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CHILD CARE QUALITY—STRUCTURAL QUALITY
EARLY CHILDHOOD LONGITUDINAL STUDY—KINDERGARTEN COHORT
Measure: Structural Child Care Quality items from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Kindergarten Cohort Parent Interview and the Teacher Questionnaire Part B
Source
The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K) is funded by the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Other sponsoring federal agencies that contributed to the ECLS-K are U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; U.S. Department of Agriculture; Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education; Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs, U.S. Department of Education; and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Westat fields the ECLS-K. The parent interview was created by a panel of experts specifically for the ECLS-K. The ECLS-K Teacher Questionnaire B was created by a panel of experts specifically for the ECLS-K.
Population Assessed
The ECLS-K consisted of a nationally representative sample of 22,625 kindergarteners enrolled in 1,277 programs across the country. The sample included a broad array of socioeconomic status and ethnicities. An oversampling of Asian children and those enrolled in private schools helped to meet the national averages for those populations.
Periodicity
The ECLS-K began in 1998 and will conclude in 2004. In 1998–1999 (the kindergarten year), data were collected in the fall from students, parents, and teachers and in the spring from students, parents, teachers, and schools. In 1999–2000 (the first grade year), data were collected in the fall from students and parents and in the spring from students, parents, teachers, and schools. In 2001–2002 (the third grade year), data were collected in the spring from students, parents, teachers, and schools. In 2003–2004 (the fifth grade year), data will be collected in the spring from students, parents, teachers, and schools.
The parent interview is given at each planned administration of the survey, which is scheduled to follow the children through fifth grade.
Teachers fill out a survey each time the child is assessed with the exception of fall of first grade.
Subscales/Components
The parent interview contains a series of questions about current and past childcare arrangements. The questions address the number of arrangements in which the child is involved, relative care, non-relative care, and Head Start.
The Teacher Questionnaire Section B contains information about the structural aspects of the current childcare arrangement in school. Questions include information about the teacher’s training, education, and experience.
Procedures for Administration
The parent interview was administered to the most knowledgeable parent for each child. It is conducted either on the phone using a computer-assisted telephone interview or in person using a computer-assisted personal interview for those without a phone or reluctant to participate over the phone. The parent interview is conducted one on one and is estimated to take about 65 minutes. Approximately 3 percent of the parent interviews completed were conducted in person.
The teacher interview is a self-administered questionnaire. Part B of the teacher questionnaire is given to all kindergarten teachers in the sampled schools, regardless of the number of sampled children in their classes. It is designed to be completed in approximately 15 minutes.
Psychometrics/Data Quality
“Of the sampled children, 19,173 participated in the fall kindergarten child assessment for an 89.8 cooperation rate or a response rate of 66.4 percent (74% X 89.8%). There were no large differences in cooperation rates for subgroups of children: 89.5 percent of sampled boys participated, and 90.4 percent of sampled girls participated. Asians had the lowest cooperation rates at 88.6 percent while American Indians or Alaskan Natives had the highest response rate of 93.4 percent. There were 18,101 parent interviews completed during the fall of the school year for a cooperation rate of 85.3 percent or a 63 percent response rate (74% X 85.3%). About 91 percent of the children had child-specific data reported by their teacher in the fall of kindergarten (74% X 91.2 = 67.5%). These numbers are also comparable to the completion rates obtained in NELS:88. There, about 90 percent of the students participated in the eighth grade student tests, and 87.5 percent of the parents completed parent questionnaires. Teachers in NELS:88 completed individual student ratings for about 89.6 percent of the students. Thus overall, the ECLS-K child, parent, teacher and school cooperation rates are comparable to other school-based longitudinal studies conducted at NCES” (West, Denton, & Germino-Hausken, 2000, p. 65).
Psychometric information specifically for the childcare items is not readily available.
Languages Available
The interviews are available in English and were translated into Spanish, Chinese, Lakota, and Hmong.
Items Included
PARENT INTERVIEW
The items included are available in the parent questionnaire on the ECLS Web site: http://nces.ed.gov/ecls/kindergarten.asp. Sample questions are included below.
