Formative Data Collection Generic Clearance - Measurement Development - Quality of Family-Provider Relationships in Early Care and Education

Formative Data Collection (OMB 0970-0356)

Measurement Development: Quality of Family-Provider Relationships in Early Care and Education

April 19, 2011

Instrument

Parent and Early Care and Education Provider Focus Group Protocols

Parents

Focus Group Protocol

1. Introduction: (10 minutes)

Welcome and Facilitator Introduction

Good morning/afternoon/evening and welcome to our discussion. Thank you for taking time to talk with us today. [Introduce facilitator(s)].

Background on Project and Purpose of Focus Group

I’d like to start by telling you a little bit about our study and what we are going to be doing. We want to talk to you to learn from your experiences with those that care for/teach your children (and those who provide services to families at your Head Start), what you think these relationships should look like, and what you found is important for having good relationships with the people who provide care/teach your children (as well as people who provide services for Head Start families). We’re going to be talking to parents and all types of providers. We’ll take what we learn from you all to help us develop survey questions to measure family-provider relationships.

Our discussion is going to last about 2 hours. Once we get started, I am going to ask you questions and I’d like you all to share your thoughts. You will do most of the talking, and I will be mostly listening because we want to learn from you and your experiences with people who care for and teach your children and work with families with young children.

Discussion of Consent Form

Before we get started, I’d like to review the consent forms that you all brought with you. [Facilitator will provide additional copies and read the consent form]. Is there anything that I just read that doesn’t make sense? Do you have any questions? Please remember you can ask questions at any time. [Facilitator will answer any questions and then move on.] [Verify permission to record has been granted.]

How Today’s Focus Group will Work

I will be asking you several questions about relationships between parents and those who provide care for or teach their children (as well as those who provide services for families in head start settings). To be clear about what I mean when I say “those who care for or teach your children (and those who provide services for families in Head Start settings)”, I mean childcare providers, lead teachers, assistant teachers, and aides who help care for your child as well as family service workers who work with families with young children. Families include parents, guardians, extended family members, or anyone who is the primary care giver. We’ll use the term “parents” and “family” interchangeably but we mean it to apply to this broad set of people.

It is very important for us to hear all the different points of view in the room. It’s also important for you all to respect each others’ opinions. To ensure that we are able to hear everyone, please talk one at a time.

Feel free to talk to each other when discussing the questions. If you want to respond to something someone said, or if you want to agree or disagree, you can do that, but please be respectful because we want everyone to have a chance to share their ideas. We may need to interrupt or call on people to make sure this happens. Please do not feel offended if we do this.

To protect your privacy and that of your children and family, please do not discuss your experiences in a way that would identify your children or family, such as by saying their full names.

Timing, Survey and Cash Incentive

We expect to be here until ___. We appreciate you giving us your time and want to make sure we end on time. We will be watching the clock, and may need to interrupt the discussion at times to move on to another question, so that we are sure we have time to discuss all the topics.

At about ___, we will end the discussion and ask you each to complete a short questionnaire. After you finish the questionnaire, we will distribute a cash gift to each of you as a token of our appreciation for what you teach us and for your time.

2. Icebreaker: (10 minutes)

To get started, I’d like us to go around the room and have everyone tell us a little bit about your child/children:

• Your child’s/children’s ages.

• Number of children you have and the number who receive care outside of the home or go to preschool. Where your child/children receive (s) care or go to preschool? Who provides care for your child/children?

• How many hours per week your child/children receive(s) care in this arrangement? (Your best guess is fine.)

• How long your child(ren) has been in this care arrangement?

• Why you choose the type of care your child(ren) receive(s)?

There are a lot of different ways to refer to those who care for (and provide services for families of) infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. What terms do you all usually use/prefer?

USE TERM THAT GROUP DECIDES ON FOR REMAINDER OF DISCUSSION

III. Relationships with Care Providers/Teachers/Family Service Workers: (20 minutes)

Now, I’d like us to talk about your experiences and relationships with the people who provide care for your child/your child’s teacher (and family service workers in Head Start settings).

1. Thinking of the people who care for your child/your child’s teacher (and family service providers), what is your relationship with them like?

• How often do you interact with them? When? Where?

• What do your interactions look like?

