Instrument 3: Center-Based and Home-Based

^{Survey of Recruitment, Professional Development, and Training in Early Head Start}

We are asking you to complete this survey because of your role in your Early Head Start (EHS) program. In this survey we will ask you questions about:

• Your program’s strategies, successes, and challenges ensuring staff meet or exceed the Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS) qualification and competency requirements.

• How your program searched for and hired qualified staff.

• How your program supported staff in their ongoing career development.

The Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This collection of information is voluntary and will be used to inform ACF’s understanding of the strategies EHS grant recipients use and the successes and challenges that they experience when searching for, hiring, and training teachers and home visitors who have the competencies and qualifications to provide high-quality services to infants, toddlers, and pregnant women. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 30 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering, and maintaining the data needed, and reviewing the collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB number and expiration date for this collection are OMB #: 0970-XXXX, Exp: XX/XX/XXXX. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to Diane Schilder; dschilder@urban.org.

Informed Consent

This survey is being conducted by researchers at the Urban Institute, a nonprofit research organization in Washington D.C., as part of a study funded through a contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This study is being led by Dr. Diane Schilder at the Urban Institute.

1. Your participation in the survey is completely voluntary. 

2. Your decision to participate in this study will not affect any services you may be receiving or your eligibility to receive funding from ACF. 

3. We will never inform anyone outside of this study’s research team about your choice to participate in the study.

4. All the answers you give are kept strictly private.

5. We will combine the answers you provide with information from other EHS programs and report the information in summary form. Publications will not identify respondents or EHS grant recipients by name.

6. Because all answers are private there are no legal risks to participating. Your answers will be linked to your program’s most recent Program Information Report. Your information and position are listed in the Program Information Report. The Program Information Report can be accessed by the public. Thus, we cannot promise that your participation in this research will be kept private. We believe any such risk is small due to the large, nationwide sample of EHS grant recipients invited to participate in this survey.

7. Your program will not directly benefit from completing the survey. Potential indirect benefits of participating in this study include making an important contribution to the understanding of how EHS programs recruit, provide professional development and support training of staff.

8. The survey takes about 30 minutes to complete. 

9. You may skip any question you do not wish to answer without penalty, and you may end the survey at any time without penalty. 

10. The information learned from the survey may be archived. These files, as part of the archive, will not include any names or quote anyone personally and the data will be modified to minimize the risk of you or your program being identified from the data. These files will only be available under restricted access.

Please click “Yes” to enter the survey. Remember you can fill out part of the survey now and use the same link to come back later if needed.

Please click “No” if you don’t agree to participate in the survey. You will be exited from the survey.

Do you consent to participating in this survey?

Yes, enter the survey

No, exit the survey

Survey Introduction

Thank you for agreeing to complete the Survey of Staff Recruitment, Professional Development, and Training in Early Head Start!

Just as a reminder…

• You can take this survey on any device you choose. For the best experience, we recommend that you take this survey on a computer rather than a tablet or phone.

• You can answer part of the survey now and come back later to edit and complete it.

• Once you select an option, the box will turn blue. Please check that it is blue before continuing to complete the survey.

• If you have questions or concerns, you can email StaffSurveyEHS@Urban.org

Program Option

1. Select all the EHS program options that your program has offered since [insert timeframe].

Center-based	
Home-based	
Family child care	

PROGRAMMER’S NOTE: the respondent only receives version 3 of this survey if they select “home-based” and either/both of “center-based” and “family child care”.

Active search

The next questions ask you to describe your program’s recent active searches for new teachers and home visitors. Teachers refers to classroom staff, including lead and assistant teachers.

Only consider active searches from [insert timeframe for last program year]

• Only enter numbers below. Do not include extra characters such as spaces.

• You will not be able to return to these questions once you click the “next” arrow. Please make sure your answers are complete and correct before you move on.

How many EHS teaching vacancies were there?	________
How many EHS teaching vacancies (part-time or full-time) was your program able to fill?	________
How many EHS teacher vacancies did your program fill from existing staff (including substitutes and temporary staff) and families?	________
How many EHS teacher vacancies did your program fill from outside your program?	________
How many people, on average, applied for an open EHS teaching position?	________
How many people, on average, did your program interview for each open EHS teaching position?	________

How many EHS home visitor vacancies were there?	________
How many EHS home visitor vacancies (part-time or full-time) was your program able to fill?	________
How many EHS home visitor vacancies did your program fill from inside your program (e.g., existing staff, substitute teacher, parent)?	________
How many EHS home visitor vacancies did your program fill from outside your program?	________
How many people, on average, applied for an open EHS home visitor position?	________
How many people, on average, did your program interview for each open EHS home visitor position?	________

PROGRAMMER’S NOTE:

• If the respondent answers 1 or greater to “How many EHS teaching vacancies (part-time or full-time) was your program able to fill?” and 0 to “How many EHS home visitor vacancies (part-time or full-time) was your program able to fill?”, the respondent is asked solely about teachers (version 1) for the remainder of the survey.

• If the respondent answers 0 to “How many EHS teaching vacancies (part-time or full-time) was your program able to fill?” and 1 or greater to “How many EHS home visitor vacancies (part-time or full-time) was your program able to fill?”, the respondent is asked solely about home visitors (version 2) for the remainder of the survey.

• If the respondent answers 1 or greater to “How many EHS teaching vacancies (part-time or full-time) was your program able to fill?” and 1 or greater to “How many EHS home visitor vacancies (part-time or full-time) was your program able to fill?”, the respondent is randomized to receive either version 1 (teacher) or version 2 (home visitor) for the remainder of the survey.

