Appendix F 2024 NSECE Center-based Provider Survey Contact Materials

Center-based Provider Survey Initial Mailing Series - Survey Invitation: First contact with sampled center-based providers introducing them to the study and asking them to complete the web survey. This contact will be sent by mail and email.

Dear [FNAME] [LNAME]/Provider/Director,

We need your help with an important study about how we care for children in the United States. The National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) collects information about early care and education providers and classroom staff, as well as the working families they support. The NSECE has been conducted before at two different timepoints, first in 2012 and again in 2019. Across both efforts we have spoken with more than 14,000 center-based providers to better understand the programs and services they provide. We are now conducting the 2024 NSECE to learn how recent policy and program changes have affected providers like you.

Please complete the online questionnaire at [SURVEY URL] or scan the QR code.

To access your questionnaire, you will need to enter your unique PIN: [PIN]

To thank you for your participation, you will receive a $25 token of appreciation for completing the questionnaire.

NORC at the University of Chicago is conducting this study on behalf of the Administration for Children and Families, of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Participation is voluntary. The questionnaire will take about 45 minutes, and your responses will be kept private. You have the option to skip any question or end the questionnaire at any time. If you have questions or need help to get started, please call [PLACEHOLDER] or email nsece24prov@norc.org.

By participating, you will help public agencies and policy makers better understand the challenges early care and education providers face as they work to offer quality care to children.

We need your help to make this study a success!

Thank you,

A. Rupa Datta, Ph.D.

2024 NSECE Project Director

NORC at the University of Chicago

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Para español por favor llámenos al [PLACEHOLDER]

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 for this information collection is [PLACEHOLDER] and the expiration date is [PLACEHOLDER]. Please send comments regarding the time required for this survey or any other aspect of the described information collection to: NORC at the University of Chicago, 55 E Monroe St, Ste 3000, Chicago, IL, 60603, Attention: A. Rupa Datta

Center-based Provider Survey Initial Mailing Series - Thank you/Reminder Postcard: Second contact with sampled center-based providers encouraging them to complete the center-based provider questionnaire. This mailing occurs one week after the first contact attempt.

You’re Invited!

Dear [FNAME] [LNAME]/Provider/Director,

We recently sent you a letter asking you to complete a questionnaire about how organizations and individuals care for children in the United States. Your response will help the Administration for Children and Families and other public agencies understand how recent policy and program changes have affected the availability of early care and education services in your area.

The questionnaire will take about 45 minutes. To thank you for your participation, you will receive a $25 token of appreciation for completing the questionnaire.

If you have already completed this questionnaire, thank you! If not, we ask you complete it as soon as possible. You can access the questionnaire by typing the secure URL into the browser of any computer or mobile device and entering your PIN.

If you have any questions, please contact us at nsece24prov@norc.org or [PLACEHOLDER].

Thank you!

Thank you for helping [STATE] kids!

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Para español por favor llámenos al [PLACEHOLDER]

Complete the questionnaire in three easy steps!

1. Visit our us at: [SURVEY URL] or scan the QR code.

2. Enter your pin [SCRATCH OFF]

3. Complete the questionnaire

Center-based Provider Survey Initial Mailing Series - Non-Response Follow-up Contact: Third contact with sampled center-based providers who have not completed the center-based provider questionnaire. This mailing occurs approximately two weeks after the second contact attempt.

Dear [FNAME] [LNAME]/Provider/Director,

We have been trying to reach you about participating in the 2024 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE). This survey is funded by the federal Administration for Children and Families, one of the largest sources of public support for early and school age care in our country. Your response will help the government better understand the need for and availability of early care and education for children under age 13 in your area.

To contribute to this effort, please take 45 minutes to complete this questionnaire.

You can access questionnaire at [SURVEY URL] or by scanning the QR code.

You will also need to enter your unique PIN: [PIN]

To thank you for your participation, you will receive a $25 token of appreciation. If you have any questions or need assistance, please call [PLACEHOLDER] or email nsece24prov@norc.org. A professional interviewer will be contacting you in the near future about your participation.

You have been selected for participation in this study from a list of providers in your area based on geographic and program criteria. It is important for us to interview every selected provider to get a complete picture of the availability and use of early care in your area. Your responses will help inform how public funds are spent to subsidize early care and education of young children and to support related services.

We need your help to make this study a success.

Thank you,

A. Rupa Datta

2024 NSECE Project Director

NORC at the University of Chicago

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Center-based Provider System Email: This email is used by the field to send the respondent a survey link with a pin.

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Para español por favor llámenos al [PLACEHOLDER]

Prefield Contact for Multi-Organizational Center-based Provider Addresses: This contact will be sent by mail or email during the prefield period to addresses we have identified as having multiple child care organizations in operation to encourage completion of the center-based provider screener. We often find this situation in elementary schools, YMCAs or park districts where different organizations may rent space and run early care and education programs. The screener will roster the organizations operating programs at the sampled address and then randomly select one organization to participate in the NSECE. This selected organization will receive a letter inviting them to complete the center-based provider questionnaire during the field period.

Dear Child Care Provider,

We need your help with an important study about how we care for children in the United States. The National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) collects information about early care and education providers and classroom staff, as well as the working families they support. The NSECE has been conducted before at two different timepoints, first in 2012 and again in 2019. We are now collecting updated information to see what has changed since 2019 and to learn what options for early care and education are available to families near you.

Please take a couple of minutes to answer a few questions. You are receiving this letter because your name appears on a list of center-based providers in your area. We want to hear from you whether you are currently caring for children or not.

You can access the short online questionnaire at [SURVEY URL] or by scanning the QR code.

You will also need to enter your unique PIN: [PIN]

Because this survey is so important, a professional interviewer will be contacting you soon to answer any questions you might have and assist you in completing the questionnaire. You can also call [PLACERHOLDER] or email nsece24prov@norc.org.

We need your help to make this study a success. We hope you will take part!

Thank you,

A. Rupa Datta, Ph.D.

2024 NSECE Project Director

NORC at the University of Chicago

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Para español por favor llámenos al [PLACEHOLDER]

Survey Invitation for Selected Organizations at Multi-Organizational Center-based Provider Addresses: Initial contact for center-based provider organizations identified as eligible through prefield screening of addresses with multiple centers operating at that location. This may be sent by mail and/or email. We will follow this contact with the postcard and non-response follow-up contact from the initial mailing series as needed.

Dear [FNAME] [LNAME]/Provider/Director,

We need your help with an important study about how we care for children in the United States. We recently spoke to someone at your address who provided information about the organizations operating early care and education programs there. Your organization was randomly selected to participate in the 2024 National Survey of Early Care and Education.

The National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) collects information about early care and education providers and classroom staff, as well as the working families they support. The NSECE has been conducted before at two different timepoints, first in 2012 and again in 2019. Across both efforts we have spoken with more than 14,000 center-based providers to better understand the programs and services they provide. We are now conducting the 2024 NSECE to learn how recent policy and program changes have affected providers like you.

Please complete the online questionnaire at [SURVEY URL] or scan the QR code.

To access your questionnaire, you will need to enter your unique PIN: [PIN]

To thank you for your participation, you will receive a $25 token of appreciation for completing the questionnaire.

By participating, you will help public agencies and policy makers better understand the challenges early care and education providers face as they work to offer quality care to children.

We need your help to make this study a success!

Thank you,

A. Rupa Datta, Ph.D.

2024 NSECE Project Director

NORC at the University of Chicago

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Para español por favor llámenos al [PLACEHOLDER]

Center-based Provider System Email: This email is used by field interviewers to send respondents their survey link with a pin.

Dear Director,

Thank you for your assistance with the 2024 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE). Your response will ultimately inform how public funds are spent to subsidize early care and education and to support related services.

Please complete the online questionnaire at [SURVEY URL] or scan the QR code.

