Appendix E. Teaching Staff Survey Respondent Materials

APPENDIX E

ExCELS Teaching Staff Survey Respondent Materials

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ExCELS Frequently Asked Questions for Teaching Staff

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What is ExCELS about?

ExCELS is a study of leadership in early care and education centers. We want to learn about the structure of leadership in your center. We also want to learn about who makes decisions at your center. This will help us learn how leadership might improve the quality of care and education a center provides and outcomes for staff, children, and families.

Who is conducting the study?

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation sponsors the study. Mathematica, an independent research firm, is conducting the study with the Institute for Early Education Leadership and Innovation at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Mathematica’s studies of early childhood have informed national policymakers for more than 50 years.

When will the study take place?

The study will take place this spring 2022.

What are you asking me to do?

We are asking teaching staff to complete a 60-minute survey. It will ask about the people who make decisions in your center. It will cover how your center operates and your center’s culture and work environment. The survey will ask how staff work together in the center and how your center works with families and the community. We will also ask about your background, work experience, and your job satisfaction and stress. We will offer you a total of $40 in gift cards as a thank you.

How do I complete the survey?

You can complete the survey on the web. You will have the option to save your answers and finish the survey later if you need to. We also have paper versions of the survey if you prefer.

Will taking part in the study affect employment at my center?

No. Taking part in ExCELS will not affect your job. Your center managers, supervisor, other teaching staff, or anyone else at your center or program will not see your responses.

Is there a phone number I can call with questions?

You can call [STUDY PHONE], toll-free, or email [STUDY EMAIL] and tell them the call is about ExCELS.

How will the study protect my privacy?

Mathematica agrees to protect the privacy of all study participants to the extent permitted by law. All staff working on the study must sign a confidentiality agreement. We will not share the information we collect with anyone outside of Mathematica’s study team. We will destroy your personal information, including your email address, as soon as the study ends. We will also remove any identifying information from your survey responses.

At the end of the study, we intend to prepare files containing the data we collected. Then, we will make those files available to qualified researchers. We will protect your privacy when we share study findings or data files with qualified researchers. The files we share with them will not include your name or the names of any centers or center staff.

Findings

We plan to write a report and short briefs to learn more about early care and education leadership in centers. They will be available to center leaders and staff. We will also have a new survey on leadership that can be used for program improvement, research, and evaluation.

ExCELS Advance Email/Letter to Teaching Staff

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[DATE]

TO: [RESPONDENT EMAIL ADDRESS]

RE: Invitation to participate in a survey for the Early Care and Education Leadership Study (ExCELS)

Dear [RESPONDENT NAME]:

Welcome to the Early Care and Education Leadership Study, known as ExCELS! As you might know, your center is taking part in this important study. We are excited about your center’s participation and hope you are too. You have been selected to complete a survey as part of the study. You can take the survey in either English or Spanish. [IF LETTER FORMAT: We have included/ IF EMAIL FORMAT: The survey invitation packet we sent you had] a $5 gift card as a thank you for helping us. We will offer you a $35 electronic gift card after you complete the survey!

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation sponsors the study. Mathematica, an independent research firm, is conducting the study with the Institute for Early Education Leadership and Innovation at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

The study is about how leadership works in early care and education centers. It will help us learn who participates in leadership. We view leadership in a broad way—not focusing on just a couple people. As part of the study, we ask that you complete a 60-minute survey. The survey will ask about several topics:

• The people in your center who make decisions about what happens there

• Center operations

• How staff work together in the center

• How your center works with families and the community

• Your center’s culture and work environment

• Your background, work experience, and your job satisfaction and stress.