VERSION 1: TEACHER

Searching for New EHS Teachers

In the next two sections, we ask about how your EHS program recruited and hired new EHS teachers.

• Recruiting teachers refers to how your program searched for qualified and competent teachers to provide high-quality services.

• Hiring teachers refers to how your program selected qualified and competent teachers to provide high-quality services.

Recruiting New Teachers

These questions ask about how your EHS program recruited new EHS teachers.

When was the last time your program had to recruit an EHS teacher?

Month	1-12
Year	2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 Before 2019

PROGRAMMER’S NOTE:

• If respondent answers before 2019, skip to Hiring New Teachers

• If respondent answers 0 to “How many EHS teaching vacancies were there?”, [insert timeframe] throughout the survey is replaced with the month and year given above.

• If respondent answers 1 or greater to “How many EHS teaching vacancies were there?”, [insert timeframe] throughout the survey is replaced with the timeframe of the program year from when the survey is fielded.

Tell us what role the following people played in your program’s EHS teacher recruitment. Consider only recruitment from [insert timeframe].

• People with these titles may have led and supported recruitment. Select the role each typically has in the process most of the time.

• The title of the person in your program might be different than what is listed below. Select the title that is most similar to your staff's role. Only use the “Other” option if there isn’t a similar role on the list.

• If one person has multiple roles in your program, provide the same response for each role. For example, if the EHS director led recruitment and they are also the program director put “led recruitment” for “EHS Director” and “Program Director.”

	Led recruitment	Supported recruitment	Not involved in recruitment	I don’t know	Not applicable
EHS Director					
Program Director					
Assistant Program Director					
Site Director					
Human Resources Director/Manager					
Human Resources Staff					
Education Manager					
Education Specialist					
EHS Teachers					
Policy Council Members					
Other, please specify					

Recruitment plan

The next questions ask about your program’s recruitment plans. Recruitment plan refers to a written document that outlines the strategies your program plans to use to find qualified applicants for a vacant position.

27. When recruiting new EHS teachers, how useful was your program’s recruitment plan? Consider only recruitment from [insert timeframe].

• If your program didn’t have a recruitment plan, mark “We didn’t have a plan.”

We didn’t have a plan	Very useful	Somewhat useful	Not too useful	Not at all useful	I don’t know
					

PROGRAMMER’S NOTE: if respondent answers, “we didn’t have a plan”, skip next question (“Who was the primary staff person responsible for the recruitment plan from [insert timeframe]?”)

28. Who was the primary staff person responsible for the recruitment plan from [insert timeframe]?

• If more than one person updated the plan, please select the person who led the updates.

• The title of the person in your program might be different than what is listed below. Select the title that is most similar to your staff’s role. Only use the “Other” option if there isn’t a similar role on the list.

EHS Director	
Program Director	
Assistant Program Director	
Site Director	
Human Resources Director/Manager	
Human Resources Staff	
Education Manager	
Education Specialist	
EHS Teachers	
Policy Council Members	
Other, please specify	

Recruitment approaches

When your program recruited new EHS teachers, how successful were the following approaches? Only consider recruitment efforts from [insert timeframe].

• If your program didn’t use the approach, mark “We didn’t use this approach.”

	We didn’t use this approach	Very Successful	Somewhat Successful	Not too successful	Not at all successful	I don’t know
Increased the recruitment budget						
Asked staff, parents, and/or community members to share the job ad						
Posted the job ad to my organization’s website						
Posted the job ad on ECLKC job center						
Posted the job ad on job search websites that require a fee for employers (e.g., LinkedIn, CareerBuilder)						
Posted the job ad on job search websites that are free for employers (e.g., Indeed)						
Posted the job ad on social media (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok)						
Posted the job ad in the newspaper(s) (either printed or website)						
Encouraged current/former families to apply						
Recruited from existing HS/EHS program						
Worked with external partners to find qualified applicants (e.g., colleges or government agencies)						
Other, please specify						

PROGRAMMER’S NOTE: if respondent answers, “we didn’t use this approach” or “I don’t know” to “Worked with external partners to find qualified applicants (e.g., colleges or government agencies)”, SKIP next question (“You said that your program worked with external partners to find applicants from [insert timeframe]. How useful were the following partnerships for recruiting qualified applicants?”)

Recruitment partners

You said that your program worked with external partners to find applicants from [insert timeframe]. How useful were the following partnerships for recruiting qualified applicants?

• If your program does not work with a partner, mark “We didn’t work with this kind of partner”

	We didn’t work with this kind of partner	Very useful	Somewhat useful	Not too useful	Not at all useful	I don’t know
Colleges and universities (community, four-year, technical schools)						
High school/technical CDA program						
Religious organizations						
Health care providers (e.g., doctors, dentists, mental health)						
Community centers and/or libraries						
Other child care centers and/or family child care providers						
Parenting and home visiting programs in the community						
State or territory programs serving infants, toddlers, and pregnant people (e.g., Women, Infants, and Children, early intervention, state or territory home visiting)						
Child Care Resource and Referral agency						
Registered apprenticeship program						
State-sponsored website or workforce registry						
Infant Toddler Specialist Network						
Other, please specify type of partner						

Recruitment challenges

How difficult did each of the following make it to recruit qualified applicants for EHS teacher positions? Only consider recruitment efforts from [insert timeframe].

• If your program did not experience one of the following, mark “We didn’t experience this.” If your program experienced one of the following but it was not a challenge, mark “Not at all difficult.”