To access your questionnaire, you will need to enter your unique PIN: [PIN]

NORC at the University of Chicago is conducting this study on behalf of the Administration for Children and Families, of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Your participation is voluntary. The questionnaire will take about 45 minutes to complete, and your responses will be kept private. You have the option to skip any question or end the questionnaire at any time. If you have questions, please call us toll free at [PLACEHOLDER] or email nsece24prov@norc.org.

By participating, you will help public agencies and policy makers better understand the challenges early care and education providers face as they work to offer quality care to children.

We need your help to make this study a success.

Thank you,

A. Rupa Datta, Ph.D.

2024 NSECE Project Director

NORC at the University of Chicago

Para español por favor llámenos al [PLACEHOLDER]

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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 for this information collection is [PLACEHOLDER] and the expiration date is [PLACEHOLDER - MM/DD/YEAR]. Please send comments regarding the time required for this survey or any other aspect of the described information collection to: NORC at the University of Chicago, 55 E Monroe St, Ste 3000, Chicago, IL, 60603, Attention: A. Rupa Datta

Center-based Provider Prompting Contact: This contact will be sent to center-based providers that are known eligible but have not completed the questionnaire. This contact may be sent by mail or email as needed.

Dear [PROVIDER],

We have been trying to reach you about participating in the 2024 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE). The only way we can get accurate information about what is happening in early care and education today is by going directly to people, like you, who work in the field. You represent many other early care and education providers across the nation and cannot be replaced by someone else. By participating, you will help policy makers get a clearer understanding of the challenges providers face and what is needed to better support them.

Please complete the online questionnaire at [SURVEY URL] or scan the QR code.

To access your questionnaire, you will need to enter your unique PIN: [PIN]

To thank you for your participation, you will receive a $25 token of appreciation for completing the survey.

The questionnaire will ask you questions that may require administrative information. We have developed a provider worksheet to help you gather this information. [Please click here to access the worksheet./We have enclosed a copy for your convenience.]

NORC at the University of Chicago is conducting this study on behalf of the Administration for Children and Families, of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Your participation is voluntary, and your responses will be kept private. You have the option to skip any question or end the survey at any time. If you have questions, please call us toll-free at [PLACEHOLDER] or email nsece24prov@norc.org.

We need your help to make this study a success!

Sincerely,

A. Rupa Datta, Ph.D.

2024 NSECE Project Director

NORC at the University of Chicago

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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 for this information collection is [PLACEHOLDER] and the expiration date is [PLACEHOLDER] Please send comments regarding the time required for this survey or any other aspect of the described information collection to: NORC at the University of Chicago, 55 E Monroe St, Ste 3000, Chicago, IL, 60603, Attention: A. Rupa Datta.

Para español por favor llámenos al [PLACEHOLDER]

Center-based Provider Prompting Contact Summer/Fall Transition: This contact will be sent to center-based providers to encourage completion of the questionnaire. This contact may be sent by mail or email as needed.

Dear [PROVIDER],

Summer is coming to an end. Please take some time to complete your 2024 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) questionnaire before the new school year begins.

[ALTERNATE 1: Fall brings new beginnings with the start of the school year. We are interested in learning what is happening at [PLACEHOLDER - PROVIDER NAME/ your program] this fall. Please complete your questionnaire for the 2024 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) today.]

[ALTERNATE 2: We have been trying to reach you about participating in the 2024 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE). We know that summer [fall/the start of the school year]is a busy time for early care and education providers. Please take some time to complete your questionnaire today.]

The only way we can get accurate information about what is happening in early care and education today is by going directly to people, like you, who work in the field. You represent many other early care and education providers across the nation and cannot be replaced by someone else. By participating, you will help policy makers get a clearer understanding of the challenges providers face and what is needed to better support them.

Please complete the online questionnaire at [SURVEY URL] or scan the QR code.

To access your questionnaire, you will need to enter your unique PIN: [PIN]

To thank you for your participation, you will receive a $25 token of appreciation for completing the survey.

NORC at the University of Chicago is conducting this study on behalf of the Administration for Children and Families, of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Your participation is voluntary, and your responses will be kept private. You have the option to skip any question or end the survey at any time. If you have questions, please call us toll-free at [PLACEHOLDER] or email nsece24prov@norc.org.

We need your help to make this study a success!

Sincerely,

A. Rupa Datta, Ph.D.

2024 NSECE Project Director

NORC at the University of Chicago

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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 for this information collection is [PLACEHOLDER] and the expiration date is [PLACEHOLDER] Please send comments regarding the time required for this survey or any other aspect of the described information collection to: NORC at the University of Chicago, 55 E Monroe St, Ste 3000, Chicago, IL, 60603, Attention: A. Rupa Datta.

Para español por favor llámenos al [PLACEHOLDER]

Center-based Provider Break-off Email: Text for prompting emails sent to sampled center-based providers that began the questionnaire but did not finish.

Dear Child Care Provider,

We need your help!

Thank you for your interest in the 2024 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) study. Please take a few minutes today to finish your questionnaire and receive your $25 token of appreciation for participating.

We know that you’re busy, but your response will help inform policies and initiatives to better support individuals like you who provide child care in your community.

To begin where you left off, access the questionnaire at [SURVEY URL] or by scanning the QR code.

You will also need to enter your unique PIN: [PIN]

Your complete response will help ensure that the results of this study are valid and accurate. If you experienced technical difficulties that prevented you from completing the questionnaire, let us know by replying to this message or calling toll-free at [PLACEHOLDER]. We will resolve the issue as soon as possible.

We need your help to make this study a success!

Thank you,

A. Rupa Datta, Ph.D.

2024 NSECE Project Director

NORC at the University of Chicago

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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 for this information collection is [PLACEHOLDER]and the expiration date is [PLACEHOLDER - MM/DD/YEAR]. Please send comments regarding the time required for this survey or any other aspect of the described information collection to: NORC at the University of Chicago, 55 E Monroe St, Ste 3000, Chicago, IL, 60603, Attention: A. Rupa Datta

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Para español por favor llámenos al [PLACEHOLDER]

Center-based Provider Contact for Increased Token of Appreciation: Text informing providers of increased Token of Appreciation (if approved). Maybe be sent by mail or by email as needed.

Dear Child Care Provider,

Time is running out to participate in the 2024 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE). We have been collecting information from early care and education providers across the nation since the start of 2024. Your organization was scientifically selected for this study and cannot be replaced.

Because it is critical that we hear from you, we are able to offer you an additional token of appreciation of $25 on top of the initial $25 thank you token for participating in the 2024 NSECE.

Please participate in this important study. You can access the questionnaire at [SURVEY URL] or by scanning the QR code.

You will also need to enter your unique PIN: [PIN]

A professional interviewer will be contacting you soon to answer any questions you might have and assist you in completing the survey. You can also call us at [PLACEHOLDER] or email nsece24prov@norc.org.

We need to hear from every selected provider to make this study a success!

Thank you,

A. Rupa Datta, Ph.D.

2024 NSECE Project Director

NORC at the University of Chicago

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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 for this information collection is [PLACEHOLDER]and the expiration date is [PLACEHOLDER - MM/DD/YEAR]. Please send comments regarding the time required for this survey or any other aspect of the described information collection to: NORC at the University of Chicago, 55 E Monroe St, Ste 3000, Chicago, IL, 60603, Attention: A. Rupa Datta

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Para español por favor llámenos al [PLACEHOLDER]

Contact for Sharing Publications Related to the Study: Contact sent to eligible sampled providers (or eligible individuals from other samples) to connect sample experiences with study findings. This kind of contact will be sent by mail or email and used to gain cooperation with non-respondents as needed.

Dear [FNAME] [LNAME],

Thank you for taking the time to talk with us. We are glad to know that you are thinking about participating in the 2024 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE). The NSECE and the information we collect serve as a valuable resource for organizations like the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and other public agencies.

We are asking you to complete the questionnaire today. We do not want you to miss the opportunity to share with policy makers what your experiences have been working with children.