MODERATOR: IF HEAD START PARENT IN GROUP, ENSURE THAT RESPONDENTS ARE ALSO DISCUSSING FAMILY SERVICE WORKERS.

2. Thinking again about your experiences, what do you think a relationship between you and the person caring for your child/your child’s teacher (and family service workers) should look like? Why is that?

   • Do you think this varies by your child’s age? How so?

3. We all have different demands on our time.

• Do you consider having a good relationship with the person caring for your child/your child’s teacher (and for Head Start parents, with your Family Service Worker) a low, medium, or high priority? Why is that?

• How, if at all, does it help you be a better parent?

• How, if at all, does it benefit the children?

• How, if at all, does it benefit the provider?

4. What are some of the things, if any, you have done to build good relationships with the people who care for your child/your child’s teacher (and/or family service workers)?

• Have they worked?

• Why or why not?

5. For various reasons, parents might have different expectations about the type of relationship or care their providers should offer.

   • What are your expectations for the type of relationship parents should have with child care providers (and/or family service workers)?

   • Do you think that what you are able to pay for care shapes those expectations? Why do you think so? Can you say more about that?

   • If needed: How do your expectations of provider/teachers/family service workers change, if at all, according to the age of your child?

   • If needed: For those of you who have more than one child, how have your expectations changed, if at all, as each of your children grew?

6. How do you think your own cultural background shapes, if at all, your relationship with people who provide care for your child/your child’s teacher (and family service workers)?

   • How, if at all, does your PROVIDERS’ cultural background shape the relationship?

III. Most Important Aspects of Relationships with Families: (30 minutes)

Please keep thinking about your experiences with the people who provide care for your child/your child’s teachers (and family service workers).

1. What do you think are the MOST important qualities/characteristics of a good relationship with them? That is, what do you think are essential ingredients of a good and strong relationship between a family and PROVIDER? What makes these qualities important?

   • Does this vary by child age or the needs of the child or the family?

LIST QUALITIES THAT PARENTS MENTION

2. What can PROVIDERS do to make these qualities present in their relationships with parents? What can parents do to make sure these qualities are present in their relationships with PROVIDERS?

2. How do you think your own cultural background, if at all, shapes your relationships with the people who care for your child/your child’s teachers/family service workers?

2. In order to establish a good relationship, how important is it that your PROVIDER is the same race/ethnicity as you?

• How important is it to you that you and PROVIDER share similar background/values or come from the same community? Why is that?

2. Based on your experience, what are some things that can be done to develop a good relationship when the PROVIDER and the parent are from different backgrounds? Why do you think these are important?

IV. Alignment with Constructs: (30 minutes)

Now, I’d like you to rank the qualities you’ve given us and identify the top 5 from most to least important.

1. Let’s go around the room, and please tell me what you think are the most important aspects and why.

• Please tell us if this varies according to the age of the child. If so, why?

REVIEW QUALITIES THAT GROUP HAS IDENTIFIED AS MOST IMPORTANT AND MAKE SURE THERE IS CONSENSUS

Now I’d like to talk about what researchers think providers and parents can do to shape strong family-PROVIDER relationships. We’d like to get your feedback on what they think. Researchers believe that there are four components of family-PROVIDER relationships (which we present on this poster board). They include attitudes, knowledge, behaviors, and environment. I’d like to go through examples of how researchers define these and get your reaction; in particular, where you agree or disagree with researchers.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

{POSTER BOARD}

What researchers think…

1. Attitudes refers to, for example:

• Being respectful.

• Honoring and accepting families’ culture, language, and child-rearing beliefs.

• Being non-judgmental and courteous.

• Providers who are accessible, flexible, and sensitive to families.

• Providers who are empowering: a belief that families’ strengths are important and that families should be equal partners.

• A belief that both parents and providers should be open to change.

• An understanding that the child is part of the family unit, which is also part of the larger community.

2. Knowledge includes, for example:

• Providers’ understanding of how families function, how children grow and develop, and good parenting skills.

• Providers’ understanding of each family situations and circumstances as well as the child’s/family’s individual goals, abilities, and needs.

3. Practices refer to, for example:

• Providers and parents engaging in positive, two-way communication that is responsive to families’ preferences and provider’s personal boundaries.

