Cognitive testing of a questionnaire for the Consumer Education and Parent Choice in Early Care and Education project

OMB Control Number: 0970-0401

Expiration Date: June 30, 2024

Cognitive Testing Interview

Interview Guide

Consumer Education and Parental Choice: Parent Survey Cognitive Testing Interview Guide

Introduction & Consent Script

Hi, my name is [NAME] and this is my colleague [NAME] and we work for a research organization called NORC at the University of Chicago. I want to confirm, am I speaking with [name of parent who signed up for the cognitive interview]? Great, thank you for taking the time to meet with us to help us test the parent questionnaire. The goal of this session is to get your feedback on our parent questionnaire. We want to make sure that the questionnaire instructions and wording of items are clear and understandable and reflect how parents look for and select child care.

The way the session will work is that I am going to read/show you each of the questions along with a list of response options and ask you to answer each question as if you were completing the questionnaire. After each section of the questionnaire, I will pause and ask you a series of questions to help us understand if the questions were clear or if we need to make some adjustments. We would appreciate your honest feedback on the questions and wording we used in the questionnaire. The study team will use the feedback you provide to improve the parent questionnaire.

Your participation in this session is voluntary. You will receive an electronic Amazon gift card valued at $50 in appreciation of your participation. With your permission we would like to record the session to make sure we don’t miss anything in our notes. Only our study team will have access to the recording. Are you willing to have us record the session?

Yes: Great, thank you.

No: Ok, we will not record the session and will only take notes.

PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT OF 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13) STATEMENT OF PUBLIC BURDEN: Through this information collection, ACF is gathering information to refine the parent questionnaire by testing it. The purpose of this information collection is to use cognitive interviewing to assess whether the questionnaire instructions and question wording are clear and understandable to parents with young children. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 75 minutes per respondent, including the time for reviewing instructions, and reviewing the collection of information. This is a voluntary collection of information, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB # is 0970-0401 and the expiration date is 06/30/2024. If you have any comments on this collection of information, please contact Molly Gordon at gordon-molly@norc.org

Do you have any questions before we begin?

[Interviewer will show each question in each section of the questionnaire and ask the respondent to answer them. The interviewer will use a timer during the start and end of each section of the questionnaire to track how long it takes for the respondent to complete the questionnaire. Once the respondent is finished with the final question in each set, the interviewer will ask the interview questions that are listed under each section. If the respondent prefers for the interviewer to read the questions, the interviewer will do so.]

I’m going to start with some questions about your household. Please respond to each question as if you were completing the questionnaire about your current household. After we are finished with this section, we will pause to talk about the questions in this section.

About Your Household Section (A)

About Your Household

A1. First, do you have any children under the age of 6 years, including babies, who live in this household?

1 Yes

2 No (EXIT THE INTERVIEW)

A2. Are any of your children under the age of 6 enrolled in kindergarten or higher grades?

Yes

No

A3. How many of your children under the age of 6 are not yet enrolled in kindergarten?

_________________NUMBER OF CHILDREN

If 0 (EXIT THE INTERVIEW)

A4. Do any of your children under the age of 6, not yet in kindergarten have a physical, emotional, developmental, or behavioral condition that affects the way you provide care for them?

• 1) Yes

• 2) No

A5. How many adults (18 years and older), including yourself live in this household?

__________________NUMBER OF ADULTS

A6. What state do you currently live in? [DROP DOWN MENU WITH EACH STATE AND DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA]

INSTRUCTIONS: Throughout this questionnaire, we will ask you questions about child care and early education. When asking you these questions, we mean all the different types of child care and early education that families may use, including child care, Early Head Start, Head Start, preschool/pre-kindergarten programs, nursery school, Montessori or other programs which can be:

• Home-based, which occurs in someone’s home, such as the child’s home or the provider’s home. Home-based care can be paid or unpaid, from family, friends or neighbors, or from someone who operates a child care business in their home.