	We didn’t experience this	Very difficult	Somewhat difficult	Not too difficult	Not at all difficult	I don’t know
Time to get the position approved by a governing body, Policy Council, or Board						
Time it took for person to lead the recruitment effort						
Recruitment budget						
Competition from other employers, including other child care providers						
Other, please specify						

Hiring New Teachers

Next, we ask you about how your EHS program hired new EHS teachers.

• As a reminder, hiring teachers refers to how your program selected qualified and competent teachers to provide high-quality services.

• Hiring activities can start with reviewing applications and end with giving an applicant an offer of employment.

When was the last time your program had to hire an EHS teacher?

Month	1-12
Year	2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 Before 2019

PROGRAMMER’S NOTE:

• If respondent answers “Before 2019”, skip to “Building Existing EHS Teachers’ Qualifications and Competencies”.

• If respondent answers 0 to “How many EHS teaching vacancies (part-time or full-time) was your program able to fill?”, [insert timeframe] throughout the survey is replaced with the month and year given above.

• If respondent answers 1 or greater to “How many EHS teaching vacancies (part-time or full-time) was your program able to fill?”, [insert timeframe] throughout the survey is replaced with the timeframe of the program year from when the survey is fielded.

Hiring Roles

Tell us what role the following people played in your program’s EHS teachers hiring. Only consider hiring from [insert timeframe].

• People with these titles may have led and/or supported hiring. Select the role that each typically has in the hiring process most of the time.

• The title of the person in your program might be different than what is listed below. Select the title that is most similar to your staff's role. Only use the “Other” option if there isn’t a similar role on the list.

• If one person has multiple roles in your program, provide the same response for each role. For example, if the EHS director led hiring and they are also the program director put “led hiring” for “EHS Director” and “Program Director.”

	Led hiring	Supported hiring	Not involved in hiring	I don’t know	Not applicable
EHS Director					
Program Director					
Assistant Program Director					
Site Director					
Human Resources Director/Manager					
Human Resources Staff					
Education Manager					
Education Specialist					
EHS Teachers					
Policy Council Members					
Other, please specify					

Assessing Qualifications and Competencies

When your program selected a teacher for a vacant position, how useful were the following activities for assessing the qualifications and competencies of an applicant? Only consider activities from [insert timeframe].

• If your program did not do an activity, mark “We didn’t use this activity.”

	We didn’t use this activity	Very useful	Somewhat useful	Not too useful	Not at all useful	I don’t know
Reviewed resumes or CVs						
Conducted phone screens						
HR/management conducted interviews						
Existing teachers conducted interviews						
Parents conducted interviews						
Asked applicant to describe how they would respond to a hypothetical situation						
Observed applicant in a classroom interacting with children						
Checked references (e.g., spoke to prior employers)						
Reviewed education transcripts						
Other, please specify						

Incentives and Benefits

When your program offered employment to teaching applicants, how successful were the following factors in convincing teaching applicants to accept offers? Only consider offers of employment from [insert timeframe].

• Employment offers can include a compensation package (i.e., wages and benefits).

• If your program did not use the approach, mark “We didn’t use this approach.”

	We didn’t use this approach	Very Successful	Somewhat successful	Not too successful	Not at all successful	I don’t know
Signing bonuses						
Competitive compensation						
Relocation assistance						
Paid time off (e.g., sick, family, vacation)						
Paid summers off						
Medical insurance						
Dental insurance						
Group life insurance						
Retirement plan						
Tuition reimbursement (e.g., for college courses, CDA)						
Housing, housing subsidies, or rent assistance						
Subsidized meals						
Subsidized transportation						
Free or reduced child care						
Other, please specify						

Compensation Comparison

When your program put together an applicant’s compensation package (i.e., wages and benefits) for a teaching position, how often did your program consider information from the following sources? Only consider hiring efforts from [insert timeframe].

	Always	Often	Sometimes	Rarely	Never	I don’t know
Findings from a Wage Comparability Survey or other data on employee compensation in similar organizations						
Assessment of an applicant’s competencies (e.g., from an observation, interview, conversation with a prior employer)						
Applicant’s highest level of education						
Applicant’s years of experience						
Applicant’s credential, certification, or license						
Available funds						
Compensation of your program’s existing teachers						
Other, please specify						

Hiring Challenges

How difficult did the following make it to hire qualified EHS teachers? Only consider hiring efforts from [insert timeframe].

• If your program didn’t have this experience, mark “We didn’t experience this.”

	We didn’t experience this	Very difficult	Somewhat difficult	Not too difficult	Not at all difficult	I don’t know
Number of qualified applicants						
Number of responsibilities that the person (e.g., intermediary between applicant and program) in charge of hiring had						
Time to get applicant approved by the governing body, Policy Council, or Board.						
Time to complete background checks and finger printing						
Applicant withdrawals						
Response times from past professional references						
Accuracy of applicants’ information						
Applicants’ ability to meet physical job requirements						
Applicants did not show up to the interviews						
Time to negotiate with applicant						
Other, please specify						

How often has your program used the following strategies to prevent being short-staffed? Only consider strategies your program used from [insert timeframe].

Short staffed refers to a time when a program may not have had enough EHS teachers.

• If your program did not use any strategies to prevent being short-staffed, mark “never” for all.

	Always	Often	Sometimes	Seldom	Never	I don’t know	Not applicable
Reduced hours of operation							
Paused new enrollment							
Reduced the number of infants, toddlers, pregnant women, and/or families served.							
Increased teacher-child ratios (e.g., switching from 3:9 to 2:8)							
Closed classrooms							
Combined classrooms							
Arranged for long-term substitute teachers							
Engaged managers to temporarily work as teachers							
Engaged other qualified staff to temporarily work as teachers							
Trained and educated parents so they are qualified to be teachers							

Building Existing EHS Teachers’ Qualifications and Competencies

In this section, we ask about how your program has supported EHS teachers in building their qualifications and competencies.