• Providers who are sensitive, flexible and responsive to family’s needs (including the families’ language skills).

• Providers who advocate for families and connect them to community supports.

• Helping families advocate for themselves, especially in terms of transitions to other ECE arrangements, school, or for social services.

• Working together with families to set goals and make decisions.

• Providing families with information about the individual child’s development or family supports.

4. Environment refers to, for example:

• Providing a welcoming environment such as an open door policy and opportunities to participate in the program.

• Materials that are reflective of families’ lives (i.e., culture, fathers, disabilities, jobs).

• Materials such as bulletin boards, e-mail, texting, and newsletters for communicating with families.

• Brochures, tip sheets and books for families.

• Opportunities for families to get-together.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SHOW LIST OF THE CONSTRUCTS AND GO THROUGH EACH CONSTRUCT ON THE LIST.

If the construct is one they didn’t talk about earlier, say:

Let’s talk about the ones researchers listed as important that we haven’t discussed so far.

1. We did not talk about ___. We define ___ as ____.

1. Does this definition make sense to you?

2. Is this something you think is important in order for you to have good relationships with your child’s PROVIDER? Why or why not?

3. Should ______ be included in our definition of good interactions between you and your PROVIDER? Why or why not?

4. Is this something you have control over or could do with your child’s PROVIDER? Is there something else you would add instead of?

IF THE CONSTRUCT IS ONE THEY TALKED ABOUT EARLIER, SAY:

2. In our earlier discussions, you mentioned______________, which I think is close to _______________. Do you agree that this matches closely with what the researchers are saying?

3. SUMMARIZE THEIR THOUGHTS ON THE CONSTRUCT. TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE AND RANKING THEY GAVE TO THIS CONSTRUCT.

1. What, if anything, do you think needs to be included in researchers’ definition of good family-PROVIDER relationships? Why would you add that?

2. What would you drop/take out of the researchers’ definition? Why would you drop it?

3. Who in your family is the best reporter on the family-PROVIDER relationship?

4. If needed: What about dads? If we ask them these questions, is there anything that we need to think about or look at differently?

V. Ways to Improve: (10 minutes)

Now, we would like you to draw on your experiences with PROVIDERS and also think about the discussion we have had so far to answer the following questions.

1. If you were to give parents advice on how to improve their relationships with PROVIDERS what would you tell them to do?

2. What would you tell PROVIDERS to do to improve their relationships with families?

VII. Conclusion: (5 minutes)

Before we finish, we are going to ask you to fill out a short survey to help us better understand who participates in our discussions. But before we do that, we want to make sure that we haven’t missed anything important. Is there anything else that you would like to add or that you think is important to know about the interactions you have with your child’s caregiver/teacher?

VIII. Survey: (5 minutes)

Family-Provider Relationship Questionnaire

Parents

We appreciate your participation in today’s group discussion. Before we end, we would like you to complete this short questionnaire. Your answers will give us some basic information about those who took part in our study. Your answers, as with everything you shared with us today, will remain confidential. To ensure your identity is kept confidential please do NOT write your name on this form.

1. How many children do you have under the age of 5 that are in child care or attend pre-school or Head Start?

• 1

• 2-3

• 4-5

2. Where are they cared for? (E.g., Head Start, preschool, child care center, care provided in a home)

CHILD 1	CHILD 2	CHILD 3	CHILD 4	CHILD 5
Head Start	Head Start	Head Start	Head Start	Head Start
Preschool	Preschool	Preschool	Preschool	Preschool
Child Care Center	Child Care Center	Child Care Center	Child Care Center	Child Care Center
A Home	A Home	A Home	A Home	A Home
Other	Other	Other	Other	Other

3. Who cares for your child/children?

CHILD 1	CHILD 2	CHILD 3	CHILD 4	CHILD 5
Teacher or care provider at center	Teacher or care provider at center	Teacher or care provider at center	Teacher or care provider at center	Teacher or care provider at center
Teacher or care provider at Head Start	Teacher or care provider at Head Start	Teacher or care provider at Head Start	Teacher or care provider at Head Start	Teacher or care provider at Head Start
Your child’s grandparent	Your child’s grandparent	Your child’s grandparent	Your child’s grandparent	Your child’s grandparent
Your child’s other relative	Your child’s other relative	Your child’s other relative	Your child’s other relative	Your child’s other relative
A family child care provider	A family child care provider	A family child care provider	A family child care provider	A family child care provider
Friend or neighbor	Friend or neighbor	Friend or neighbor	Friend or neighbor	Friend or neighbor
Other	Other	Other	Other	Other