• Center-based, which occurs in an organization, school, or business that is large or small and not someone’s home.

In the questions throughout this questionnaire, we will be using the term ‘child care’ to mean all these different types of child care and early education.

Please answer the questions thinking about your child(ren) who are under the age of 6, but not yet in kindergarten.

Cognitive interview questions for this section:

1. Do you have any questions about the age and grade level restrictions for this questionnaire?

2. Do you have any other feedback on this first section?

[Interviewer will show or read each question in the next section of the questionnaire and ask the respondent to answer them. Once the respondent is finished with the final question in the set, the interviewer will ask the following questions]

Finding Information About Child Care Section (C)

The next section is called, “Finding information about child care.” In this section, we want you to think about different sources of information. By ‘sources of information’ we mean any person, thing, or place that may offer information. Again, please answer as if you were completing the questionnaire. When we are finished with this section, we will pause and ask you some questions. (Interviewer, mark yes or no)

	C1) In the past 12 months, have you gotten information from these sources?	[FOR EACH SOURCE MARKED ‘YES’ IN C1, ASK C2] In the past 12 months, have you gotten information about child care from these sources?	[IF SOURCE MARKED ‘YES’ IN C1 BUT DID NOT MARK ‘YES’ IN C2, ASK C3] C3) In the past 12 months, have you tried to get information about child care from these sources?
Official government websites such as childcare.gov, [INSERT STATE QRIS NAME], child care licensing website, or an online child care search tool from a state or community organization	Y/N	Y/N	Y/N
Commercial websites or apps for parents such as parenting.com and care.com	Y/N	Y/N	Y/N
In-person or telephone conversations with organizations that help parents find care	Y/N	Y/N	Y/N
Child care providers themselves, whether on their websites, flyers, advertisements or visits or calls you made to them	Y/N	Y/N	Y/N
Service providers you know, like doctors/pediatricians, social workers, local schools, and clergy. (Please do not include child care providers.)	Y/N	Y/N	Y/N
People you don’t know, such as on Facebook groups, Yelp ratings, or things you overheard	Y/N	Y/N	Y/N
People you know, such as friends, family, or neighbors (even if on social media like Facebook and apps)	Y/N	Y/N	Y/N
C4. (IF a and b) SELECTED IN C1, C2 OR C3 ABOVE, ASK:) What websites, search tools or apps do you remember using? (RECORD UP TO 3.) ______________________________________________________________