We know that [PLACEHOLDER for sample description] have concerns about/face challenges with[PLACEHOLDER TOPIC DESCRIPTION]/[PLACEHOLDER – DESCRIPTION OF EXPERIENCE]. The NSECE has produced a report on this topic with information collected from [PLACEHOLDER for sample description] in 2019/during the pandemic. You can access this here: [PLACEHOLDER – link to publication]

To complete your survey, click here. You will receive $25 as a token of appreciation for participating.

There are only a few weeks left to participate. We hope you will be able to take some time to share your experiences today.

Thank you,

A. Rupa Datta

2024 NSECE Project Director

NORC at the University of Chicago

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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 for this information collection is [PLACEHOLDER] and the expiration date is [PLACEHOLDER - MM/DD/YEAR]. Please send comments regarding the time required for this survey or any other aspect of the described information collection to: NORC at the University of Chicago, 55 E Monroe St, Ste 3000, Chicago, IL, 60603, Attention: A. Rupa Datta

Para español por favor llámenos al [PLACEHOLDER]

Center-based Provider Text Messages: Text for SMS messages for center-based providers who have consented to receive messages.

Known Eligibility

Initial Invite: 2024 National Survey of Early Care and Education: Thanks for agreeing to receive text reminders. To participate, visit [LINK] and enter [PIN]. Learn more at http://nsece.norc.org. Questions? Contact NORC at [PLACEHOLDER] or [PLACEHOLDER]. Reply STOP to opt-out of texts.

Follow up: Complete the 2024 NSECE today! To participate, visit [LINK] and enter [PIN]. Learn more at http://nsece.norc.org. Questions? Contact NORC at [PLACEHOLDER] or [PLACEHOLDER]. Reply STOP to opt-out of texts.

Unknown Eligibility

Initial Invite: Thanks for agreeing to receive text reminders. Help us get a complete picture of early care and education services in your area and complete the 2024 National Survey of Early Care and Education today. Visit [LINK] and enter [PIN]. Learn more at www.nsece.norc.org. Questions? Contact NORC at [PLACEHOLDER] or [PLACEHOLDER]. Reply STOP to opt-out of texts.

Follow up: Help us get a complete picture of early care and education services in your area and complete the 2024 NSECE today! Visit [LINK] and enter [PIN]. Learn more at www.nsece.norc.org. Questions? Contact NORC at [PLACEHOLDER] or [PLACEHOLDER]. Reply STOP to opt-out of texts.

Center-based Provider Last Chance Contact: Contact sent to center-based providers at the tail end of data collection to create a sense of urgency and encourage participation in the final weeks. This may be sent by mail or email. This contact is formatted as a postcard.

SIDE 1

Last chance to respond . . . to the NSECE!

Don’t let the school year pass you by without being a part of this one-of-a-kind national study! Start your summer off by completing your questionnaire today! If you have already participated, thank you!

Eligible providers will receive $25 token of appreciation. See back for survey link and more information.

Call or email us today! [PLACEHOLDER] nsece24prov@norc.org

PARA ESPAÑOL POR FAVOR LLÁMENOS AL [PLACEHOLDER]

SIDE 2

Why is the 2024 NSECE important?

The NSECE is the only national study aimed at better understanding the people and programs throughout the country that take care of America’s children.
Information the NSECE collects helps inform policies and practices made by the government at state and federal levels to support early care and education providers.

Why are you so important to the NSECE?

The NSECE is your opportunity to share the challenges and the successes that you have had in:
- Providing quality care to children
- Maintaining a stable staff to work with children
- Balancing affordability for parents with financial stability as a child care provider.
Your response will help to better understand the experiences of providers who work directly with children and offer opportunities for them to improve their knowledge and skills.

Access your survey at: [PLACEHOLDER]

Enter your PIN: [PLACEHOLDER]

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Para español por favor llámenos al [PLACEHOLDER]

Center-based Provider Survey Thank You Contact: Sent to center-based provider respondents after completion of the questionnaire to thank them for participation and provide the honorarium. This may be sent by mail or email as needed.

Subject [FOR EMAIL]: Thank You from the NSECE - Code Enclosed

Dear [FNAME] [LNAME],

We are writing to thank you for your recent participation in the 2024 National Survey of Early Care and Education. The questionnaire you completed will provide important information about how recent policy and program changes have affected center-based providers like you.

In appreciation for the time and effort spent answering our questions, we have enclosed a $25 token of appreciation.

If you have any additional questions, you may contact us toll-free at [PLACEHOLDER] or by email at nsece24prov@norc.org.

Thank you again for your help with this important research.

The NSECE Study Team

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Para español por favor llámenos al [PLACEHOLDER]

Center-based Provider Brochure: As needed – Available for any sampled providers to provide a general study overview, explain benefits of participation, answer questions, and serve as a refusal conversion tool.

BROCHURE INTERIOR

LEFT PANEL

What is the NSECE?

The National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) is a study funded by the Administration for Children and Families, of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago.

In 2019 the NSECE collected vital information from center-based providers and other caregivers to create a national profile of early care and education (ECE) services. That critically important information helped inform funding decisions and other initiatives designed to improve ECE across the country. In January 2024, we will be contacting nearly 20,000 center-based providers across all 50 states to collect updated information to learn how the ECE landscape has changed and how public agencies might better support providers.

What is the Administration for Children and Families?

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that administers Head Start and the Child Care and Development Fund (child care subsidy) programs, and sponsors research on early care and education ECE. ACF helps more children in low-income families access high-quality care and supports coordination efforts across multiple early childhood development programs throughout HHS and across the federal government. Through its direct work and in coordination with others, ACF supports efforts to build professional development systems and workforce initiatives to help ECE professionals pursue better training and higher education, moving up career ladders to higher compensation. The NSECE will assist ACF in its overall mission to improve the availability of high-quality ECE programs.

BROCHURE INTERIOR

CENTER PANEL

Why is the NSECE so important?

In 2012 the NSECE created the first national profile of individuals providing center-based ECE in more than 20 years, describing who they are and what kinds of care they provide. In 2019, we collected new information to update this profile. Both of these efforts helped administrators, policy makers, and public agencies understand what types of center-based care were available to families, how many providers there were, and what types of programs they offered. The study also gave insight into the challenges providers face in their efforts to provide quality care to the families they serve.

Since 2019 new legislation, funding opportunities, and program standards have been introduced in an effort to better support center-based providers and make quality care more accessible to all families. The COVID-19 pandemic also affected the provision of ECE. As a result, it is critically important that we collect updated information from you so we can examine what impact these changes have had on ECE services in general and center-based providers in particular.

Who are you surveying?

The study focuses on early care and education (ECE) providers and workforce, as well as the working families they support. We will implement four integrated surveys of:

Centers, schools, and other programs: The survey samples all types of organizational providers including license-exempt providers, Head Start and providers in school-based settings, and for-profit and non-profit community-based pre-school providers. The survey will take about 45 minutes.
Classroom staff: Teachers, assistant teachers, or aides working in ECE classrooms will be selected to provide information about their professional experiences and classroom activities.
Providers of home-based care: Individuals who provide care for children under age 13 (who are not their own) in a home-based setting will be surveyed.
Families with children: Parents or guardians of children under age 13 will be interviewed to learn more about their ECE use and needs.

BROCHURE INTERIOR

RIGHT PANEL

Why should I participate?

Your responses will be combined with others to produce a rich data source that has the potential to benefit federal, state, and local or community-level child care policies. The data collected from this survey will be used to:

Create a comprehensive description of the range of institutional and individual providers in the U.S., including community-based care, for-profit providers, Head Start programs, school-based settings, and home-based child care providers.
Provide detailed information on the ways in which ECE providers operate - like what curriculum they use, how they staff and organize classrooms, and what they charge.
Help develop initiatives to support caregivers through such things as educational assistance, training, and improved pay and benefits.
Better understand the experiences of the ECE workforce and offer opportunities for them to improve their knowledge and skills.

BROCHURE EXTERIOR

LEFT PANEL

Why was I chosen?