Taking part in ExCELS is voluntary. The purpose of this study is to learn about leadership in early care and education centers. There are no risks or direct benefits from taking part in the study. We will use the information the study collects only for research purposes and in ways that will not reveal who you are or identify your center or its staff. We have a certificate of confidentiality from the National Institutes of Health. It helps us protect your privacy. This means no one can force the study team to give out information that identifies you, even in court. However, in some cases federal or state laws might require us to show information to government officials or sponsors who monitor the safety of the study. Publications about the study will not identify anyone from the center. Nor will they identify the center itself. We will share some of the data the study collects with qualified individuals for research purposes. Nothing we share will identify people or specific centers.

[FOR EMAIL FORMAT:]

Please take the survey online now at:

[URL]

[FOR LETTER FORMAT:]

Please take the survey online now at: [URL]

Use the log-in ID and password below:

User ID: [USERID]

Password: [PASSWORD]

[IF EMAIL FORMAT: Click here for/IF LETTER FORMAT: We have enclosed] a list of frequently asked questions. If you have any questions about the study or would like to take the survey on paper, please contact me, the survey director, at [STUDY PHONE] or by email at [STUDY EMAIL].

Sincerely,

---insert signature image here---

Annalee Kelly

Survey Director

ExCELS First Reminder Email to Teaching Staff

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TO: [RESPONDENT EMAIL ADDRESS]

RE: Please complete your ExCELS survey today!

Dear [RESPONDENT NAME]:

Recently, we invited you to complete a survey about leadership for the Early Care and Education Leadership Study (ExCELS). The survey invitation packet we sent you had a $5 gift card as a thank you for helping us. We will offer you a $35 electronic gift card after you complete the survey! You can take the survey in either English or Spanish. It will take about 60 minutes to complete. You have the option to save your answers and finish the survey later if you need to.

As a reminder, the study is about how leadership works in early care and education centers. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation sponsors the study. Mathematica, an independent research firm, is conducting the study with the Institute for Early Education Leadership and Innovation at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Please take the survey online now at: [URL]

Please keep in mind:

• Taking part in this study is voluntary. The purpose of this study is to learn about leadership in early care and education centers. There are no risks or direct benefits from taking part in the study. We will use the information the study collects only for research purposes and in ways that will not reveal who you are or identify your center or its staff.

• We have a certificate of confidentiality from the National Institutes of Health. It helps us protect your privacy. This means no one can force the study team to give out information that identifies you, even in court. However, in some cases federal or state laws might require us to show information to government officials or sponsors who monitor the safety of the study.

• Publications about the study will not identify anyone from the center. Nor will they identify the center itself. We will share some of the data the study collects with qualified individuals for research purposes. Nothing we share will identify people or specific centers.

If you have any questions about the study or would like to complete the survey on paper, please contact me, the survey director, at [STUDY PHONE] or by email at [STUDY EMAIL]. Thanks again for taking part in ExCELS!

Sincerely,

---insert signature image here---

Annalee Kelly

Survey Director

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ExCELS Second Reminder Email/Letter to Teaching Staff

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[DATE]

TO: [RESPONDENT EMAIL ADDRESS]

RE: Please complete your ExCELS survey today!

Dear [RESPONDENT NAME]:

Please don’t forget to complete your survey. The Early Care and Education Leadership Study (ExCELS) needs information from teaching staff like you. Your responses will help the study team learn more about leadership at early care and education centers. The survey invitation packet we sent you had a $5 gift card as a thank you for helping us. We will offer you a $35 electronic gift card when you complete the survey!

You still have time to complete your survey! You can take the survey in either English or Spanish. It will take about 60 minutes to complete. You have the option to save your answers and finish the survey later if you need to.

[FOR EMAIL FORMAT:]

Please take the survey online now at: [URL]

[FOR LETTER FORMAT:]

Please take the survey online now at: [URL]

Use the log-in ID and password below:

User ID: [USERID]

Password: [PASSWORD]

We hope you will complete the survey as soon as you can.