(ASK ONLY IF C2 or C3=YES) How would you rate this source for information about child care?	C5) The source has current information	C6) The source has the specific information I want to know	C7) I trust the source	C8) It has been easy for me to find information from this source
Official government websites such as childcare.gov, [INSERT STATE QRIS NAME], child care licensing website, or an online child care search tool from a state or community organization	Very much Somewhat Not at all	Very much Somewhat Not at all	Very much Somewhat Not at all	Very much Somewhat Not at all
Commercial websites or apps for parents such as parenting.com and care.com	Very much Somewhat Not at all	Very much Somewhat Not at all	Very much Somewhat Not at all	Very much Somewhat Not at all
In-person or telephone conversations with organizations that help parents find care	Very much Somewhat Not at all	Very much Somewhat Not at all	Very much Somewhat Not at all	Very much Somewhat Not at all
Child care providers themselves, whether on their websites, flyers, advertisements or visits or calls you made to them	Very much Somewhat Not at all	Very much Somewhat Not at all	Very much Somewhat Not at all	Very much Somewhat Not at all
Service providers you know, like doctors/pediatricians, social workers, local schools, and clergy. (Please do not include child care providers.)	Very much Somewhat Not at all	Very much Somewhat Not at all	Very much Somewhat Not at all	Very much Somewhat Not at all
People you don’t know, such as on Facebook groups, Yelp ratings, or things you overheard	Very much Somewhat Not at all	Very much Somewhat Not at all	Very much Somewhat Not at all	Very much Somewhat Not at all
People you know, such as friends, family, or neighbors (even if on social media like Facebook and apps)	Very much Somewhat Not at all	Very much Somewhat Not at all	Very much Somewhat Not at all	Very much Somewhat Not at all
C9. (ASK ONLY IF SOURCES WERE SELECTED IN C2 AND C3 ABOVE) Across all information sources, how easy has it been for you to get the information you were looking for about child care? Very easy Somewhat easy Somewhat difficult Very difficult C10. (ASK ONLY IF SOURCES WERE SELECTED IN C2 ABOVE AND INDICATED DIFFICULTY IN C9) What would you say have been the three things that made it hard for you to get the information you wanted about child care? Not enough time to look for information Didn’t know where to look for information Poor internet connection Couldn’t find information that told me what I wanted to know Didn’t know people I could ask Couldn’t find information about providers that met my families' needs Couldn’t find information to help me know whether I could afford the care Was not able to call or visit programs (e.g., due to transportation issues, work schedules, COVID-19 restrictions on visitation) Other (specify) C11. People get information about child care from different sources. Please rank the following sources of information from most useful to least useful in terms of how they would help you make a decision about child care. 1=most useful and 7= least useful Official government websites such as childcare.gov, [INSERT STATE QRIS NAME], child care licensing website, or an online child care search tool from a state or community organization Commercial websites or apps for parents such as parenting.com and care.com In-person or telephone conversations with organizations that help parents find care Child care providers themselves, whether on their websites, flyers, advertisements or visits or calls you made to them Service providers you know, like doctors/pediatricians, social workers, local schools, and clergy. (Please do not include child care providers.) People you don’t know, such as on Facebook groups, Yelp ratings, or things you overheard People you know, such as friends, family, or neighbors (even if on social media like Facebook and apps)

Cognitive interview questions for this section:

1. When you were answering questions C1-C3, were you thinking about the last time that you looked for child care for your child(ren)? Why or why not?

   1. Did the last time you looked for child care happen more than 12 months ago? If so, when did you last look for child care?

2. When you were answering questions C8 and C9, were you thinking about a specific time when you had looked for information from this source?

   1. If you were thinking about a specific time, when was this? What was the reason you thought about this particular time?

3. In your own words, can you tell us what has made it hard for you to find the information you want about child care?

4. In C11, we asked you to rank the different sources of information from most to least useful in terms of helping you make a child care decision. Are there other sources that you use that we did not ask about? If so, what are they?

5. Do you have any other feedback on this section? Please explain.

[Interviewer will show or read each question in the next section of the questionnaire and ask the respondent to answer them. Once the respondent is finished with the final question in the set, the interviewer will ask the following questions]

Types of Information About Child Care Section (T)

This next section is called, “Types of information about child care.” Again, please answer as if you were taking the questionnaire. When we are finished with this section, we will pause and ask you some questions.

T1. Which of the following types of information have you looked for in the past 12 months? (Interviewer: Code all that apply)

1. Hours of care

2. What child care would cost you

3. Where providers are located

4. Health and safety conditions at specific providers

5. Age groups that the provider enrolls

6. Where you could get care for your child(ren) that you can afford

7. Providers that accept child care financial assistance (subsidy, voucher, or a certificate) that you qualify for

8. Providers that share your culture or values, such as your language or religion

9. Providers that will serve your child(ren)’s specific needs

10. None of these

11. Other (Specify)

T2. Thinking about information you have found, what did you find most helpful about child care options in your area?

1. Hours of care

2. What child care would cost you

3. Where providers are located

4. Health and safety conditions at specific providers

5. Age groups that the provider enrolls

6. Where you could get care for your child(ren) that you can afford

7. Providers that accept child care financial assistance (subsidy, voucher, or a certificate) that you qualify for

8. Providers that share your culture or values, such as your language or religion

9. Providers that will serve your child(ren)’s specific needs

10. None of these

11. Other (Specify)

T3. Thinking about information you have not found, what information would be most helpful to you about child care options in your area?