You have been chosen for this study from a list of providers in your area. It is important for us to hear from every selected provider to get a complete picture of the availability of ECE in your area. You represent many other providers across the nation and cannot be replaced.

Your participation will help ensure that policy makers, practitioners, and parents have an accurate understanding of our nation’s ECE landscape.

Will my responses be private?

All the information you and your staff provide will be used for statistical purposes only. The identities of programs and individuals will not be disclosed except as required by law. All project staff who handle information collected for the study must sign a privacy agreement that provides for criminal and civil penalties if privacy is not kept.

The NSECE has also obtained a federal Certificate of Confidentiality from the Department of Health and Human Services in order to further protect your privacy. With this Certificate, NORC cannot be forced (for example by court order or subpoena) to disclose information that may identify you in any federal, state, local, civil, criminal, legislative, administrative, or other proceedings.

BROCHURE EXTERIOR

CENTER PANEL

How can I participate?

Participating in the NSECE is easy. In an effort to make this as convenient for you as possible, NORC offers multiple ways for you to complete your interview. Contact us at [EMAIL] or at [PHONE] and we’ll find the best option to suit your schedule.

What questions this study will help to answer?

Who is caring for and teaching America’s children when they are not with their parents?
What are the characteristics of care available to families?
What sources of revenue do providers rely on, and how are those sources related to the care offered?
How can we better support the ECE workforce and offer opportunities to help them improve the care they provide children?

ECE researchers have and continue to use public data files (with no identifying respondent information) from the 2012 NSECE survey to inform important ECE public policy decisions. The data has been accessed over [PLACEHOLDER] times!

Questions about NSECE?

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Participation is voluntary. 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 for this information collection is [PLACEHOLDER] and the expiration date is [MM/DD/YEAR]. Please send comments regarding the time required for this survey or any other aspect of the described information collection to: NORC at the University of Chicago, 55 E Monroe St, Ste 3000, Chicago, IL, 60603, Attention: A. Rupa Datta

[PHONE] or [EMAIL]

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Para español por favor llámenos al [PLACEHOLDER]

Contact for Center-based Providers Located on Military Bases: During the field period we will identify providers that are located on military bases. This contact will be sent to these centers as needed by mail and/or email to encourage participation in the study.

Dear [PROVIDER NAME],

We have been trying to reach you to ask for your help with an important study about how we care for children in the United States. Please take the time to participate in the 2024 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE). Your response will help public agencies and policy makers better understand the challenges early care and education providers face as they work to offer quality care to children. It is important that providers living on military bases participate in this important survey, so that your needs and services are represented.

The NSECE has been conducted before at two different timepoints, first in 2012 and again in 2019. Across both efforts we have spoken with more than 14,000 center-based providers to better understand the programs and services they provide to families in their area. We are now conducting the 2024 NSECE to learn how recent policy and program changes have affected providers like you. We rely on voluntary participation by you and many other public-spirited people to make the study a success.

To thank you for your participation, you will receive a $25 token of appreciation for completing the survey.

You can access the online questionnaire at [SURVEY URL] or by scanning the QR code.

To begin, you will need to enter your unique PIN: [PIN]

NORC at the University of Chicago is conducting this study on behalf of the Administration for Children and Families, of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Your participation is voluntary. The survey will take about 45 minutes, and your responses will be kept private. You have the option to skip any question or end the survey at any time. If you have questions, please call us toll free at [PLACEHOLDER] or email nsece-prov@norc.org.

We need your help to make this study a success.

Thank you,

A. Rupa Datta, Ph.D.

2024 NSECE Project Director

NORC at the University of Chicago

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Center-based Providers Elementary School Conversion Contact: As needed - Sent to sampled school-based providers who have not responded to the survey.

Dear Early Childhood Educator,

I write to ensure that your school is represented in the 2024 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE), which is in the final stages of data collection. [IF SUPPORT LETTER INCLUDED: The enclosed letter from the XX describes some of the reasons this study is important to educators like you.]

As you know, the last two decades have seen a tremendous expansion in the availability and use of programs for children not yet in kindergarten. That expansion has been based on compelling research evidence that birth to age five is a critical time for children’s development. The 2024 NSECE offers a significant opportunity to continue to build on that knowledge about children’s experiences.

In 2012 the NSECE conducted interviews with nearly 15,000 providers to create the first national profile of early care and education services in more than 20 years. The NSECE collected data again in 2019. The profile created by the NSECE was distinctive because it included all types of non-parental care and education experiences available for children not yet in kindergarten, spanning home-based care, traditional pre-school, school-based pre-kindergarten, and many other options. Legislators deciding state and federal budgets, policy makers determining licensing and subsidy rules, instructional staff seeking employment, and parents enrolling their children must all choose between different types of care, yet there had been virtually no systematic evidence on which to base these choices. The 2012 and 2019 studies collected data and produced analyses that made systematic and rigorous comparisons between the various educational and care programs for young children possible. We are now collecting new information to update this profile in order to learn how recent policy and program changes have affected early care and education providers like you.

We expect that the NSECE data and analyses will be particularly relevant for school-based early childhood educators in the following ways:

- Improving children’s readiness to learn in school. Policy makers and researchers know that high-quality early childhood experiences dramatically increase children’s readiness to learn in elementary school, but little is known about how programs vary in terms of their staff quality, access to supportive services, and turnover in instructional staff. NSECE results will help communities invest private and public resources wisely so that children’s access to quality programs and overall quality of care can be improved.

- Enhancing the workforce for early care and education classrooms. We know that the teachers and aides who spend hours each day with children are the critical element for high-quality care, yet we also know that wages, benefits, job security, and opportunities for training and advancement can all be limited for early childhood staff. The NSECE asks and answers questions such as, “What job conditions are conducive to maintaining a strong workforce? In what types of communities might expanding school-based early learning opportunities weaken the availability of quality staff for community-based and home-based programs?” Your school was selected through a scientific method to represent school-based early care and education programs in the U.S. Please make sure your school’s early care and education offerings will be counted in these important estimates of the opportunities available in your area. The survey will take about 45 minutes. Participation is voluntary and your responses will be kept private. Our project interviewers are able to schedule an in-person or telephone interview at your convenience (call [PHONE]), or you may complete the web survey by typing the secure URL into any computer or mobile device’s web browser and entering the unique PIN:

URL address: [PACEHOLDER]

PIN: [WEBPIN]

Thank you for your hard work every day educating our nation’s children. We want to make sure that your contributions are included when the NSECE informs policy makers and parents about the current availability of early care and education in our communities, and how we can best invest public and private resources to serve our communities’ needs.

Thank you,

A. Rupa Datta, Ph.D.

2024 NSECE Project Director

NORC at the University of Chicago

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Center-based Provider Office of Head Start Letter of Support: Letter of support to be shared with center-based providers during data collection to encourage participation in the study.

Dear OHS Colleague:

We wanted to let you know that data collection for the 2024 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) is under way in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The NSECE is the only national survey of early care and education (ECE) use and availability. The 2012 and 2019 NSECE studies helped us learn an enormous amount about families with young children who use ECE programs and about ECE programs and providers. We are now collecting new, nationally representative information about all segments of early care and education and families’ needs for ECE services, which include child care, Early Head Start and Head Start, and prekindergarten programs. We are excited about the possibility of learning how recent policy and program changes have affected providers and the availability of ECE services since 2012.

The Administration for Children and Families has contracted with NORC at the University of Chicago to conduct the 2024 NSECE. NORC has sent mailings to selected providers and households throughout the country, inviting them to participate in the study. NORC field interviewers will be visiting providers and households in person and calling them by telephone to encourage participation in the study. We are writing you to ask your support for this critical data collection effort. If you are contacted by providers, households, teachers and caregivers, or other members of the general public, please emphasize and reassure those individuals that the 2024 NSECE is a legitimate and vital effort for our programs and our ability to help all our nation’s children get access to high-quality ECE programs.

