or why not?
PROBES:
How successful have these types of information been?
How have parents responded to the information you provided? How receptive have parents been to the information?
In spring 2007 your program reported providing the [INTERVIEWER INSERT PARENT ACTIVITIES] activities for parents. Is your program still providing these activities? Why or why not?
PROBES:
How successful were these events? How many parents participated/attended? What did your program do to encourage participation? Provide incentives? Provide child care? Provide transportation? Other?
How receptive have parents been to the information provided at these activities? How can you tell?
In spring 2007 your program reported using the following tools and procedures to track IM/IL implementation and measure outcomes: [INTERVIEWER INSERT INFORMATION]. Have there been any changes?
How often do these assessments take place?
Have staff used results of any assessment data to inform individual or group education and/or health goals? If so, how? If not, why not?
Did you use this information to inform program planning for this program year? If so, how?
How to do you plan to use this information in the future?
What do you think is the future of your IM/IL enhancement?
PROBES:
At this point, how long do you see the IM/IL enhancement continuing?
Does your program have plans to continue the enhanced services at the current levels, expand services, or reduce services in the future?
Which barrier(s), if any, could prevent the continuation of the IM/IL enhancement? Funding? Staff? Interest?
How do you reinforce IM/IL goals and go about getting ongoing buy-in from staff? Parents? Community organizations? In other words, how do you keep the momentum moving forward?
PROBES:
Have you shared information about IM/IL with the families’ health care professionals, such as a description of planned activities or any data collected? Why or why not?
Have you shared information about IM/IL with Part B providers, such as a description of planned activities or any data collected? Why or why not?
Did you incorporate IM/IL goals into Family Partnership Agreements? Community Partnership Agreements? Children’s Individual Education Plans (IEP)? Children’s Individual Health Plans (IHP)? Ongoing T/TA plans and/or Quality Improvement Plans (QIP)? If so, will these be permanent changes? Why or why not?
Will IM/IL enhancement activities become a permanent part of pre-service and/or in-service training? Why or why not? Has your Health Services Advisory Committee changed the way it addresses obesity prevention and health promotion since your IM/IL enhancement began? If so, how?
How receptive have Head Start staff, families, and community partners been to participating in the IM/IL enhancement over time?
Has there been a change in the level of staff commitment to the IM/IL enhancement? Is it higher, lower, or about the same since the spring 2006 TOT event/since implementation began?
Have you observed or experienced challenges in getting targeted audiences to do any of the activities? For example, if you sponsor cooking classes to teach family members about easy-to-prepare, nutritious meals, how many people attend?
PROBES:
Among staff: Did you expect this variation? How does service delivery vary, and why? If some staff are doing far less than others, how is this being addressed?
Among children/families: Did you expect this variation? What factor(s) cause some families to participate more than others? Is your program doing anything to encourage participation?
What factor(s) prevent higher activity levels? Do staff have little time? Which activities have parents noted are difficult to do? Which activities have staff noted?
Has the program used any strategies to encourage participation? How successful have these strategies been? What challenges has your program faced?
Has your program been able to implement your IM/IL enhancement as planned?
PROBES:
How has actual implementation differed from initial plans? In actual activities? Duration? Intensity? In who receives services?
What caused a change from the original vision of what the IM/IL enhancement would look like in your program?
What are the ongoing costs associated with IM/IL? General categories and cost estimates are fine.
How did your program make budget decisions about costs to implement the IM/IL enhancement?
PROBE:
Did you have to redirect service priorities to cover the costs of the IM/IL enhancement? Are there any services that have been dropped or decreased in intensity to focus attention on IM/IL goals?
Will you be able to sustain these added costs?
Have you looked for outside funding to help support the costs of implementing IM/IL? Why or why not? If so, what types of funding have you looked into? What have you learned?
What percentage of your T/TA funds has been dedicated to your IM/IL enhancement? Will you dedicate T/TA funds to your IM/IL enhancement in the future? Why or why not?
Throughout the interview we have talked about the many successes your program has experienced since implementing your program’s IM/IL enhancements. [INTERVIEWER INSERT SUCCESSES AND CHALLENGES DESCRIBED DURING THE INTERVIEW]. Are there any other successes you would like to add? Of these successes, which would you describe as the greatest? Why?
Throughout the interview we have talked about the many challenges your program has experienced since implementing its IM/IL enhancements. [INTERVIEWER INSERT SUCCESSES AND CHALLENGES DESCRIBED DURING THE INTERVIEW]. Are there any other challenges you would like to add? Of these challenges, which would you describe as the greatest barrier to implementation? Why?
During the spring 2007 telephone interview [your staff/you] mentioned [INTERVIEWER INSERT CHALLENGES] as the most significant implementation challenges associated with your IM/IL enhancement. How have these challenges changed over time? Have you overcome these challenges?
IF YES:
What strategies have you used to address these challenges?
Are there any other challenges? What strategies will staff use to address these challenges?
IF NO:
What strategies have you used to address these challenges? How well do you think these strategies have worked?
Are there resources and supports that would have helped you overcome these challenges?
Are there any other challenges? What strategies will staff use to address these challenges?
Do you think the IM/IL enhancement has had an effect on the outcomes your program has hoped to achieve (for example, increased MVPA by 50 percent)?
What aspects of IM/IL do children like the most? What do they like the least? How has this changed over time?
What aspects of IM/IL do staff like the most? What do they like the least? How has this changed over time?
What aspects of IM/IL do families like the most? What do they like the least? How has this changed over time?
What are the most important lessons your program has learned so far about implementing an IM/IL enhancement?
After one full year of implementation of the IM/IL enhancements, what would you do differently? What would you do the same? Why?
What changes, if any, do you think should be made to the IM/IL enhancement, either the enhancement in your program specifically or the enhancement overall in Head Start?
PROBE:
Changes in scope? Training? Goals? Activities? T/TA? Staffing? Involvement of outside organizations or experts? Other?
What advice would you give to another Head Start program that is thinking about implementing an IM/IL enhancement?
Do you think your program’s IM/IL enhancement approach could be successfully replicated at other Head Start programs?
PROBES:
If yes, what would be needed for successful replication?
If no, what would prevent or hinder replication?
Is there anything unique about your local community or populations served that help or hinder successful implementation of your IM/IL enhancement?
WRAP-UP
Is there anything else you would like to add before we end our discussion?
N.B. MPR should already have received a set of documents from the program in advance of the telephone call, such as the program’s most recent T/TA plan and copies of any local IM/IL training materials. If we have not received them, then ask for specific outstanding items as appropriate.
Thank you very much for speaking with me and sharing your experiences and feedback on the IM/IL enhancement at your Head Start program.
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | MEMORANDUM |
| Author | Cindy McClure |
| Last Modified By | Laura R Hoard |
| File Modified | 2006-11-14 |
| File Created | 2006-11-14 |