1. Hours of care

2. What child care would cost you

3. Where child care providers are located

4. Health and safety conditions at specific providers

5. Age groups that the provider enrolls

6. Where you could get care for your child(ren) that you can afford

7. Providers that accept child care financial assistance (subsidy, voucher, or a certificate) that you qualify for

8. Providers that share your culture or values, such as your language or religion

9. Providers that will serve your child(ren)’s specific needs

10. None of these

11. Other (Specify)

Cognitive interview questions for this section:

1. Please tell us what you thought about when we used the term ‘child care’ in this section. What came to mind for you?

2. In Question T1 what were you thinking about when you answered this question?

   1. When you were answering question T1, were you thinking about the last time that you looked for child care for your child(ren)? Why or why not?

3. In the past 12 months, have you looked at information about provider quality in your area from your state’s quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) [INSERT STATE QRIS NAME]? [Yes/No]

   1. If yes, what information were you looking for?

4. In the past 12 months, have you looked at provider information in your area from online reviews? [Yes/No] If yes, which ones?

5. Please tell us in your own words what kinds of information you have looked for about child care in the last 12 months.

   1. [If not mentioned] Did you look for information about child care financial assistance? YES/NO

   2. If YES, was that information covered in the response options in this section? IF so, which one did you select?

6. Please tell us in your own words what information about child care you think is the hardest for you to find? Why?

7. People often look for information when they are preparing to make a decision. How much do you gather information about child care even when you are not preparing to make a decision about your use of child care? Please explain.

8. Do you have any other feedback on this section?

[Interviewer will show or read each question in the next section of the questionnaire and ask the respondent to answer them. Once the respondent is finished with the final question in the set, the interviewer will ask the following questions]

Most Recent Decision About Child Care (D)

The next section is called, “Most recent decision about child care.” Again, please answer as if you were completing the questionnaire. When we are finished with this section, we will pause and ask you some questions.

Please think about the last time you made a decision about child care for (your child/one of your children). For example, you could have decided to stop using a non-parental care provider, started using a new care provider, or could have decided to have your child(ren) receive care only from their parents, just to name a few.

D1. What was the decision that you made?

1. Started using a new provider

2. Stayed with an existing provider

3. To care for your child(ren) yourself and/or by your spouse/partner

4. Gave up search due to cost of available care

5. Gave up search for another reason

6. Other

D2. What was your main reason for making that decision about your child(ren)’s child care at the time?

______________________________________________________________

D3. What month and year did you make that decision?

D4. How old was the child at the time you made that decision? If you made that decision about multiple children, please report the age in years of the youngest child at the time you made that decision.

______ Age in years

D5. How long did you have to consider information and make that decision about your child(ren)’s child care?

1. Less than 1 week

2. 1 to 3 weeks

3. A month or more

D6. How many hours did you spend looking for information to help you make that decision about your (child/children)’s child care? (For example, please include time talking with other people, visiting providers, reading about different options, or any other activities that you did to get information for your decision.) _________

D7. To make that decision, did you consider any providers who weren’t already caring for your child(ren)?

Yes (ask D7a)

No (Go to D8)

D7a. Did you consider one new provider or more than one new provider?

1. 1 new provider

2. 2 new providers

3. 3 new providers

4. 4 or more new providers

D8. What, if any, specific information did you try to learn when you made your decision about child care?

1. Hours of care

2. What child care would cost you

3. Where providers are located

4. Health and safety conditions at specific providers

5. Age groups that the provider enrolls

6. Where you could get care for your child(ren) that you can afford

7. Providers that accept child care financial assistance (subsidy, voucher, or a certificate) that you qualify for

8. Providers that share your culture or values, such as your language or religion

9. Providers that will serve your child(ren)’s specific needs

10. None of these

11. Other (Specify)

[For each item identified in D8]

D8-1. Did you find the information you were looking for about [responses to D8]?