Assessing Teachers Training and Professional Development Needs

When your program individualized training and professional development for current EHS teachers, who carried out each of the following activities? Only consider training and professional development from [insert timeframe].

• Multiple people may carry out these activities. Select the role of the person who usually led these activities even if multiple people were involved.

• The title of the person in your program might be different than what is listed below. Select the title that is most similar to your staff's role. Only use the “Other” option if a similar role isn’t on the list.

• If your program did not use the activity, mark “We didn’t do this activity.”

Conducted individual and group supervision	dropdown
Co-developed Individual Professional Development Plans (IPDP)	dropdown
Reviewed teachers’ lesson plans	dropdown
Reviewed performance reviews	dropdown
Used reflective dialogues	dropdown
Reviewed child assessment data	dropdown
Gathered input from supervisors or coaches about the needs of the teachers they supervise	dropdown
Asked EHS teachers directly about their training needs	dropdown
Asked EHS teachers for their ideas on how to improve career development	dropdown
Asked parents in the program about their satisfaction	dropdown
Reviewed scores from an observation of teachers in a classroom interacting with children (e.g., QCIT)	dropdown
Other, please specify	dropdown

Dropdown:

We didn’t do this activity	
EHS Director	
Program Director	
Assistant Program Director	
Site Director	
Human Resources Director/Manager or Staff	
Education Manager	
Education Specialist	
EHS Teachers	
Policy Council Members	
Other, please specify	
I don’t know	

PROGRAMMER’S NOTE: if respondent answers, “I don’t know” or “We didn’t do this activity” to “Co-developed Individual Professional Development Plans (IPDP)”, skip to “Competency Framework 1”

IPDP Roles and Updates

Tell us what role the following people played in co-developing Individualized Professional Development Plans (IPDP) with EHS teachers? Only consider IPDPs from [insert timeframe].

• People with these titles may have led and supported co-development of the IPDP. Select the role that they were in most of the time.

• The title of the person in your program might be different than what is listed below. Select the title that is most similar to your staff's role. Only use the “Other” option if there isn’t a similar role on the list.

• If one person has multiple roles in your program, provide the same response for each role. For example, if the EHS director led IPDP and they are also the program director put “led IPDP” for “EHS Director” and “Program Director.”

	Led IPDP	Supported IPDP	Not involved in IPDP	I don’t know	Not applicable
EHS Director					
Program Director					
Assistant Program Director					
Site Director					
Human Resources Director/Manager					
Human Resources Staff					
Education Manager					
Education Specialist					
EHS Teachers					
Policy Council Members					
Other, please specify					

137. How often has your program updated EHS teachers’ Individualized Professional Development Plans (IPDP)? Only consider IPDPs from [insert timeframe].

	1 time per year
	2 times per year
	3 times per year
	4+ times per year
	As needed with no regular schedule
	We never update IPDPs
	I don’t know

Included in IPDP

Which of the following has your program typically included in EHS teachers’ Individualized Professional Development Plan (IPDP)? Only consider IPDPs from [insert timeframe].

	Yes	No	I don’t know
Steps teachers needed to take to meet the HSPPS qualifications			
Supports EHS teachers’ need to build competencies in current role			
EHS teachers’ career goals			
Steps to meet goal(s) defined in IPDP			
Resources needed to meet goal(s) defined in IPDP			
Time to complete goal(s) defined in IPDP			
Date teachers completed their goal(s)			
Potential challenges or barriers			
Date when teachers will review progress on goal(s)			
Place to describe progress toward goal(s)			
Other, please specify			

Competency Framework 1

In this section, questions will ask about a “competency framework.” A competency framework refers to a document that describes a set of knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors that EHS teachers need to deliver high-quality services.

149. Has your program used a competency framework from [insert timeframe]?

Yes	No	I don’t know
		

PROGRAMMER’S NOTE: if respondent answers “no”, skip to “Professional Development”

Competency Framework 2

Select whether your program used a competency framework to do the following. Only consider efforts from [insert timeframe].

	Yes	No	I don’t know
Used the competency framework to inform hiring decisions			
Used the competency framework to inform compensation packages or raises			
Assessed teachers’ competencies by observing them using an assessment tool aligned with the competency framework			
Offered professional development/trainings aligned with the competency framework			
Encouraged teachers to participate in a credential or degree program aligned with the competency framework			
Other, please specify			

Professional Development

Has your program partnered with the following types of organizations to support teachers with their qualifications and/or competencies from [insert timeframe]? Select all that apply.

• If your program did not partner with this type of organization, leave the boxes unchecked.

	Qualifications	Competencies	I don’t know
Local colleges and universities	q	q	
High school/technical CDA program	q	q	
Local organizations offering trainings or professional development	q	q	
National organizations offering trainings (e.g., Zero To Three, Start Early)	q	q	
State or territory organizations serving infants, toddlers, and pregnant people offering trainings or professional development	q	q	
Child Care Resource and Referral agency	q	q	
Registered apprenticeship programs	q	q	
Infant Toddler Specialist Network	q	q	
Other, please specify	q	q	

Apprenticeships

165. Has your program used any of the following funding sources to participate in an apprenticeship program from [timeframe]? Select all that apply.

• Apprenticeship is a workforce strategy that may support people who want to work in early childhood settings by providing employer involvement (paid time for courses and training), structured on-the-job learning (mentoring, coaching), related instruction, rewards (compensation) for skill gains, and/or a recognized national credential (CDA).