Is [CHILD] now receiving care from a relative on a regular basis (including care provided before or after school)? This may include grandparents, brothers and sisters, or any relatives other than [you/[CHILD]’s [parents/guardians]].
How many different regular care arrangements do you currently have with relatives?
[Let’s talk about the relative who provides the most care for [CHILD] now.] Who is the relative who cares for [CHILD]?
Grandparent
Aunt
Uncle
Brother
Sister
Another relative
Refused
Don’t know
Is the care provided by [[CHILD]’s [RELATIVE]/that relative] in your home or another home?
Own home
Other home
Both/varies
Refused
Don’t know
Does [CHILD] receive that care before school, after school, or on weekends?
Before school
After school
Weekends
Refused
Don’t know
Is the care that [CHILD] receives from [[his/her] [RELATIVE]/that relative] regularly scheduled at least once each week?
How many days each week does [CHILD] receive care from [[his/her] [RELATIVE]/that relative]?
How many hours each week does [CHILD] receive care from [[his/her] [RELATIVE]/that relative]?
How many children are usually cared for together, in the same group at the same time, by [[CHILD]’s [RELATIVE]/that relative}, counting [CHILD]?
ENTER # OF CHILDREN
How many adults usually care for [CHILD] at the same time [at your home/at [[his/her] [RELATIVE]’s/that relative’s] home]?
ECLS-K Teacher Questionnaire B—Child Care
All relevant questions from the Teacher Questionnaire are included.
YOUR BACKGROUND
19. Counting this school year, how many years have you taught each of the following grades and programs? WRITE THE NUMBER OF YEARS TO THE NEAREST HALF YEAR (FOR EXAMPLE, 2.5, 3.5) PLEASE INCLUDE PART-TIME TEACHING. WRITE “0” IF YOU HAVE NEVER TAUGHT THE GRADE OR PROGRAM LISTED.
TOTAL YEARS GRADE OR PROGRAM TAUGHT
Preschool or Head Start _________________
Kindergarten (including Transitional/Readiness Kindergarten and Transitional/pre-1st grade) _________________
First grade _________________
Second through fifth grade _________________
Sixth grade or higher _________________
English as a Second Language (ESL) program _________________
Bilingual education program _________________
Special education program _________________
Physical education program _________________
Art or music program _________________
20. Counting this school year, how many years have you taught in your current school including part-time teaching? WRITE THE NUMBER OF YEARS TO THE NEAREST HALF YEAR (FOR EXAMPLE, 2.5, 3.5).
_______ years
21. What is the highest level of education you have completed? CIRCLE ONLY ONE NUMBER.
| High school diploma or GED | 1 |
|---|---|
| Associate’s degree | 2 |
| Bachelor’s | 3 |
| At least one year of course work beyond a Bachelor’s but not a graduate degree | 4 |
| Master’s | 5 |
| Education specialist or professional diploma based on at least one year of course work past a Master’s degree level | 6 |
| Doctorate | 7 |
| Other (please specify): _____________________________ | 8 |
22. How many college courses have you completed in the following areas? CIRCLE ONE NUMBER ON EACH LINE.
| Early childhood education | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary education | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6+ |
| Special education | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6+ |
| English as a Second Language (ESL) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6+ |
| Child development | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6+ |
| Methods of teaching reading | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6+ |
| Methods of teaching mathematics | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6+ |
| Methods of teaching science | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6+ |
23. What type of teaching certification do you have? CIRCLE ONLY ONE NUMBER.
| None | 1 |
|---|---|
| Temporary, probational, provisional, or emergency certification | 2 |
| Certificate for completion of an alternative certification program | 3 |
| Regular certification but less than the highest available | 4 |
| The highest certification available (permanent or long term) | 5 |
24. In what areas are you certified?
Elementary education
Early childhood
Other (please specify):
_____________________________________________________________________
25. Date questionnaire completed: _____/_____/_____
MM DD YY
References and Source Documents
The ECLS Web site is http://nces.ed.gov/ecls/kindergarten.asp. A number of reports, shorter publications, technical/methodological papers, and working papers are available at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/getpubcats.asp?sid=024.