1. All of the information you were looking for

2. Most of the information you were looking for

3. Some of the information you were looking for

4. Very little of the information you were looking for

5. None of the information you were looking for

[If answered a, b, c, or d to question D8-1 for each type of information selected in D8]

D8-2. Where did you find the information about [response to D8]?

1. Official government websites such as childcare.gov, [INSERT STATE QRIS NAME], child care licensing website, or an online child care search tool from a state or community organization

2. Commercial websites or apps for parents such as parenting.com and care.com

3. In-person or telephone conversations with organizations that help parents find care

4. Child care providers themselves, whether on their websites, flyers, advertisements or visits or calls you made to them

5. Service providers you know, like doctors/pediatricians, social workers, local schools, and clergy. (Please do not include child care providers.)

6. People you don’t know, such as on Facebook groups, Yelp ratings, or things you overheard

7. People you know, such as friends, family, or neighbors (even if on social media like Facebook and apps)

1. Other [please specify]

[If answered a, b, c, or d to question D8-1 for each type of information selected in D8]

D8-3. Did you consider the information about [response to D8] when making your decision about child care?

1. Yes

2. No

[Go back D8 for each response selected to ask this series again]

D9. How did you think about the information you had to make that decision. Would you say you… (Interviewer: CODE ONE ONLY)

1. Had enough information to make a good decision

2. Had some information, but not enough for a good decision

3. Did not have much information at all

D10. Deciding where to send your child for child care can be a hard decision. There are lots of things to consider such as schedules, cost, and children’s experiences. This can make it difficult to find a provider that meets all your family’s needs. How would you describe the options for child care that you had when you made that decision? Would you say you had... (Interviewer: CODE ONE ONLY)

1. No options that met my family’s needs

2. 1 option that met my family’s needs

3. 2 options that met my family’s needs

4. 3 options that met my family’s needs

5. 4 or more options that met my family’s needs

D11. How well did your decision meet your family’s needs, for example, related to schedules, cost, parental work, children’s experiences, and other factors? Would you say it met…

1. All your family’s needs

2. Most of your family’s needs

3. Some of your family’s needs

4. Very few of your family’s needs

D12. As a result of that decision, did you make a change to your work or family situation? Please check yes or no for each of the following questions.

As a result of that decision…	No	Yes
I or my partner/spouse had to reduce work hours
I or my partner/spouse had to change work schedules (change shift times)
I or my partner/spouse had to work from home at least some of the time

D12a. Were there any other changes you made to your work or family situation that you would like to share?

________________________________

Cognitive interview questions for this section:

1. Please tell me what D1 means to you in your own words.

2. In D5, we asked you to think about how long you had to consider information before making a decision about your child(ren)’s child care. You could choose less than one week, 1-3 weeks, or a month or more. In your own words, what were you thinking about when you answered how long you considered information before making a decision?

3. In D6, we asked you to estimate the number of hours you spent looking for information to help you make a decision about your (child/children)’s child care. How did you come up with your estimated number of hours?

4. What was the difference in what you were thinking about when you answered question D5 and D6? Please explain.

5. Now let's look at D9 which is about whether you had enough information to make a good decision. Please tell me why you answered the question the way you did?

   1. In your own words, what did a ‘good’ decision about child care mean to you when you answered the item?

6. Here is a different question about the information you had when you were making that decision. Would you say you...

   1. Had enough information

   2. Had some information, but not enough information

   3. Did not have much information at all

7. What would you say is the difference between had enough information' and 'enough information to make a good decision? Please explain.

8. Do you have any other feedback on this section? Please explain.

[Interviewer will show or read each question in the next section of the questionnaire and ask the respondent to answer them. Once the respondent is finished with the final question in the set, the interviewer will ask the following questions]

Child Care That Your Household Uses Section (B)

Now the next section is called, “Child care that your household uses.” Again, please answer as if you were taking the questionnaire. When we are finished with this section, we will pause and ask you some questions.

