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	OMB#: 0970-0151 EXPIRATION DATE: 6/2000

Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey Self-Administered Questionnaire For Head Start Teachers Spring 1998

INTRODUCTION Westat, Abt Associates, and the CDM Group are conducting a multi-year study of Head Start families and children and their experiences with the Head Start program. A very important part of the study is to find out about staff and their experiences in Head Start. Your answers will be completely confidential. The survey will take about 20 minutes of your time to complete.

Label

Lead Teacher Background Information

1.	In total, how many years have you been teaching (including all grades and preschool)?
	Number of years: _______

2.	How many of those years have you been teaching Head Start (as either lead or assistant teacher)?
	Number of years: _______

3.	In what languages are you able to teach?
	Yes No English 1 2 Spanish 1 2 Other (specify) 1 2

4.	Which of the following best describes the highest level of education you have completed?
	Eighth grade or less 01 Beyond eight grade, but not high school graduation 02 High School Equivalency (GED) 03 High School graduation 04 Vocational/Technical Diploma (after high school) 05 Associate degree 06 Some college (but no degree) 07 Bachelors degree 08 Some graduate school (but no degree) 09 Graduate degree (M.A, Ph.D.) 10

5.	(If you attended or graduated from college or graduate school) What was your major field of study?
	In college In grad school Early Childhood Education/Child Development 1 1 Psychology/Sociology/Education 2 2 Social Work/Social Services 3 3 Nursing/Health Care 4 4 Business/Management/Administrative 5 5 Other (specify) 6 6

6.	Do you have a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential or a state-awarded preschool certificate?
	Yes 1 No 2 Currently working on it 3

7.	Are you currently enrolled in any additional teacher-related training or education, including post­secondary school degrees, graduate degrees, etc.? (Circle one only.)
	Child Development Associate (CDA) degree program 1 Teaching Certificate 2 Special Education teaching degree 3 Graduate degree (Master's or Ph.D) 4 Other (specify) 5

8.

Have you participated in any of the following types of early childhood training activities during the past year? (Answer Yes or No for each activity.) For each Yes, indicate how many times during the past school year you attended.

Participate? Number of times   Yes No In-service workshops/technical assistance seminars 1 2 _______ Visits to other child care classes 1 2 _______ Workshops in the county 1 2 _______ Professional meetings/conferences at county- or state- levels 1 2 _______ Professional meetings/conferences at national level 1 2 _______ Courses in high school or vocational school 1 2 _______ Courses in a community college 1 2 _______ Courses in a four-year college 1 2 _______

9.	Are you currently a member of a professional association for early childhood education? (e.g., NAEYC, NHSA, NEA)
	Yes 1 No 2

10.	What is your total annual salary (before taxes) as a teacher for the current school year?
	$__ __, __ __ __ per year

11.	How many months of the year does this salary cover?
	Number of months: _______

12.	How many hours per week does this salary cover (not including overtime)?
	Hours per week: _______

13.	Currently, is your Head Start class center-based or home-based?
	Center-based 1 Home-based 2

14.	What is your year of birth? 19_____

15.	What is your gender?
	Male 1 Female 2

16.	What is your racial/ethnic background? (Circle only one.)
	American Indian or Alaskan Native 1 Asian or Pacific Islander 2 Black, non-Hispanic 3 Hispanic 4 White, non-Hispanic 5 Other (specify) 6

BELIEFS ABOUT TEACHING
17.	We would like to know what you believe Head Start teachers should do in their classrooms. Please indicate what you think should be done, even if this is not what is currently being done in your program. Using the following scale — 1 = Strongly disagree; 2 = Disagree; 3 = Neither Agree nor Disagree; 4 = Agree; 5 = Strongly Agree — please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each statement. (Circle one for each.)
	Head Start teachers should: Strongly disagree Disagree Neither agree nor disagree Agree Strongly agree Assume that children are motivated to learn without concrete rewards 1 2 3 4 5 Show more interest in how children work and play than in what they produce 1 2 3 4 5 Give readiness tests to all children early in the year 1 2 3 4 5 Have formal instruction in pre-reading skills 1 2 3 4 5 Require children to complete all tasks and activities 1 2 3 4 5 Provide major parts of each day for free play 1 2 3 4 5 Require all children to take part in every activity 1 2 3 4 5 Teach children to be quiet in the classroom 1 2 3 4 5 Read stories to the class every day 1 2 3 4 5 Use manipulative materials to teach children pre­ math skills 1 2 3 4 5 Let children solve problems on their own 1 2 3 4 5 Use different materials requiring fine-motor skills 1 2 3 4 5 Plan time for gross-motor activities every day 1 2 3 4 5 Use worksheets to help children learn skills such as pre-math and pre-reading 1 2 3 4 5 Have a daily music activity 1 2 3 4 5 Allow children to be alone when they want 1 2 3 4 5 Have children spend most of the day in large group activities with the whole class 1 2 3 4 5 Involve parents in decisions about the daily program 1 2 3 4 5 Promote the language and values of children's cultures 1 2 3 4 5