Data products include the following:
ECLS-K Longitudinal Kindergarten-First Grade Public-Use Data Files and Electronic Code Book,
NCES Number: 2002148 Release Date: April 30, 2002
CD-ROM: ECLS-K First Grade Public-Use Data Files and Electronic Code Book
NCES Number: 2002134 Release Date: February 19, 2002
ECLS-K First Grade Restricted-Use Child File
NCES Number: 2002127 Release Date: December 12, 2001
ECLS-K Base Year Restricted-Use Salary and Benefits File
NCES Number: 2001014 Release Date: April 24, 2001
ECLS-K Base Year Restricted-Use Student Record Abstract File
NCES Number: 2001016 Release Date: April 24, 2001
ECLS-K Restricted-Use Base Year: Child File, Teacher File, and School File
NCES Number: 2000097 Release Date: March 21, 2001
ECLS-K Base Year Restricted-Use: Special Education Child File
NCES Number: 2001015 Release Date: March 21, 2001
ECLS-K Base Year Restricted-Use Head Start File
NCES Number: 2001025 Release Date: March 15, 2001
ECLS-K, Base Year Public-Use Data File, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99: Data Files and Electronic Code Book; (Child, Teacher, School Files): User’s Manual
NCES Number: 2001029 Release Date: December 1, 2000
Specific reports include the following:
Education Statistics Quarterly - Spring 2003 Issue
NCES number: 2003607. Release date: July 11, 2003
Young Children’s Access to Computers in the Home and at School in 1999 and 2000
NCES number: 2003036. Release date: March 7, 2003
Children’s Reading and Mathematics Achievement in Kindergarten and First Grade NCES number: 2002125. Release date: March 7, 2002 Digest of Education Statistics, 2001
NCES number: 2002130. Release date: March 1, 2002
The Kindergarten Year
NCES number: 2001023. Release date: December 1, 2000
America’s Kindergartners
NCES number: 2000070. Release date: February 17, 2000
Specific shorter publications include the following:
The Condition of Education 2003 in Brief
NCES number: 2003068. Release date: June 17, 2003
Schools’ Use of Assessments for Kindergarten Entrance and Placement: 1998-99
NCES number: 2003004. Release date: March 24, 2003
Findings from the Condition of Education 2000: Entering Kindergarten
NCES number: 2001035. Release date: January 22, 2001
Specific technical/methodological papers include the following:
User’s Manual for the ECLS-K Longitudinal Kindergarten-First Grade Public-Use Data Files and Electronic Codebook
NCES number: 2002149. Release date: April 30, 2002
User’s Manual for the ECLS-K First Grade Public-Use Data Files and Electronic Codebook
NCES number: 2002135. Release date: February 19, 2002
Specific working papers include the following:
Early Childhood Longitudinal Study - Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K), Psychometric Report for Kindergarten Through First Grade
NCES number: 200205. Release date: September 10, 2002
Papers from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Studies Program Presented at the 2001 AERA and SRCD Meetings
NCES number: 200106. Release date: July 30, 2001
Measuring Father Involvement in Young Children’s Lives: Recommendations for a Fatherhood Module for the ECLS-B
NCES number: 200102. Release date: April 17, 2001
Measures of Socio-Emotional Development in Middle Childhood
NCES number: 200103. Release date: April 17, 2001
Selected Papers on Education Surveys: Papers Presented at the 1998 and 1999 ASA and 1999 AAPOR Meetings
NCES number: 200004. Release date: August 7, 2000
A Birth Cohort Study: Conceptual and Design Considerations and Rationale
NCES number: 199901. Release date: February 16, 1999
Working Paper: Measuring the Quality of Program Environments in Head Start and Other Early Childhood Programs
NCES number: 9736. Release date: November 7, 1997
Formulating a Design for the ECLS: A Review of Longitudinal Studies
NCES number: 9724. Release date: September 11, 1997
Assessment of Social Competence, Adaptive Behaviors, and Approaches to Learning With Young Children NCES number: 9618. Release date: August 30, 1996
How Accurate Are Teacher Judgments of Students’ Academic Performance?
NCES number: 9608. Release date: April 30, 1996
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