In addition to a child’s parents, a child may be cared for in non-parental care, such as by other adults in the household, by relatives or friends outside of the household, or by a child care professional in someone else’s home or in a center. Next, I have some questions about the people who care for your child(ren) in a typical week. Please answer for the children in this household who are under age 6, but not yet in kindergarten
B1. In a typical week, do you use any non-parental care for this/these child(ren)?	1) Yes 2) No (SKIP TO DA1 BELOW)
B2. In a typical week, do you use at least five hours of unpaid care by a relative, friend or neighbor for this/these child(ren)?	1) Yes 2) No
B3. In a typical week, do you use any paid or unpaid center-based care, such as a preschool, day care center, public pre-kindergarten, Head Start, or faith-based nursery school, for this/these child(ren)?	Yes 2) No
B4. In a typical week, do you use at least 5 hours of paid care from a home-based child care provider for this/these child(ren)? Please include home-based care where the provider is paid to care for your child even if you are not making the payment.	1) Yes 2) No
B5. Did you have a personal relationship with the home-based child care provider before this/these child(ren) started receiving care there? If child has more than one regular home-based provider, please describe the one who provides the most hours of care for this/these child(ren).	Yes 2) No

Cognitive interview questions for this section:

1. In question B4, we asked about the number of hours of paid care from a home-based child care provider. We asked you to include home-based care where the provider is paid to care for your child even if you are not making the payment. What were you thinking about when you read “even if you are not making the payment”?

2. [IF MORE THAN ONE CHILD AGED 6 YEARS OR YOUNGER] When you were answering these questions about children aged 6 years or younger, were any of these children you were describing/thinking about enrolled in kindergarten or higher grades?

3. Do you have any other feedback on this section? Please explain.

[Interviewer will show or read each question in the next section of the questionnaire and ask the respondent to answer them. Once the respondent is finished with the final question in the set, the interviewer will ask the following questions]

Other information About Your Family Section (D, continued)

The next section focuses on “Other information about your family.” Again, please answer as if you were taking the questionnaire. When we are finished with this section, we will pause and ask you some questions.

DA1. In a typical week, how many hours did you spend working, in school or training, or commuting to and from these activities?

Please enter 0 if you do not work, go to school, or attend training in a typical week.

_________________ HOURS

DA2. Do you have a spouse or partner in the household?

1) Yes

2) No (If no, GO TO DA4)

DA3. How many hours does that person spend working, in school or training, and commuting to and from these activities in a typical week? Please enter 0 if your spouse/partner does not work, go to school, or attend training in a typical week.

_______________HOURS

DA4. In the past 12 months, did anyone in this household receive child care financial assistance such as subsidies, vouchers, or certificates for children of working parents? These programs may also be open to parents who are in school or training.

1) Yes

2) No

DA5. What was your approximate household income, after taxes and deductions, last year? Please give your best estimate. Please be assured that your responses to this and all other questions in this questionnaire will not be revealed to any agency except in summary form for all study participants combined.

$___________

IF DA5 NOT ANSWERED, ASK DA5a. ELSE GO TO DA6.

DA5a. Which of the following categories do you think best describes your total household income after taxes from all sources last year?

1) $0-$20,000

2) $20,001 - $40,000

3) $40,001 - $60,000

4) $60,001 - $80,000

5) $80,001 - $100,000

6) $100,000 or more

Closing

1. How well would you say this questionnaire captures how you look for child care information and use that information in making child care decisions for your children?

2. Do you have any suggestions for how we could better understand this topic?

Those are all the questions that we have for you today. Thank you for spending your valuable time providing feedback on the parent questionnaire. We will use your feedback to update the questionnaire.

[After the interview] We would like to confirm that we have the correct email address for you to send the gift card to for participating in this cognitive interview. Can you please confirm your email address?

Thank you!

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