BELIEFS ABOUT CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
18.	Please indicate how important you consider each of these for your class? (Circle one for each.)
	Not at all important Slightly important Somewhat important Fairly important Very important Academic skills development 1 2 3 4 5 Affective or emotional development 1 2 3 4 5 Motor skills development 1 2 3 4 5 Social skills development 1 2 3 4 5 Child selected activities 1 2 3 4 5 Teacher directed activities 1 2 3 4 5 Parent Involvement 1 2 3 4 5

YOUR CENTER
19.	We would like your opinion about the quality of the learning environment at your center. Please read the following statements and then indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each statements. (Circle one for each.)
	Strongly disagree Disagree Neither agree nor disagree Agree Strongly Agree Does not apply Classrooms have enough space for typical learning activities 1 2 3 4 5 6 Classroom equipment is of good quality 1 2 3 4 5 6 Teachers have enough time to complete paperwork 1 2 3 4 5 6 Teachers have good quality resource materials 1 2 3 4 5 6 Teachers have a comfortable place to relax during breaks and to prepare instructional materials 1 2 3 4 5 6 The program day is long enough to provide children with enough time for learning activities 1 2 3 4 5 6

A DAY IN HEAD START
20.	We would like you to tell us how a typical day is spent in your classroom. (Please round to the nearest 1/2 hour thourghout.)
	a. Total number of hours in the class day? _______ hours Number of hours spent in each of the following activities:   b. Routine caregiving (including meals, snacks, naps, toileting, etc.) _______ hours c. Teacher directed learning activities _______ hours d. Free-play/free-choice child activities (both indoor and outdoors) _______ hours e. Transition activities (cleaning-up, getting ready to go outside, etc.) _______ hours Outside of class time, on a typical school day, how many hours do you spend on:   f. Involvement with parents (greetings, home visits, talking about kids, etc) _______ hours g. Program administration/curriculum planning, etc. _______ hours

PARENT INVOLVEMENT IN HEAD START
21.	How well do each of the following statements describe the parents of the children in your class? Using the following scale — 1 = Does not apply to any parents; 2 = Applies to some; 3 = Applies to half the parents; 4 = Applies to most parents; 5= Applies to all parents.
	Does not apply to any parents in my class Applies to some parents Applies to about half of the parents Applies to most parents Applies to all parents in my class Parents want to be involved in Head Start 1 2 3 4 5 Parents have the time to be involved 1 2 3 4 5 Parents work with their child on learning activities at home 1 2 3 4 5 Parents have a positive attitude about Head Start 1 2 3 4 5 Parents are easy to motivate 1 2 3 4 5 Parents think early education is important 1 2 3 4 5 Parents feel responsible for their child's education 1 2 3 4 5 Parents believe they can help their children 1 2 3 4 5 Parents are able to help their child learn 1 2 3 4 5 Parents ask for your help with their children 1 2 3 4 5 Parents are honest with you 1 2 3 4 5 Parents trust Head Start Staff 1 2 3 4 5

PARENT PARTICIPATION IN HEAD START ACTIVITIES
22.	Now, we would like to know how much parents of children in your class participated in Head Start activities since school started last fall? Please indicate whether or not the following statements apply to any, a few, half, most or all the parents in your class? (Circle one for each.)
	Does not apply to any parents in your class Applies to few parents Applies to about half the parents Applies to most parents Applies to all parents in your class Does not apply to class/center Attended an open house 1 2 3 4 5 6 Attended a parent/teacher conference 1 2 3 4 5 6 Helped prepare classroom materials 1 2 3 4 5 6 Helped with field trips 1 2 3 4 5 6 Helped with parties/served snacks 1 2 3 4 5 6 Helped in the library or computer lab 1 2 3 4 5 6 Helped in the office, cafeteria, or playground 1 2 3 4 5 6 Worked with children in the classroom 1 2 3 4 5 6 Helped with fundraising 1 2 3 4 5 6 Helped with newsletter 1 2 3 4 5 6 Helped involve other parents 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ate a meal in their child's class 1 2 3 4 5 6

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION IN FACES!

 

 

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