• If your program did not participate in an apprenticeship program during [insert timeframe], mark “We did not participate in an apprenticeship program.”

We did not participate in an apprenticeship program	EHS grant	Other federal funding	State funding	Other, please specify	I don’t know
	q	q	q		

Compensation

Has your program made any of the following changes specifically to improve EHS teacher compensation? Only consider any efforts from [insert timeframe].

	Yes	No	I don’t know
Reduced the overall number of funded enrollment slots			
Consolidated grants			
Restructured management or organizations			
Changed hours of operation			
Converted slots from HS to EHS			
Requested a waiver			
Decreased teacher-child ratios while maintaining alignment with the HSPPS			
Used non-EHS funding			
Other, please specify			

Successes and Challenges

When your program encouraged teachers to improve their qualifications or competencies, how successful was it to offer the following incentives? Only consider efforts from [insert timeframe].

• If your program did not use an incentive, mark “We didn’t use this incentive.”

	We didn’t use this incentive	Very Successful	Somewhat successful	Not too successful	Not at all successful	I don’t know
Bonuses						
Transportation						
Paying to attend trainings outside of regular work hours						
Paying for training, professional development, or tuition (e.g., for college courses, CDA)						
Information about how to apply for and get a loan						
Support for enrolling in local colleges and universities or CDA programs						
Food and/or drinks at on-site trainings						
Offer child care for teachers’ children						
Provide a salary raise after the teacher completes the training						
Other, please specify						

Program and Respondent Characteristics

In this section, we ask you about your program as well as your role in your program and your years of experience.

185. In the 2022-2023 PIR, your program reported [pipe in from PIR] for cumulative EHS enrollment. Select the cumulative program enrollment size that best describes your program from [insert timeframe]. As a reminder: cumulative enrollment is:

• ALL EHS children whom your program enrolled and who have attended at least one class or, for programs with home-based options, received at least one home visit.

• ALL pregnant women whom your program enrolled and received EHS services.

	Small (less than 300)
	Medium (301-600)
	Large (601-1200)
	Extra large (more than 1200)
	I don’t know

186. What is your role within your EHS program?

• If you have more than one role within your program, please select all that apply.

• Your title might be different than what is listed below. Select the title that is most similar to your role within your Early Head Start program. Only use the “Other” option if there isn’t a similar role on the list.

q	EHS Director
q	Program Director
q	Assistant Program Director
q	Site Director
q	Human Resources Director/Manager
q	Human Resources Staff
q	Education Manager
q	Education Specialist
q	EHS Teacher
q	Policy Council Member
q	Other

187. How long have you been in this role?

	Less than 6 months
	6 months – 1 year
	1 – 2 years
	2 – 5 years
	5 -10 years
	More than 10 years

End of Survey

We thank you for your time spent completing this survey. Your response has been recorded. Please contact us at StaffSurveyEHS@Urban.org if you have any question

VERSION 2: HOME VISITOR

Searching for New EHS Home Visitors

In the next two sections, we ask about how your EHS program recruited and hired new EHS home visitors.

• Recruiting home visitors refers to how your program searched for qualified and competent home visitors to provide high-quality services.

• Hiring home visitors refers to how your program selected qualified and competent home visitors to provide high-quality services.

Recruiting New Home Visitors

These questions ask about how your EHS program recruited new EHS home visitors.

When was the last time your program had to recruit an EHS home visitor?

Month	1-12
Year	2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 Before 2019

PROGRAMMER’S NOTE:

• If respondent answers before 2019, skip to Hiring New Home Visitors

• If respondent answers 0 to “How many EHS home visitor vacancies were there?”, [insert timeframe] throughout the survey is replaced with the month and year given above.

• If respondent answers 1 or greater to “How many EHS home visitor vacancies were there?”, [insert timeframe] throughout the survey is replaced with the timeframe of the program year from when the survey is fielded.

Tell us what role the following people played in your program’s EHS home visitor recruitment. Consider only recruitment from [insert timeframe].

• People with these titles may have led and supported recruitment. Select the role each typically has in the process most of the time.

• The title of the person in your program might be different than what is listed below. Select the title that is most similar to your staff's role. Only use the “Other” option if there isn’t a similar role on the list.

• If one person has multiple roles in your program, provide the same response for each role. For example, if the EHS director led recruitment and they are also the program director put “led recruitment” for “EHS Director” and “Program Director.”

	Led recruitment	Supported recruitment	Not involved in recruitment	I don’t know	Not applicable
EHS Director					
Program Director					
Assistant Program Director					
Site Director					
Human Resources Director/Manager					
Human Resources Staff					
Home-Based Services Director/Manager					
EHS Home Visitors					
Policy Council Members					
Other, please specify					

Recruitment plan

The next questions ask about your program’s recruitment plans. Recruitment plan refers to a written document that outlines the strategies your program plans to use to find qualified applicants for a vacant position.

200. When recruiting new EHS home visitors how useful was your program’s recruitment plan? Consider only recruitment from [insert timeframe].

• If your program didn’t have a recruitment plan, mark “We didn’t have a plan.”

We didn’t have a plan	Very useful	Somewhat useful	Not too useful	Not at all useful	I don’t know
					

PROGRAMMER’S NOTE: if respondent answers, “we didn’t have a plan”, skip next question (“Who was the primary staff person responsible for the recruitment plan from [insert timeframe]?”)

201. Who was the primary staff person responsible for the recruitment plan from [insert timeframe]?

• If more than one person updated the plan, please select the person who led the updates.