4. As far as you know, what is the ethnic background of the person who provides care for your child?

CHILD 1	CHILD 2	CHILD 3	CHILD 4	CHILD 5
Ethnicity	Ethnicity	Ethnicity	Ethnicity	Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino	Hispanic or Latino	Hispanic or Latino	Hispanic or Latino	Hispanic or Latino
Not Hispanic or Latino	Not Hispanic or Latino	Not Hispanic or Latino	Not Hispanic or Latino	Not Hispanic or Latino

5. As far as you know, what is the race of the person who provides care for your child? You may mark one or more races.

Race	Race	Race	Race	Race
American Indian or Alaska Native	American Indian or Alaska Native	American Indian or Alaska Native	American Indian or Alaska Native	American Indian or Alaska Native
Asian	Asian	Asian	Asian	Asian
Black or African American	Black or African American	Black or African American	Black or African American	Black or African American
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
White	White	White	White	White
Other, specify______	Other, specify______	Other, specify______	Other, specify______	Other, specify______

6. Do you work?

• Yes (GO TO QUESTION 6)

• No (SKIP TO QUESTION 7)

7. What was your work schedule like last week?

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Time Began work
Time End work

8. What is your relationship status? Are you currently:

• Living with boyfriend/girlfriend/partner

• Married

• Separated or divorced

• Widowed

• Single, never been married

9. Are you of Hispanic or Latino origin?

• Yes

• No

10. What is your racial background? You may mark one or more races.

• American Indian or Alaska Native

• Asian

• Black or African American

• Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

• White

• Other, specify__________________

11. Approximately, how much was your total family income last year? Was it:

• Less than $15,000

• Less than $25,000

• Less than $35,000

• Less than $45,000

• Less than $55,000

• More than $55,000

THANK YOU!

Early Care and Education Provider

Focus Group Protocol

1. Introduction: (10 minutes)

Welcome and Facilitator Introduction

Good morning/afternoon/evening and welcome to our discussion. Thank you for taking time to talk with us today. [Introduce facilitator(s)].

Background on Project and Purpose of Focus Group

I’d like to start by telling you a little bit about our study and what we are going to be doing. We are going to be talking today about relationships between providers/teachers and families, what you think these relationships should look like, and what you have found is important for having a good relationship with the families of the children you work with. We’re going to be talking to all types of providers and parents as well. We’ll take what we learn from you all to help us develop survey questions to better understand family-provider relationships.

Our discussion is going to last about 2 hours. Once we get started, I am going to ask you questions and I’d like you all to share your thoughts. You will do most of the talking, and I will be mostly listening because we want to learn from you and your experiences working with the families.

Discussion of Consent Form

Before we get started, I’d like to review the consent forms that you all brought with you. [Facilitator will provide additional copies and read the consent form]. Is there anything that I just read that doesn’t make sense? Do you have any questions? Please remember you can ask questions at any time. [Facilitator will answer any questions and then move on.] [Verify permission to record has been granted.]

How Today’s Focus Group will Work

I will be asking you several questions about your relationship with the families you work with. To be clear about what I mean when I say “family”, I mean parents, guardians, extended family members, or anyone who is the primary caregiver for children you work with. We’ll use the term “parents” and “family” interchangeably, but we mean it to apply to this set of people. We will also use the term “providers” for those who work with children. To be clear about what I mean when I say this, I mean childcare providers, lead teachers, assistant teachers, and aides who help care for children as well as Head Start family service workers who work with families with young children.

The questions are about things people could do. You may or may not have done these things; however, all of your opinions are important. It’s really important for us to hear all the different points of view in the room, and important for you all to respect each others’ opinions. To ensure that we are able to hear everyone, please talk one at a time.

Feel free to talk to each other when discussing the questions. If you want to respond to something someone said, or if you want to agree or disagree, you can do that, but please be respectful. Because we want everyone to have a chance to share their ideas, we may need to interrupt or call on people to make sure this happens. Please do not feel offended if we do this.