NORC has a variety of resources for respondents to verify the legitimacy of the study. Interviewers visiting in person will have a NORC badge with a hologram on the back. Respondents may visit this webpage, where the option “How to Identify NORC Interviewers” will allow them to type in the NORC interviewer’s ID number and last name to see a photograph of the interviewer. All NORC staff members have signed legally binding pledges of privacy and must abide by a strict code of professional conduct. All project materials will also include a toll-free number, [PLACEHOLDER], and an email address, [PLACEHOLDER], if you would like to obtain further information about the study.

We include additional NSECE resources and information below. Please do not hesitate to contact the study team with questions or concerns about data collection efforts in your communities. Because the study is being fielded with a statistics-based design, participants need to be contacted by NORC; the NSECE cannot accept volunteers who were not statistically selected.

Thank you for your assistance with this important study.

Director

Office of Head Start

Information About the 2024 NSECE

A key aim of the 2024 surveys is to provide updated profiles of individuals and programs

providing ECE and to describe ECE use in households across the United States. The 2024

NSECE includes center- and home-based provider surveys, a household survey, and a child

care workforce survey, all of which are based on nationally representative samples. It is

important for us to include a wide range of providers who were scientifically selected, including

federal and local agencies. This information will give us a more representative sample that will

better inform future policy and research. All data provided by households and providers will be

used only for statistical purposes, and the identities of individuals and programs will not be

disclosed.

More information about the survey is available at http://nsece.norc.org.

You can also access findings from 2012 online at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/research/project/national-survey-of-early-care-and-education-nsece-2010-2014 and findings from 2019 online at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/national-survey-early-care-and-education-2019-2017-2022.

There you will find information reports and fact sheets about the characteristics of the 121,000 center-based programs, 1.4 million teachers and caregivers working with young children in those programs, and 1 million paid and about 4 million unpaid individuals who regularly care for other people’s children at home.

In addition, you will find insights into the early care and education experiences, choices and perceptions of the nations’ parents and guardians of young children in 2012 and 2019.

Center-based Provider Department of Education Letter of Support: Letter of support from the Department of Education to be shared with center-based providers during data collection to encourage participation in the study.

Dear Colleague:

I am writing to make you aware of the 2024 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE), administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The NSECE is the only national survey of child care and early education use and availability; it was first conducted in 2012 and then again in 2019. This survey aims to provide nationally representative information about all segments of early care and education (ECE) providers. Based on the 2012 and 2019 NSECE, we have learned an enormous amount about the characteristics of ECE programs, teachers, and caregivers throughout the country, and we are excited about the possibility of learning about how the ECE landscape has changed since then through the 2024 NSECE.

A key aim of the 2024 surveys is to describe all segments of ECE providers in the United States, as well as to provide updated profiles of programs and individuals providing ECE. This would include, for example, how local educational agencies, pre-K programs, and schools have used federal, state, and local funds to expand ECE access and implement supports to promote children’s school readiness. LEAs or schools might be utilizing, for example, Title I funds to support a high-quality preschool program.

The 2024 NSECE includes a provider survey, a household survey, and a child care workforce survey, all based on nationally representative samples. Your program has been randomly selected as a part of the provider sample.

The National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago, along with its partners, is conducting the NSECE on behalf of HHS. NORC will contact you with information on how to complete the survey. All data provided by you and your staff will be used only for statistical purposes. Identities of programs and individuals will not be disclosed.

If you have any questions regarding this study, please contact Ivelisse Martinez-Beck at the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S Department of Health and Human Services, at (202)-690–7885 or Ivelisse.martinezbeck@acf.hhs.gov.

More information about the survey is available at http://nsece.norc.org. This data collection has been reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget, and you may be interested in the Federal Register Notice and additional information available online at [PLACEHOLDER]

Thank you in advance for participating in the 2024 NSECE.

Sincerely,

[PLACEHOLDER]

Office of Child Care Statewide Support Letter to Child Care Agencies: Letter of support from the Office of Child Care to share with child care agencies and others during the field period.

2024 National Survey of Early Care and Education Now Collecting Data in All 50 States and D.C.

[INSERT MONTH DAY, YEAR]

Dear Early Care and Education Colleague:

We have some exciting news to share with you. Data collection for the 2024 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) is currently under way in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The NSECE is the only national survey of early care and education (ECE) use and availability. We initially conducted the NSECE in 2012, creating the first national picture of early care and education (ECE) in over twenty years. We repeated the NSECE in 2019 to document how the ECE landscape had changed in the intervening years. We are collecting updated, nationally representative information about all segments of early care and education and families’ needs for ECE services, which include child care, Early Head Start and Head Start, and prekindergarten programs through the 2024 NSECE. We are excited about the possibility of learning how recent policy and program changes and the COVID-19 pandemic have affected providers and the availability of ECE services since 2019.

NORC has a variety of resources for respondents to verify the legitimacy of the study. Interviewers visiting in person will have a NORC badge with a hologram on the back. Respondents may visit http://www.norc.org/WorkingWithNORC/Pages/survey-participants.aspx, where the option “How To Identify NORC Interviewers” will allow them to type in the NORC interviewer’s ID number to see a photograph of the interviewer. All NORC staff members have signed legally binding pledges of privacy and must abide by a strict code of professional conduct. All project materials will also include a toll-free number, [PLACEHOLDER], and an email address, nsece24prov@norc.org, if you would like to obtain further information about the study.

We have included additional NSECE resources and information below. Please do not hesitate to contact the NSECE study team with questions or concerns about data collection efforts in your communities. Because the study is being fielded with a statistics-based design, participants need to be contacted by NORC; the NSECE cannot accept volunteers who were not statistically selected.

Thank you in advance for your assistance with this important study.

Director

Office of Child Care

Information about the 2024 NSECE

A key aim of the 2024 surveys is to provide updated profiles of individuals and programs providing ECE and to describe ECE use in households across the United States. The 2024 NSECE includes center- and home-based provider surveys, a household survey, and a child care workforce survey, all of which are based on nationally representative samples. It is important for us to include a wide range of providers who were scientifically selected, including federal and local agencies. This information will give us a more representative sample that will better inform policies that affect ECE programs and practices. All data provided by households and providers will be used only for statistical purposes, and the identities of individuals and programs will not be disclosed.

More information about the survey is available on http://www.norc.org/Research/Projects/Pages/national-survey-of-early-care-and-education.aspx.

You can also access reports and factsheets based on the 2012 NSECE and 2019 NSECE about the characteristics of center-based programs, teachers and caregivers working with young children in those programs and paid and unpaid individuals who regularly care for other people’s children at home on that site. In addition, you will find insights into the ECE experiences, choices, and perceptions of the parents and guardians of young children.

Office of Child Care Letter for Community Leaders and Others: Letter of support from the Office of Child Care to share with community leaders and others during the field period.

330 C Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20201 I www.acf.hhs.gov

[INSERT MONTH YEAR]

Dear Community Member:

I am writing to share information about the 2024 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE), funded by the Administration for Children and Families, of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The NSECE is the only national survey of child care and early education, use and availability. In 2012, the NSECE provided the first national profile of early care and education (ECE) services in more than 20 years. We repeated the NSECE in 2019 to document how the ECE landscape had changed in the intervening years. We are now collecting updated, nationally representative information through the 2024 NSECE about all segments of ECE and families' needs for ECE services. We learned an enormous amount about families who use ECE, as well as about those who provide ECE, such as ECE programs, teachers and caregivers, and individuals who regularly care for children who are not their own through the 2012 NSECE and 2019 NSECE. We are excited about the possibility of learning how recent policy and program changes and the COVID-19 pandemic affected providers and the availability of ECE services since 2019.

A key aim of the 2024 surveys is to describe all households that use ECE in U.S. and provide updated profiles of programs and individuals providing ECE. For this reason, it is essential that we are able to collect data from every community that is scientifically selected for this study. The 2024 NSECE includes center and home-based provider surveys, a household survey, and a child care workforce survey, all based on nationally representative samples. Households and providers in your local area have been randomly selected as a part of the 2024 sample. It is important for us to include households and providers in your area to get a complete picture of the current availability and use of ECE services. All the information that they provide will be used for statistical purposes only. The identities of programs and individuals will not be disclosed.