• The title of the person in your program might be different than what is listed below. Select the title that is most similar to your staff’s role. Only use the “Other” option if there isn’t a similar role on the list.

EHS Director	
Program Director	
Assistant Program Director	
Site Director	
Human Resources Director/Manager	
Human Resources Staff	
Home-Based Services Director/Manager	
EHS Home Visitors	
Policy Council Members	
Other, please specify	

Recruitment approaches

When your program recruited new EHS home visitors, how successful were the following approaches? Only consider recruitment efforts from [insert timeframe].

• If your program didn’t use the approach, mark “We didn’t use this approach.”

	We didn’t use this approach	Very Successful	Somewhat Successful	Not too successful	Not at all successful	I don’t know
Increased the recruitment budget						
Asked staff, parents, and/or community members to share the job ad						
Posted the job ad to my organization’s website						
Posted the job ad on ECLKC job center						
Posted the job ad on job search websites that require a fee for employers (e.g., LinkedIn, CareerBuilder)						
Posted the job ad on job search websites that are free for employers (e.g., Indeed)						
Posted the job ad on social media (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok)						
Posted the job ad in the newspaper(s) (either printed or website)						
Encouraged current/former families to apply						
Recruited from existing HS/EHS program						
Worked with external partners to find qualified applicants (e.g., colleges or government agencies)						
Other, please specify						

PROGRAMMER’S NOTE: if respondent answers, “we didn’t use this approach” or “I don’t know” to “Worked with external partners to find qualified applicants (e.g., colleges or government agencies)”, SKIP next question (“You said that your program worked with external partners to find applicants from [insert timeframe]. How useful were the following partnerships for recruiting qualified applicants?”)

Recruitment partners

You said that your program worked with external partners to find applicants from [insert timeframe]. How useful were the following partnerships for recruiting qualified applicants?

• If your program does not work with a partner, mark “We didn’t work with this kind of partner”

	We didn’t work with this kind of partner	Very useful	Somewhat useful	Not too useful	Not at all useful	I don’t know
Colleges and universities (community, four-year, technical schools)						
High school/technical CDA program						
Religious organizations						
Health care providers (e.g., doctors, dentists, mental health)						
Community centers and/or libraries						
Child care centers and/or family child care providers						
Other parenting and home visiting programs in the community						
State or territory programs serving infants, toddlers, and pregnant people (e.g., Women, Infants, and Children, early intervention, state or territory home visiting)						
Registered apprenticeship program						
State-sponsored website or workforce registry						
Infant Toddler Specialist Network						
Other, please specify type of partner						

Recruitment challenges

How difficult did each of the following make it to recruit qualified applicants for EHS home visitor positions? Only consider recruitment efforts from [insert timeframe].

• If your program did not experience one of the following, mark “We didn’t experience this.” If your program experienced one of the following but it was not a challenge, mark “Not at all difficult.”

	We didn’t experience this	Very difficult	Somewhat difficult	Not too difficult	Not at all difficult	I don’t know
Time to get the position approved by a governing body, Policy Council, or Board						
Time it took for person to lead the recruitment effort						
Recruitment budget						
Competition from other employers, including other home visiting providers						
Other, please specify						

Hiring New Home Visitors

Next, we ask you about how your EHS program hired new EHS home visitors.

• As a reminder, hiring home visitors refers to how your program selected qualified and competent home visitors to provide high-quality services.

• Hiring activities can start with reviewing applications and end with giving an applicant an offer of employment.

When was the last time your program had to hire an EHS home visitor?

Month	1-12
Year	2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 Before 2019

PROGRAMMER’S NOTE:

• If respondent answers “Before 2019”, skip to “Building Existing EHS Home Visitors’ Qualifications and Competencies”.

• If respondent answers 0 to “How many EHS home visitor vacancies (part-time or full-time) was your program able to fill?”, [insert timeframe] throughout the survey is replaced with the month and year given above.

• If respondent answers 1 or greater to “How many EHS home visitor vacancies (part-time or full-time) was your program able to fill?”, [insert timeframe] throughout the survey is replaced with the timeframe of the program year from when the survey is fielded.

Hiring Roles

Tell us what role the following people played in your program’s EHS home visitor hiring. Only consider hiring from [insert timeframe].

• People with these titles may have led and/or supported hiring. Select the role that each typically has in the hiring process most of the time.

• The title of the person in your program might be different than what is listed below. Select the title that is most similar to your staff's role. Only use the “Other” option if there isn’t a similar role on the list.

• If one person has multiple roles in your program, provide the same response for each role. For example, if the EHS director led hiring and they are also the program director put “led hiring” for “EHS Director” and “Program Director.”

	Led hiring	Supported hiring	Not involved in hiring	I don’t know	Not applicable
EHS Director					
Program Director					
Assistant Program Director					
Site Director					
Human Resources Director/Manager					
Human Resources Staff					
Home-Based Services Director/Manager					
EHS Home Visitors					
Policy Council Members					
Other, please specify					

Assessing Qualifications and Competencies

When your program selected a home visitor for a vacant position, how useful were the following activities for assessing the qualifications and competencies of an applicant? Only consider activities from [insert timeframe].

• If your program did not do an activity, mark “We didn’t use this activity.”

	We didn’t use this activity	Very useful	Somewhat useful	Not too useful	Not at all useful	I don’t know
Reviewed resumes or CVs						
Conducted phone screens						
HR/management conducted interviews						
Existing home visitors conducted interviews						
Parents conducted interviews						
Asked applicant to describe how they would respond to a hypothetical situation						
Asked applicant to reflect on their observation of a family after shadowing another home visitor						
Checked references (e.g., spoke to prior employers)						
Reviewed education transcripts						
Other, please specify						

Incentives and Benefits

When your program offered employment to home visiting applicants, how successful were the following factors in convincing home visiting applicants to accept offers? Only consider offers of employment from [insert timeframe].