To protect your privacy and that of the children and families with whom you work with, please do not discuss your experiences in a way that would identify any particular child or family, such as by saying their full names.

Timing, Survey and Cash Incentive

We expect to be here until ___. We appreciate you giving us your time and want to make sure we end on time. We will be watching the clock, and may need to interrupt the discussion at times to move on to another question, so that we are sure we have time to discuss all the topics.

At about ___, we will end the discussion and ask you each to complete a short questionnaire. After you finish the questionnaire, we will distribute a cash gift to each of you as a token of our appreciation for your time and for what you teach us.

2. Icebreaker: (10 minutes)

To get started I’d like us to go around the room and have everyone tell us (IF CENTER-BASED PROVIDERS: give your job title, e.g., lead teacher, teacher’s aide, etc.), a little bit about the children and families you work with:

• How many children and families do you work with?

• Where do you care for them?

• What are their ages?

• Do any of them have special needs?

• Why did you decide to work with children?

• IF FAMILY SERVICE WORKER: Why did you decide to work with families/Head Start families? How many families do you work with?

There are a lot of different ways to refer to people who take care of, look after, teach young children or work with families of young children. What terms do you all prefer?

USE TERM THAT GROUP DECIDES ON FOR REMAINDER OF DISCUSSION

III. Relationships with Families: (20 minutes)

Now, I’d like us to talk about your experiences and relationships with the families of the children you care for/teach/work with.

1. Thinking of the parent and families you are currently working with and have worked with in the past, what are/were your relationships with them like?

   • How often do/did you interact with them? When? Where?

   • What do/did your interactions look like?

   • Are there ever times that you have helped families or children in some way that went beyond what you should do or went against what your employer wanted you to do?

2. Thinking again about your experiences, what do you think a relationship between PROVIDERS and their families should look like?

   • Why?

   • How do you think this varies by age of the child?

3. We all have different demands on our time. Do you consider having a good relationship with the families you work with a low, medium, or high priority? Why is that?

• Are good relationships necessary? Important? If so, why?

• How, if at all, do they help you do a better job?

• How, if at all, do they benefit the children?

• How, if at all, do they benefit the parents?

• How, if at all, do they benefit PROVIDERS?

4. What are some of the things, if any, you have done to build good relationships with parents?

   • Have they worked?

   • Why or why not?

5. How, if at all, has your relationship with families changed over time as you gained more experience? What has changed?

   • What, if anything, have you found that works?

   • What, if anything, have you found that doesn’t?

6. For various reasons, parents might have different expectations about the type of relationship or care their providers or family service workers should offer. Do you think parents’ expectations are shaped by the amount of money they make or the amount of money they pay?

   • Why do you think so? Can you say more about that?

   • Do you think parents who pay a lot for care have different expectations than those who do not pay as much or who do not pay for the care they receive? Why do you think so? Can you say more about that?

7. What are your expectations when it comes to your relationship with the families you work with?

   • How, if at all, do your expectations vary by the age of the child?

   • How do the parents’ expectations change, if at all, according to the age of their child?

   • Does this vary by whether we’re talking about relationships with moms, dads, grandmas, etc.?

   • For those who have worked in different places with children and families, how have your expectations varied by setting, if at all?

III. Most Important Aspects of Relationships with Families: (30 minutes)

Please keep thinking about your experiences with the families with whom you work.

1. What do you think are the MOST important aspects of good relationships with families? That is, what do you think are essential ingredients of a good and strong relationship between a family and PROVIDER? What makes these qualities important?

• Does this vary by child age or the needs of the child?

LIST QUALITIES THAT PROVIDERS MENTION

2. What can parents do to make sure these qualities are present in their relationships? What can PROVIDERS do to make sure these qualities are present in their relationships with the families they work with?

3. How do you think your own cultural background shapes, if at all, your relationships with families?

   • How, if at all, do parents’ cultural backgrounds shape their relationships with PROVIDERS?

4. How important, if at all, it is for the PROVIDER to be of the same race/ethnicity of the families they work with in order to establish a good relationship?

5. How important, if at all, is it to you that you and the families you work with share similar background/values or come from the same community? Why is that?

