SSB HS CARES Tracking_05 03 13_v7

DHHS/ACF/OPRE Head Start

Classroom-based Approaches and

Resources for Emotion and Social skill

promotion (CARES) project: Tracking

Participants.

OMB Information Collection Request

0970–0364

Supporting Statement

Part B

May 2013

Submitted By:

Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation

Administration for Children and Families

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

7^th Floor, West Aerospace Building

370 L’Enfant Promenade, SW

Washington, D.C. 20447

Project Officers:

Ann Rivera

Lauren Supplee

B1. Respondent Universe and Sampling Methods

The respondent universe and sampling methods for the prior studies are as follows:

DHHS/ACF/OPRE Head Start CARES project: Implementation and Impact relied on a sample of Head Start grantees/delegate agencies and centers that represent a large and diverse portion of the Head Start national child population. This sample provided adequate statistical precision for estimating intervention effects. The study used a two-cohort approach with 24 centers participating in Cohort 1 during the 2009-2010 academic year and 80 centers participating in Cohort 2 during the 2010-2011 academic year. Grantees/delegate agencies were randomly sampled for the study from an initial pool of 14 strata with probability proportional to their total child enrollment, stratified according to the demographic composition of the child enrollment, urbanicity, and the region of the country in which they are located. Centers then were randomly assigned to receive either one of three interventions, or to serve as controls. With at least two participating classrooms per center, a total of 307 classrooms were included in the study. Within these classrooms approximately 3,961 children and their families participated: 2,919 four-year old children and their families and 1,042 three-year old children and their families.

The respondent universe and sampling methods for the current study for which we are seeking OMB approval is:

DHHS/ACF/OPRE Head Start CARES project: Tracking Participants. Of the 3,961 children and their families who started participating in Head Start CARES, 246 of the 4-year-olds and 82 of the 3-year-olds moved away or changed school during preschool (the Head Start CARES implementation year) will not be included in the current tracking and brief follow-up study. Therefore, the Head Start CARES project: Tracking Participants will consist of data collection from 3,633 children and their families.

B2. Procedures for Collection of Information

Parent surveys will be conducted over the phone. MDRC will work with SRM to develop strategies that ensure an 80 percent response rate. For example, one strategy to ensure a high response rate includes sending parents outreach letters (see Appendix D: Parent Newsletter). All completed surveys will be reviewed to ensure all applicable fields are correctly completed and that all relevant interviewer notes are included in the data set. Any open ended and “other, please specify” items will be coded based on codes developed at SRM and approved by MDRC.

B3. Methods to Maximize Response Rates and Deal with Nonresponse

Expected Response Rates

As mentioned in Exhibit A.1, we expect to track a total of 3,633 sample families in the project. This sample is further divided into Cohort 1 four-year-olds (n=603), Cohort 2 four-year olds (n=2,070), and Cohort 2 three-year-olds (n=960). This number is based on the total number of four-year-old children fielded for kindergarten assessments; and―because three-year-olds did not participate in the kindergarten follow-up only those three-year-olds originally selected into the sample in preschool that did not leave their preschool during the Head Start CARES implementation year. Children and families will continue to be tracked in the project until children reach the third grade, because we are planning a large-scale fourth grade follow-up study. In the summer of 2013 and spring of 2014, all three groups will be to be tracked. In the spring of 2015, only Cohort 2 families will be tracked. In the spring of 2016, only Cohort 2 three-year-old families will be tracked. The goal will be to achieve an 80 percent response rate. In kindergarten follow-up, response rates for parent surveys were 83% of the sample.

Dealing with Nonresponse

Interviewers will also be trained to distinguish "soft" refusals from "hard" ones. Soft refusals often occur when the sample member has been reached at an inopportune time. In these cases, it is important to back off gracefully and to establish a convenient time to call or come back rather than to persist at the moment. Alternatively, hard refusals do occur and must also be accepted gracefully by the interviewer.

Maximizing Response Rates

Procedures for obtaining the maximum degree of cooperation include:

• Conveying the purposes of the survey to respondents so they will thoroughly understand the purposes of the survey and perceive that cooperating is worthwhile;

• Providing a toll-free number for respondents to use to ask questions about the survey and the survey firm’s staff;

• Training site staff to be encouraging and supportive, and to provide assistance to respondents as needed;

• Hiring interviewers who have necessary skills for encouraging respondent cooperation;

• Training interviewers to maintain one-on-one personal rapport with respondent; and

• Offering appropriate tokens of appreciation to respondents.

B4. Tests of Procedures or Methods to be Undertaken

All surveys were pretested during the period of the original OMB clearance and have been effective at maintaining high response rates.

B5. Individuals Consulted on Statistical Aspects and Individuals Collecting and/or Analyzing Data

For the Head Start CARES project, we consulted with an additional set of individuals outside of MDRC, in addition to Howard Bloom of MDRC (who is a lead member of the CARES project team), on the statistical aspects of the design and sampling, including: Carolyn Hill (Georgetown University); Stephanie Jones (Harvard University); Robert Nix (Pennsylvania State University); Mark Lipsey (Vanderbilt University); Stephen Raudenbush (University of Chicago); Tom Cook (Northwestern University); Jeff Smith (University of Michigan); Hendricks Brown (University of South Florida); Larry Hedges (Northwestern University).