NORC at the University of Chicago, along with its partners, is conducting the NSECE on behalf of HHS. NORC staff will follow up with you to answer any questions you may have. You may also contact the NSECE project team at nsece24@norc.org or the Federal Project Officer, Ivelisse Martinez-Beck in the Administration for Children and Families, U.S Department of Health and Human Services, at (202) 690-7885 or lvelisse.martinezbeck@acf.hhs.gov.

More information about the survey is available at http://nsece.norc.org. You can also access findings from 2012 NSECE and 2019 NSECE online at https://www.norc.org/Research/Projects/Pages/national-survey-of-early-care-and-education.aspx.

Thank you in advance for your assistance with this important study.

Sincerely,

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Center-based Provider Preparation Worksheet: This worksheet will be distributed to sampled center-based providers to facilitate completion of the questionnaire. Since respondents may need to consult with other staff on certain items (e.g., enrollment, finance, classroom staffing), the worksheet enables respondents to gather key responses before beginning the questionnaire. The worksheet itself will not be collected.

We anticipate that you will be able to readily answer most items in the questionnaire, but there are a few questions that might require some additional information from either records or other individuals as your facility. We have included these questions on this worksheet so that you may prepare the information before you begin the questionnaire.

What age groups of children participate in your program at this site? By age groups, we mean the range of ages you use to group children. Please only report on age groups of children under age 13. How many children are currently enrolled in each age group in your program at the site? How many of these children are currently enrolled full time? How many vacancies do you currently have in this age group?

Age group in months	No. of children enrolled	No. of children enrolled full time	No. of vacancies
_____ Months to _____ Months
_____ Months to _____ Months
_____ Months to _____ Months
_____ Months to _____ Months

How many children attend at least 5 hours weekly but don't have a regular schedule of attendance?

Number of children

Does your program have a rate that you charge families for full-time care for the following ages:

Age	Yes	No
Infants less than 12 months old
2 years old
3 years old
4 years old

How much are you currently charging families for full-time enrollment for the following age groups? Please do not include any subsidies or discounts.

Age	Rate	Is that per… hour/day/week/etc.?
Infants less than 12 months old
2 years old
3 years old
4 years old

How many children in your program are paid for only by their families with no subsidies, discounts, or scholarships?

Number of children

For items 6-11, please report on young children in your program. By young children, we mean children age 5 and under, not yet in kindergarten.

How many of the young children currently enrolled in your program have a physical condition that affects the way your program serves them?

Number of children

How many of the young children have an IEP/IFSP? An IEP is an Individualized Education Plan for children with delays or disabilities who receive special education services in school. An IFSP is an Individualized Family Service Plan for children with delays or disabilities and their families who receive early intervention services.

Number of children

Again, thinking about all the young children current enrolled, about how many of them are of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin?

Number of children

As far as you know, how many of the young children who are not of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin are…

Category	No. of Children
White
Black or African-American
Asian
Mixed race, another race, or you are not certain

From January to March of 2023, about how many young children did your program stop caring for? Please include children whose parents withdrew their children from care as well as children you didn’t want to care for anymore. Your best estimate is fine.

Number of children

From January to March of 2023, about how many new children did your program start taking care of? Please include children age 5 and under, not yet in kindergarten. Your best estimate is fine.

Number of children

How many children in your program are funded by dollars from the following government programs?

	No. of Children
State pre-kindergarten
Head Start, including Early Head Start	Under 3 years ____ 3-5 years, not in kindergarten _____
Local Government (e.g. Pre-K funding from local school board or other local agency, grants from city or county government)
Child Care subsidy programs such as CCDF or TANF (including voucher/certificates, state contracts)	Under 3 years ____ 3-5 years, not in kindergarten _____
Title I
Other types of government funded programs

Do any of the government agencies that provide funds for your program

	Yes	No
provide a grant to support your overall program?
contract with you for a guaranteed number of slots?
pay you for vouchers or subsidies for specific eligible children?
pay the parents directly?
have some other payment arrangement?

How many children are funded by non-government community organizations (e.g. United Way, local charities or religious organizations)?

	No. of Children
Under 3 years
3-5 years, not in kindergarten
School-age
No children are funded by non-government community organizations

Do you receive revenues from any of the following sources?

Revenue category	Yes	No
Tuitions and fees paid by families – including parent fees and additional fees paid by parents, such as registration fees, transportation fees from parents, late pick up/late payment fees
Revenues from community organizations or other grants (e.g. United Way, local charities, or other service organizations, not including anything you’ve mentioned earlier)
Revenues from fund-raising activities, cash contributions, gifts, bequests, special events.
Other revenue sources. Please specify: _____________________________________________

16. Thinking about your entire budget for providing early care and education services to children under age 13, which of the categories below best describes how much of your revenues come from public dollars? Public dollars include any funding from the federal/state/local governments, and revenues or grants from other community organizations (e.g., United Way, religious organizations, charities).

1. No public dollars received

2. Less than 33% (one-third) of revenues are public

3. Between 33% and 66% of revenues are public

4. More than 66% (two-thirds) of revenues are public

5. All revenues are public

17. Thinking about your entire budget for providing early care and education services to children under age 13, which of the categories below best describes how much of your revenues come from private dollars? Private dollars include parent pay (e.g., tuition, fees) and revenues from fundraising or gifts/donations.

1. No private dollars received

2. Less than 33% (one-third) of revenues are private

3. Between 33% and 66% of revenues are private

4. More than 66% (two-thirds) of revenues are private

5. All revenues are private

18. For your children ages 3 through 5, not in kindergarten, which of the following sets of requirements and standards are you required to meet? By requirements and standards, we mean things such as health and safety, group sizes, ratios, teacher qualifications, or curriculum use.

	Yes	No
Child care licensing
Child care subsidy program or Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF)
Head Start
State/public-pre-K
State quality rating and improvement system (QRIS)

18. Programs with more than one public funding source are often required to meet multiple sets of standards and requirements at the same time. Some standards and requirements may apply to individual children based on funding source, or to certain classrooms, or to the whole center. Please tell me at which level your program applies each of the following standards:

	Individual children to whom standards apply	Classrooms with any children to whom standards apply	Classrooms in a certain age group	Throughout the center
Head Start
State/public pre-K
Child care subsidies/CCDF

19. Since June of 2022, have you received any funds from a state or federal agency that were not tied to children's enrollment? These might include child care stabilization funds, dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), COVID relief dollars paid since June 2022, or other state or federal funds to assist child care providers.

Yes

20. Did you use all or a portion of these funds to support:

	Yes	No
Personnel costs: Hiring, premium pay, bonuses, and/or enhanced benefits for staff
Operating costs (rent, facilities, etc.)
Personal protective equipment (PPE), cleaning, sanitation
Mental health supports for children and/or employees

21. What is the total number of staff employed at this site in your program who work directly children under 13? Please include full-time and part-time workers, but only those who work in the early care and education activities we are discussing in this survey.

Number of staff

22. What is the total number of staff who do not work with children? Include full-time and part-time workers, administrators, support staff, drivers, cooks and anyone else who works on your early child care and education activities for children up to age 13.

Number of staff

Center-based Provider Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): This document provides responses to the most frequently asked questions from center-based providers. These FAQs are used by field interviewers to answer questions and are included in mail and email contacts.

What is the NSECE?

The National Survey of Early Care and Education is the only study aimed at better understanding the people and programs throughout the country that take care of America’s children and the services that they provide. The study was first conducted in 2012 and again in 2019. We are now collecting new information to inform policies and practices to support early care and education providers.

Who is NORC at the University of Chicago?

NORC at the University of Chicago (NORC) is conducting this study. NORC is an independent, non-partisan research institution that helps federal agencies, decision-makers, and nonprofits make better decisions through data and analysis. For more information about us, please visit www.norc.org.