6. Based on your experience, what are some things that can be done to develop a good relationship when the PROVIDER and the parent are from different backgrounds? Why do you think these are important?

IV. Alignment with constructs: (30 minutes)

Now, I’d like you to rank the qualities you’ve given us and identify the top 5 from most to least important.

1. Let’s go around the room, and please tell me what you think are the most important aspects and why.

• Please tell us if this varies according to the age of the child for which you provide care. If so, why.

REVIEW QUALITIES THAT GROUP HAS IDENTIFIED AS MOST IMPORTANT AND MAKE SURE THERE IS CONSENSUS

Now I’d like to talk about what RESEARCHERS think providers and families can do to develop strong family-PROVIDER relationships. We’d like to get your feedback on what they think. Researchers believe that there are four components of family-PROVIDER relationships (which we present on this poster board). They include attitudes, knowledge, behaviors, and environment. I’d like to go through examples of how researchers define these and get your reaction; in particular, where you agree or disagree with researchers. Please note that these are examples of things PROVIDERS and families can do. These are not appropriate for all families or PROVIDERS nor are any PROVIDERS expected to do all of these.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

{POSTER BOARD}

What researchers think…

1. Attitudes refers to, for example:

1. Being respectful.

2. Honoring and accepting families’ culture, language, and child-rearing beliefs;

3. Being non-judgmental and courteous.

4. Providers who are accessible, flexible, and sensitive to families.

5. Providers who are empowering: a belief that families’ strengths are important and, that families should be equal partners.

6. A belief that both parents and providers should be open to change.

7. An understanding that the child is part of the family unit, which is also part of the larger community.

2. Knowledge includes, for example:

• Providers’ understanding of how families function, how children grow and develop, and good parenting skills.

• Providers’ understanding of each family situations and circumstances as well as the child’s/family’s individual goals, abilities, and needs.

3. Practices refer to, for example:

• Providers and parents engaging in positive, two-way communication that is responsive to families’ preferences and provider’s personal boundaries;

• Providers who are sensitive, flexible and responsive to family’s needs (including the families’ language skills);

• Providers who advocate for families and connect them to community supports;

• Helping families advocate for themselves, especially in terms of transitions to other ECE arrangements, school, or for social services.

• Working together with families to set goals and make decisions.

• And providing families with information about the individual child’s development or family supports.

4. Environment refers to, for example:

• Providing a welcoming environment such as an open door policy and opportunities to participate in the program;

• Materials that are reflective of families’ lives ( culture, fathers, disabilities, jobs);

• Materials such as bulletin boards, e-mail, texting, and newsletters for communicating with families;

• Brochures, tip sheets and books for families;

• And opportunities for families to get-together.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SHOW LIST OF THE CONSTRUCTS AND GO THROUGH EACH CONSTRUCT ON THE LIST.

If the construct is one they didn’t talk about earlier, say:

Let’s talk about the ones the researcher listed as important that we haven’t discussed yet.

1. We did not talk about ___. We define ___ as ____.

   1. Does this definition make sense to you?

   2. Is this something you think is important in order for you to have good relationships with families? Why or why not?

   3. Should ______ be included in our definition of good interactions between you and the children’s parents for whom you provide care/teach? Why or why not?

   4. Is this something you have control over or could do with your families? Is there something else you would add instead of this ________?

IF THE CONSTRUCT IS ONE THEY TALKED ABOUT EARLIER, SAY:

2. In our earlier discussions, you mentioned______________, which I think is close to _______________. Do you agree that this matches closely with what the researchers are saying?

SUMMARIZE THEIR THOUGHTS ON THE CONSTRUCT. TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE AND RANKING THEY GAVE TO THIS CONSTRUCT.

1. What, if anything, do you think needs to be included in researchers’ definition of good family-PROVIDER relationships? Why would you add that?

2. What would you drop/take out of the researchers’ definition? Why would you drop it?

3. FOR THOSE IN CENTER PROGRAMS: Who do you think would be able to provide the best information on the family-provider relationships at your center/Head Start/pre-k program? (Say the type of care setting in which the members of the focus group provide care). Would this be different depending on which characteristic we are talking about? If yes, how so? Who would be the best informant for each characteristic [if necessary]?

V. Ways to Improve: (10 minutes)

Now, we would like you to draw from your experiences working with families and your relationships with them and also think about the discussion we have had so far when answering the following questions.