• Employment offers can include a compensation package (i.e., wages and benefits).

• If your program did not use the approach, mark “We didn’t use this approach.”

	We didn’t use this approach	Very Successful	Somewhat successful	Not too successful	Not at all successful	I don’t know
Signing bonuses						
Competitive compensation						
Relocation assistance						
Paid time off (e.g., sick, family, vacation)						
Paid summers off						
Medical insurance						
Dental insurance						
Group life insurance						
Retirement plan						
Tuition reimbursement (e.g., for college courses, CDA)						
Housing, housing subsidies, or rent assistance						
Subsidized meals						
Subsidized transportation						
Free or reduced child care						
Other, please specify						

Compensation Comparison

When your program put together an applicant’s compensation package (i.e., wages and benefits) for a home visiting position, how often did your program consider information from the following sources? Only consider hiring efforts from [insert timeframe].

	Always	Often	Sometimes	Rarely	Never	I don’t know
Findings from a Wage Comparability Survey or other data on employee compensation in similar organizations						
Assessment of an applicant’s competencies (e.g., from an observation, interview, conversation with a prior employer)						
Applicant’s highest level of education						
Applicant’s years of experience						
Applicant’s credential, certification, or license						
Available funds						
Compensation of your program’s existing home visitors						
Other, please specify						

Hiring Challenges

How difficult did the following make it to hire qualified EHS home visitors? Only consider hiring efforts from [insert timeframe].

• If your program didn’t have this experience, mark “We didn’t experience this.”

	We didn’t experience this	Very difficult	Somewhat difficult	Not too difficult	Not at all difficult	I don’t know
Number of qualified applicants						
Number of responsibilities that the person (e.g., intermediary between applicant and program) in charge of hiring had						
Time to get applicant approved by the governing body, Policy Council, or Board.						
Time to complete background checks and finger printing						
Applicant withdrawals						
Response times from past professional references						
Accuracy of applicants’ information						
Applicants’ ability to meet physical job requirements						
Applicants did not show up to the interviews						
Time to negotiate with applicant						
Other, please specify						

How often has your program used the following strategies to prevent being short-staffed? Only consider strategies your program used from [insert timeframe].

Short staffed refers to a time when a program may not have had enough EHS home visitors.

• If your program did not use any strategies to prevent being short-staffed, mark “never” for all.

	Always	Often	Sometimes	Seldom	Never	I don’t know	Not applicable
Reduced hours of operation							
Increased case loads							
Graduated families early							
Paused new enrollment							
Engaged other qualified staff to temporarily work as home visitors							

Building Existing EHS Home Visitors’ Qualifications and Competencies

In this section, we ask about how your program has supported EHS home visitors in building their qualifications and competencies.

Assessing Home Visitors Training and Professional Development Needs

When your program individualized training and professional development for current EHS home visitors, who carried out each of the following activities? Only consider training and professional development from [insert timeframe].

• Multiple people may carry out these activities. Select the role of the person who usually led these activities even if multiple people were involved.

• The title of the person in your program might be different than what is listed below. Select the title that is most similar to your staff's role. Only use the “Other” option if a similar role is not on the list.

• If your program did not use the activity, mark “We didn’t do this activity.”

Conducted individual and group supervision	dropdown
Co-developed Individual Professional Development Plans (IPDP)	dropdown
Reviewed home visit and socialization plans	dropdown
Reviewed performance reviews	dropdown
Used reflective dialogues	dropdown
Reviewed child assessment data	dropdown
Gathered input from supervisors or coaches about the needs of the home visitors they supervise	dropdown
Asked EHS home visitors directly about their training needs	dropdown
Asked EHS home visitors for their ideas on how to improve career development	dropdown
Asked parents in the program about their satisfaction	dropdown
Reviewed scores from an observation of home visitors in a home interacting with families (e.g., HOVRS)	dropdown
Other, please specify	dropdown

Dropdown:

We didn’t do this activity	
EHS Director	
Program Director	
Assistant Program Director	
Site Director	
Human Resources Director/Manager or Staff	
Education Manager	
Education Specialist	
Home-Based Services Director/Manager	
EHS Home Visitors	
Policy Council Members	
Other, please specify	
I don’t know	

PROGRAMMER’S NOTE: if respondent answers, “I don’t know” or “We didn’t do this activity” to “Co-developed Individual Professional Development Plans (IPDP)”, skip to “Competency Framework 1”

IPDP Roles and Updates

Tell us what role the following people played in co-developing Individualized Professional Development Plans (IPDP) with EHS home visitors? Only consider IPDPs from [insert timeframe].

• People with these titles may have led and supported co-development of the IPDP. Select the role that they were in most of the time.

• The title of the person in your program might be different than what is listed below. Select the title that is most similar to your staff's role. Only use the “Other” option if there isn’t a similar role on the list.

• If one person has multiple roles in your program, provide the same response for each role. For example, if the EHS director led IPDP and they are also the program director put “led IPDP” for “EHS Director” and “Program Director.”

	Led IPDP	Supported IPDP	Not involved in IPDP	I don’t know	Not applicable
EHS Director					
Program Director					
Assistant Program Director					
Site Director					
Human Resources Director/Manager					
Human Resources Staff					
Home-Based Services Director/Manager					
EHS Home Visitors					
Policy Council Members					
Other, please specify					

302. How often has your program updated EHS home visitors’ Individualized Professional Development Plans (IPDP)? Only consider IPDPs from [insert timeframe].