Who sponsors the study?

The NSECE is sponsored by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children & Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Administration for Children & Families administers the Head Start program, federally-funded child care subsidies, and a variety of other programs to help regulate and improve child care across the country.

How can I learn more about the NSECE and how the 2012 and 2019 survey data has been used?

More information about the 2012 and 2019 NSECE data and findings can be found at: http://nsece.norc.org.

How was I selected for this survey?

You have been selected for participation in this study from a list of providers in your area based on geographic and program criteria. It is important for us to hear from every selected provider to get a complete picture of the availability of early care and education services in your area.

How long does the survey take?

The survey takes about 45 minutes to complete.

What kinds of questions this study will help to answer?

The survey will include various questions related to early care and education (ECE), including

The type of care your program provides
How you seek new children to serve
General information about the structure of your services

How will you select the staff member at my facility that will participate in this study?

You will be asked to list out classroom staff at your facility. They will be selected from this list. We need to hear from your staff as they represent other staff at your facility and at similar child care centers across the country. They cannot be replaced by someone else.

What kinds of questions will you ask my staff?

The survey asks questions about the classroom they usually work in and their personal experiences with providing care, including:

The type of activities and people present in the classroom
Their education and training in child care
Their thoughts about different aspects of child care

How do I know my information will be kept safe and private?

Answers that could identify you or your program in any way are separated from your other responses. Survey findings are put into summary reports that contain no names or other identifying information. Your name or any identifying information will never be released to the public. This study also has a Federal Certificate of Confidentiality from the government which protects researchers and other staff from being forced to release information that could be used to identify participants in court proceedings.

How do you protect my answers?

We use computing systems, staff training, and strict data access requirements to protect your identity and keep your responses private.

Questionnaire responses and respondent identifying information are stored on a secure server with restricted access.
Only authorized personnel associated with the study will have access to questionnaire responses and respondent identifying information. This access is granted on a need-to-know basis. When this information is no longer needed, then access is shut off.
NORC computing systems use two factor authentication. NORC staff must change their passwords on a regular basis to comply with security requirements.
All NORC staff must pass annual trainings on data security and privacy.
All NORC staff, including interviewers, must sign a pledge to protect your information. If this pledge is broken an employee can lose his/her job and face legal action.

All information that you provide will be kept private to the fullest extent provided by the law. If you have questions about your rights as a study participant, you may call the NORC Institutional Review Board Administrator at 1-877-309-0542.

How do I know this is legitimate?

NSECE has a variety of resources available to verify the legitimacy of the study.

Visit us online at http://nsece.norc.org or at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/national-survey-early-care-and-education-2024.

The U.S. Office of Management and Budget has approved this survey ([PLACEHOLDER]). Without this number we could not conduct this survey.

Interviewers visiting in-person will have an NORC badge with a hologram on the back.

Anyone may visit the web page below where the option ‘How to Identify NORC Interviewers’ allows them to type in the NORC interviewer’s ID number to see a photograph of the interviewer: http://www.norc.org/WorkingWithNORC/Pages/survey-participants.aspx.

If you have any other questions, call us toll-free [PLACEHOLDER] or email us at nsece24prov@norc.org

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Participation is voluntary. 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 for this information collection is [PLACEHOLDER] and the expiration date is [PLACEHOLDER]. Please send comments regarding the time required for this survey or any other aspect of the described information collection to: NORC at the University of Chicago, 55 E Monroe St, Ste 3000, Chicago, IL, 60603, Attention: A. Rupa Datta

Para español por favor llámenos al [PLACEHOLDER]

Center-based Provider Talking Points: We expect that some participants will require several contacts before they complete the questionnaire. The talking points below allow us to provide respondents with additional information about the study and communicate the importance of their participation. We may use the text below to create emails and letters to prompt sampled center-based providers to participate in the study or to address reasons for refusal. Interviewers may also use these talking points in conversations to address respondent concerns or provide motivation to complete the questionnaire.

The 2024 National Survey of Early Care and Education will be used to:

Identify the types of center-based care available to families, how many providers there are, and the types of programs offered. This will provide urgently needed information about the supply of early care and education available to families across all income levels.
Understand how the general structure and operations of center-based provider services has changed since 2019 (i.e., the curriculum they use, how they staff and organize classrooms, and what they charge).
Learn how effective certain professional development initiatives and programs have been in helping to maintain a stable staff to work with children.
Provide detailed information on the ways in which center-based providers operate – like what curriculum they use, what hours they look after children, and how much they charge for their services.
Better understand the experiences of the early care and education workforce and offer opportunities for them to improve their knowledge and skills.

Text explaining why NSECE is important to early care and education in general and center-based providers in particular.

The 2012 NSECE provided the first national picture since the 1990s of individuals working directly with children in early care and education settings describing who they are, their qualifications, their compensation, and what motivates them to do this work. This highlighted the critical role of teachers and caregivers in early care and education and what kinds of challenges they face in their jobs.
The 2024 NSECE will build on the 2012 and 2019 NSECE studies to update the comprehensive profile of types of care arrangements families are using for their children across the nation.
This study is unique. The NSECE collects information from families, early care and education providers, and classroom staff in the same community so that we can understand what early care and education options are available to families in particular areas and who is providing that care. While the NSECE is able to look at communities one by one, it also allows us to situate communities within a larger national context.
The NSECE serves as a valuable resource for organizations like the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). They rely on information collected from center-based providers like you to understand how current programs are helping providers and what is needed to strengthen support for early care and education across the nation.
The NSECE has served as a valuable resource for policy makers and public agencies. We last talked with center-based providers in 2022 in an effort to learn how well pandemic relief and assistance programs were helping early care and education providers during these difficult times.
The NSECE has helped administrators, policy makers, and public agencies understand how many center-based providers were providing care across the nation, what motivated them to look after children, and what kinds of care they offered.
The National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) is gathering information from providers and families across the country to get a comprehensive picture of early care and education services. We have selected providers like you from a list of programs in your area. The NSECE was last conducted in 2019. It is important to create an updated profile of early care and education services across the country now to understand the effects of policy changes on available programming.
The NSECE has helped us understand how we can better support individuals looking after children and offer opportunities to help them improve the care they offer.
Your role in the field of early care and education allows you to answer questions about the child care services that you offer. This information will help early care and education researchers better understand the complexities child care providers face and inform initiatives designed to help child care providers offer quality care to children across the country
Because the NSECE study includes all types of settings and programs, including community-based centers and Head Start and public pre-K programs, center-based caregivers’ participation in the study helps researchers compare their experiences to other programs available in early care and education.
Your role in the field of early care and education allows you to answer questions about enrollment and funding for your program. This information will help researchers better understand the complexities of provider financing and inform funding decisions and other initiatives designed to help child care providers offer quality care to children across the country.
The NSECE is an opportunity for you to share the challenges your program faces and successes that you have had in providing quality care to children, maintaining a stable staff to work with children and balancing affordability for parents with financial stability as a program.

Participation in the study brings many benefits for early care and education, families, communities, etc. for many reasons.