• If you were to give other PROVIDERS advice on how to improve their relationships with families, what would you tell them to do?

• What would you tell families to do to improve their relationship with PROVIDERS?

VII. Conclusion: (5 minutes)

Before we finish, we are going to ask you to fill out a short survey to help us better understand who participates in our discussions. But before we do that, we want to make sure that we haven’t missed anything important. Is there anything else that you would like to add or that you think is important to know?

VIII. Survey: (5 minutes)

Family-Provider Relationship Questionnaire

Center-Based Care Providers

We appreciate your participation in today’s group discussion. Before we end, we would like you to complete this short questionnaire. Your answers will give us some basic information about those who took part in our study. Your answers, as with everything you shared with us today, will remain confidential. To ensure your identity is kept confidential, please do NOT write your name on this form.

1. What is your title or role at your program?

__________________________________________________________

2. How long have you worked at this program?

• Less than a year

• 1-5 years

• 6-10 years

• More than 10 years

3. In total, how many years have you been caring for or teaching children?

• Less than a year

• 1-5 years

• 6-10 years

• More than 10 years

3. Do you have any of the following? Please check all that apply.

• Child Development Associate (CDA)

• Associate’s degree in early childhood (or related fields)

• Bachelor’s of Arts/Science in early childhood (or related fields)

• Other early childhood credential, specify__________________

3. How many children do you care for or teach? /How many families do you work with?

___________________

3. What are the ages of the children you care for or teach, or what are the ages of the children of the families you work with? Please check all that apply.

• 0-1

• 2-3

• 4-5

3. As far as you know, what is the distribution of the ethnic background of the children and families you work with?

___% Hispanic or Latino

___% Not Hispanic or Latino

___% Total

3. As far as you know, what is the distribution of the racial background of the children and families you work with? You may mark one or more.

___% American Indian or Alaska Native

___% Asian

___% Black or African American

___% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

___% White

___% Other

___% Total

3. Are you of Hispanic or Latino origin?

• Yes

• No

3. What is your racial background? You may mark one or more.

• American Indian or Alaska Native

• Asian

• Black or African American

• Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

• White

• Other, specify__________________

3. What would you say the income is for the families you serve? Your best guess is fine.

• Less than $15,000

• Less than $25,000

• Less than $35,000

• Less than $45,000

• Less than $55,000

• More than $55,000

THANK YOU!

Family-Provider Relationship Questionnaire

Family-Based Care Providers

We appreciate your participation in today’s group discussion. Before we end, we would like you to complete this short questionnaire. Your answers will give us some basic information about those who took part in our study. Your answers, as with everything you shared with us today, will remain confidential. To ensure your identity is kept confidential, please do NOT write your name on this form.

1. How many years of experience have you had caring for young children (ages 0-5)?

• Less than a year

• 1-5 years

• 6-10 years

• More than 10 years

2. Do you have any of the following? Please check all that apply.

• Child Development Associate (CDA)

• Associate’s degree in early childhood (or related fields)

• Bachelor’s of Arts/Science in early childhood (or related fields)

• Other early childhood credential, specify__________________

3. Do you provide care:

• In your home

• In the home of one of the children you care for

• In someone’s else home

4. How many children do you provide care for?

• 1

• 2-3

• 4-5

• More than five

5. How many of the children are of Hispanic or Latino origin?

Category	Number of children
Hispanic or Latino origin?
Not of Hispanic or Latino origin?

6. How many of the children are of the following racial backgrounds? You may mark one or more.

Category	Number of children
American Indian or Alaska Native
Asian
Black or African American
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
White
Other, specify

7. What is/are their age(s)?

Child	Age
CHILD 1
CHILD 2
CHILD 3
CHILD 4
CHILD 5
CHILD 6

8. Are you of Hispanic or Latino origin?

• Yes

• No

9. What is your racial background? You may mark one or more.

• American Indian or Alaska Native

• Asian

• Black or African American

• Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

• White

• Other, specify__________________

3. What would you say the income is for the families you serve? Your best guess is fine.

• Less than $15,000

• Less than $25,000

• Less than $35,000

• Less than $45,000

• Less than $55,000

• More than $55,000

THANK YOU!