[IF EMAIL FORMAT: If you have any questions about the study or would like to complete the survey on paper, please contact me, the survey director, at [STUDY PHONE] or by email at [STUDY EMAIL]. / IF LETTER FORMAT: If you would like to take the survey on paper, you may complete the enclosed copy. You can seal it in the pre-paid envelope we provided and return it to us through the U.S. Postal Service. If you have any questions about the study, please contact me, the survey director, at [STUDY PHONE] or by email at [STUDY EMAIL].]

Thanks again for taking part in ExCELS!

Sincerely,

---insert signature image here---

Annalee Kelly

Survey Director

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ExCELS Final Reminder Email to Teaching Staff

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TO: [RESPONDENT EMAIL ADDRESS]

RE: Final Reminder! Complete your ExCELS survey by [ONE WEEK FROM DATE EMAIL SENT]

Dear [RESPONDENT NAME]:

This is your final reminder to share your thoughts about leadership. Please respond to the survey for the Early Care and Education Leadership Study (ExCELS).

Your feedback is very important to learning about leadership in early care and education centers!

The survey invitation packet we sent you had a $5 gift card as a thank you for helping us. We will offer you a $35 electronic gift card when you complete the survey! You can take the survey in either English or Spanish. It will take about 60 minutes to complete. You have the option to save your answers and finish the survey later if you need to.

Please take the survey online now at: [URL]

Please complete the survey by [ONE WEEK FROM DATE EMAIL SENT].

If you have any questions about the study or would like to complete the survey on paper, please contact me, the survey director, at [STUDY PHONE] or by email at [STUDY EMAIL].

Thank you again for taking part in ExCELS!

Sincerely,

---insert signature image here---

Annalee Kelly

Survey Director

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ExCELS Electronic Gift Card Email/Letter for Teaching Staff

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[DATE]

TO: [RESPONDENT EMAIL ADDRESS]

RE: Thank you for taking part in ExCELS!

Dear [RESPONDENT NAME]:

Thank you for completing the Early Care and Education Leadership Study (ExCELS) survey. Your responses will help the study team learn more about leadership at early care and education centers. To thank you for the time it took to complete the survey, here is your electronic gift card for $35.

Your $35 Amazon gift code is [AMAZON CODE].

To redeem your electronic gift card, follow these steps:

If you have an Amazon account:

1. Open Amazon.com and click “Gift Cards” in the top banner

2. Click “Redeem Gift Cards” in the banner on the next screen

3. On the next screen, enter the code displayed above where it says “Enter claim code”

4. Click on the yellow “Apply to your balance” button

If you do not have an Amazon account, you can still apply your gift code balance at checkout.

1. After you add an item to your cart and proceed to checkout, under “Payment Method,” enter your gift code into the box that says “Add a gift card or promotion code”

2. Click on the gray “Apply” button

If you have questions about redeeming your gift card, please visit Amazon’s Redeem a Gift Card web page: https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201936940.

If you have any questions about the study, please contact me, the survey director, at [STUDY PHONE] or by email at [STUDY EMAIL]. Best of luck with the rest of the year.

Sincerely,

---insert signature image here---

Annalee Kelly

Survey Director

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ExCELS Study Flyer for Teaching Staff

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Help us learn about leadership!

How do I complete the survey?

The survey can be completed on the web, where you will have the option to save your answers and finish the survey later if you need to. We also have paper versions of the survey if you prefer. You can take the survey in English or Spanish.

Questions about participating?

Email [STUDY EMAIL] or call toll-free xxx-xxx-xxxx.

As a thank you, we will offer you a total of $40.

Your invitation letter will include a $5 gift card. Mathematica will send you a $35 electronic gift card after you complete the survey.

What is ExCELS?

ExCELS is a study about how leadership works in early care and education centers. There will be one survey for center managers and one for teaching staff (lead or co-teachers and assistant teachers).

Mathematica, an independent research firm, is inviting teaching staff to complete a survey as part of the Early Care and Education Leadership Study (ExCELS).

OMB Number: xxxx-xxxx

Expires: xx/xx/xxxx

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