Your responses will be combined with others to create a rich data source that has the potential to benefit federal, state, and community-level child care policies.
Your responses will help create a comprehensive description of the range of individuals working directly with children in a center-based setting. This will help describe who our child care providers are, their qualifications, their compensation, and what motivates them to look after and teach children.
Your responses will help inform initiatives and policies to support child care through things like educational assistants, trainings, and improved pay and benefits.
Your responses will improve support for the early care and education workforce and help them improve the care they provide children.
Your input is critically important and may be used to inform initiatives to support providers and families. The NSECE is the only national study aimed at better understanding the people and programs throughout the country that take care of America’s children. Without hearing from all selected providers, policy makers will potentially be making decisions without full information, —essentially, treating the patient without being able to examine them.
Data from the NSECE have been used to answer important questions in the field of early care and education (ECE) such as identifying what sources of revenue providers rely on as well as how we can better support the ECE workforce.
The NSECE is an important study about how we care for children in the United States. As a provider of critical early care and education services in your community, your responses will help create a complete picture of available resources.
The NSECE was last conducted in 2019. New information is needed to understand how changes in policies have affected early care and education programming. Data from the NSECE may be used to inform initiatives to support early care and education providers like you. Your participation is an important piece to completing this work.
By participating, you will help policy makers get a clearer understanding of the challenges providers face and what is needed to better support them.
You have been selected for participation in this study from a list of providers in your area based on geographic and program criteria. By participating, you are not only helping the NSECE collect up-to-date information about early care and education, but also helping children and providers in your area.
Your responses will help inform how public funds are spent to subsidize early care and education of young children and to support related services.
The NSECE contributes to improving children’s readiness to learn in school. Policy makers and researchers know that high-quality early childhood experiences dramatically increase children’s readiness to learn in elementary school. NSECE results will help communities invest private and public resources wisely so that children’s access to quality programs and overall quality of care can be improved.
The NSECE is the only nationwide study aimed at better understanding the people and programs that take care of America’s children and the services that they provide.
Your responses will help shape initiatives to better support providers through such things as educational assistance, training, and improved pay and benefits.
Your responses will contribute to a greater understanding of the challenges facing the early care and education providers and how to help solve them.
Your responses will be combined with others to help show what challenges center-based providers face as they work to provide a safe and nurturing learning environment for children in their care.
The NSECE has shown that the majority of preschool age children are cared for by someone other than their parents.
The NSECE collected detailed information on the conditions in which center-based providers classroom staff were working since the start of pandemic between late 2020 and early 2022.

Reasons why we need to hear the center-based provider respondent (and not someone else): Sometimes respondents say they are too busy to participate. The items below may be used as a response to these kinds of refusals.

Your center was selected from a list of providers in your area based on geographic and program criteria. It is very important for us to hear from each provider identified so that we may get a complete picture of early care and education across all types of child care providers. Your center represents many others like yours across the nation.
Your center’s participation is critical. We need to hear from as many providers selected for this study as possible to ensure that the results of the study are accurate and reliable.
You have been selected for participation in this study from a list of providers in your area based on geographic and program criteria. By participating, you are not only helping the NSECE collect up-to-date information about early care and education, but also helping children and providers in your area.
You have been selected for participation in this study from a list of providers in your area based on geographic and program criteria. It is important for us to interview every selected provider to get a complete picture of the availability and use of early care in your area.

Responses to concerns about privacy: We expect that some respondents may have privacy concerns about participation. The following talking points will be used by field interviewers to communicate with respondents to address those concerns. The talking points will also be included in ad hoc refusal conversion or prompting contacts.

We understand that you may have concerns about sharing information about yourself. We want to reassure you that all information you provide is kept private, and your answers and identity are protected. Here are just a few of the many steps we take to protect your information:

Your name is never kept with your survey answers so no one can know how you responded. Likewise, your individual responses will not be shared with any other child care organizations. Survey findings are put into summary reports that contain no names or other information that identifies you or your organization.
The questionnaire does not include questions concerning licensing, immigration status, or taxes. Additionally, you may skip any questions that you do not wish to answer.
All NSECE staff who handle the information collected for the study must sign an agreement that provides for criminal and civil penalties if privacy is breached.
The NSECE has a federal Certificate of Confidentiality that helps us further protect the privacy of our participants. With this Certificate, we cannot be forced (for example by court order or subpoena) to disclose information that may identify you in any federal, state, local, civil, criminal, legislative, administrative, or other proceedings.
The U.S Department of Health and Human Services that funds the study does not have any way to identify you from your answers.
We do not sell or provide your name to any mailing lists, organizations, or public agencies.
The tablets used by the field interviewers have several levels of security. Once you give us your information, it is encrypted and then sent by a secure connection to our data bank, which is also protected by multiple layers of security.

General

We understand that you are busy, and our interviewers are willing to do whatever is necessary to reduce the burden of this interview on you. We are able to conduct the interview over the phone and can do it in several shorter sessions instead of all at once if this suits your schedule better.
We know you are busy, but the best way to understand how to assist organizations that provide child care is to go to people like you who work directly with children. Access to child care is an essential ingredient for healthy communities and supporting families. We need your help to learn what is needed most as we work to provide reliable data for policy makers trying to improve resources for early care and education.
The last two decades have seen a tremendous expansion in the availability and use of programs for children not yet in kindergarten. That expansion has been based on compelling research evidence that birth to age five is a critical time for children’s development. By looking closer at experiences of providers, the 2024 NSECE offers a significant opportunity to continue to build on that knowledge about children’s experiences.
We are asking providers to complete this questionnaire to help learn about how recent policy initiatives and changes in early care and education have impacted providers. Many states collect information to learn what services are available to families locally. This study will be used to update the national profile created by the NSECE in 2019 and shed light on how child care programs have been affected overall across the nation. This profile will serve as a valuable resource for public agencies and policy makers who are trying to help support the people who care for and educate young children.
As you complete the questionnaire, you may need to gather administrative information from your colleagues to answer some of the questions. The provider worksheet was developed to help you with this task.

Text for sharing letters of support and other communications

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has funded the NSECE since 2012. The NSECE study data has been a critical resource for ACF as they have worked to improve the well-being of children, families, and communities. They asked the NSECE to collect updated information in 2024 to help them understand how the early care and education landscape has changed in the past five years.
ACF is one of the largest sources of public support for early and school age care in our country. You can access the letter from ACF through [PLACEHOLDER].
The NSECE is so important that [PLACEHOLDER ORG NAME] has written a letter of support that we would like to share with you.
We wanted to take a minute to share some exciting news with you about the National Survey of Early Care and Education. This month the NSECE released a publication about center-based providers from the [2019 survey/NSECE COVID Longitudinal Follow-up Study]: [include title]. (Click the link to view the publication) This [PLACEHOLDER] provides an overview of [DESCRIPTION OF CONTENT]. Before the NSECE began in 2012, there had been no national source of information on early care and education in more than 20 years. Thank you for making this important effort a success!

Talking points and responses to FAQs about the selected workforce respondent:

An important part of this research is for us to be able to talk to people who work in early care classrooms; we want their voices to be heard too. We are only asking for names and contact information here to make sure we can get in touch with the correct person who was selected at the end of your questionnaire. If you prefer to give us abbreviated names or initials, that is an option. We will treat the contact information you give us with the same strict privacy that we treat all of your own information.
The NSECE is interested in talking to staff at all levels in centers, even if they are part time, only assist with certain activities, or even are temporary employees. Each person has different viewpoints that will be important to understanding early care and education. Our scientific selection process ensures that nationwide, we will talk with a wide range of staff at all levels.
The workforce questionnaire does not ask any staff member to comment on your center. The questionnaire does ask about the activities done with children, and who is in the classroom during the day. There are also some questions on how that staff member feels about child care and their personal experiences in the field. The NSECE is hoping to better understand what goes on in children’s classrooms and the individuals working in them.
Your staff member’s participation in the NSECE will…
- help create a comprehensive description of the range of individuals working directly with children in the classroom. This will help describe who our child care workers are, their qualifications, their compensation, and what motivates them to look after and teach children.
- help inform initiatives and policies to support child care workers through things like educational assistance, trainings, and improved pay and benefits.
- improve support for the early care and education workforce and help them improve the care they provide children.
- help shape initiatives to better support caregivers through such things as educational assistance, training, and improved pay and benefits.

File Type	application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
File Title	Appendix F 2024 NSECE Center-based Provider Survey Contact Materials
Author	Libbie Main
File Modified	0000-00-00
File Created	2024-09-19

Appendix F 2024 NSECE Center-based Provider Survey Contact Materials

Appendix F 2024 NSECE Center-based Provider Survey Contact Materials_toOPRE_clean_Eng_062024.docx

2024 National Survey of Early Care and Education

Appendix F 2024 NSECE Center-based Provider Survey Contact Materials

OMB: 0970-0391

Contents

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