	1 time per year
	2 times per year
	3 times per year
	4+ times per year
	As needed with no regular schedule
	We never update IPDPs
	I don’t know

Included in IPDP

Which of the following has your program typically included in EHS home visitor’s Individualized Professional Development Plan (IPDP)? Only consider IPDPs from [insert timeframe].

	Yes	No	I don’t know
Steps home visitors needed to take to meet the HSPPS qualifications			
Supports EHS home visitors’ need to build competencies in current role			
EHS home visitors’ career goals			
Steps to meet goal(s) defined in IPDP			
Resources needed to meet goal(s) defined in IPDP			
Time to complete goal(s) defined in IPDP			
Date home visitors completed their goal(s)			
Potential challenges or barriers			
Date when home visitors will review progress on goal(s)			
Place to describe progress toward goal(s)			
Other, please specify			

Competency Framework 1

In this section, questions will ask about a “competency framework.” A competency framework refers to a document that describes a set of knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors that EHS home visitors need to deliver high-quality services.

314. Has your program used a competency framework from [insert timeframe]?

Yes	No	I don’t know
		

PROGRAMMER’S NOTE: if respondent answers “no”, skip to “Professional Development”

Competency Framework 2

Select whether your program used a competency framework to do the following. Only consider efforts from [insert timeframe].

	Yes	No	I don’t know
Used the competency framework to inform hiring decisions			
Used the competency framework to inform compensation packages or raises			
Assessed home visitors’ competencies by observing them using an assessment tool aligned with the competency framework			
Offered professional development/trainings aligned with the competency framework			
Encouraged home visitors to participate in a credential or degree program aligned with the competency framework			
Other, please specify			

Professional Development

Has your program partnered with the following types of organizations to support home visitors with their qualifications and/or competencies from [insert timeframe]? Select all that apply.

• If your program did not partner with this type of organization, leave the boxes unchecked.

	Qualifications	Competencies	I don’t know
Local colleges and universities	q	q	
High school/technical CDA program	q	q	
Local organizations offering trainings or professional development	q	q	
National organizations offering trainings (e.g., Zero To Three, Start Early)	q	q	
State or territory organizations serving infants, toddlers, and pregnant people offering trainings or professional development	q	q	
Registered apprenticeship programs	q	q	
Infant Toddler Specialist Network	q	q	
Other, please specify	q	q	

Apprenticeships

329. Has your program used any of the following funding sources to participate in an apprenticeship program from [timeframe]? Select all that apply.

• Apprenticeship is a workforce strategy that may support people who want to work in early childhood settings by providing employer involvement (paid time for courses and training), structured on-the-job learning (mentoring, coaching), related instruction, rewards (compensation) for skill gains, and/or a recognized national credential (CDA).

• If your program did not participate in an apprenticeship program during [insert timeframe], mark “We did not participate in an apprenticeship program.”

We did not participate in an apprenticeship program	EHS grant	Other federal funding	State funding	Other, please specify	I don’t know
	q	q	q		

Compensation

Has your program made any of the following changes specifically to improve EHS home visitor compensation? Only consider any efforts from [insert timeframe].

	Yes	No	I don’t know
Reduced the overall number of funded enrollment slots			
Consolidated grants			
Restructured management or organizations			
Increased home visitors’ caseloads while maintaining alignment with the HSPPS			
Used non-EHS funding			
Other, please specify			

Successes and Challenges

When your program encouraged home visitors to improve their qualifications or competencies, how successful was it to offer the following incentives? Only consider efforts from [insert timeframe].

• If your program did not use an incentive, mark “We didn’t use this incentive.”

	We didn’t use this incentive	Very Successful	Somewhat successful	Not too successful	Not at all successful	I don’t know
Bonuses						
Transportation						
Paying to attend trainings outside of regular work hours						
Paying for training, professional development, or tuition (e.g., for college courses, CDA)						
Information about how to apply for and get a loan						
Support for enrolling in local colleges and universities or CDA programs						
Food and/or drinks at on-site trainings						
Offer child care for home visitors’ children						
Provide a salary raise after the home visitor completes the training						
Other, please specify						

Program and Respondent Characteristics

In this section, we ask you about your program as well as your role in your program and your years of experience.

346. In the 2022-2023 PIR, your program reported [pipe in from PIR] for cumulative EHS enrollment. Select the cumulative program enrollment size that best describes your program from [insert timeframe]. As a reminder: cumulative enrollment is:

• ALL EHS children whom your program enrolled and who have attended at least one class or, for programs with home-based options, received at least one home visit.

• ALL pregnant women whom your program enrolled and received EHS services.

	Small (less than 300)
	Medium (301-600)
	Large (601-1200)
	Extra large (more than 1200)
	I don’t know

347. What is your role within your EHS program?

• If you have more than one role within your program, please select all that apply.

• Your title might be different than what is listed below. Select the title that is most similar to your role within your Early Head Start program. Only use the “Other” option if there isn’t a similar role on the list.

q	EHS Director
q	Program Director
q	Assistant Program Director
q	Site Director
q	Human Resources Director/Manager
q	Human Resources Staff
q	Home-Based Services Director/Manager
q	EHS Home Visitor
q	Policy Council Member
q	Other

348. How long have you been in this role?

	Less than 6 months
	6 months – 1 year
	1 – 2 years
	2 – 5 years
	5 -10 years
	More than 10 years

End of Survey

We thank you for your time spent completing this survey. Your response has been recorded. Please contact us at StaffSurveyEHS@Urban.org if you have any questions.