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CHILD CARE QUALITY: STRUCTURAL QUALITY
NATIONAL SURVEY OF AMERICA’S FAMILIES
Measure: Child care quality items from the 1997 National Survey of America’s Families questionnaire
Source
The National Survey of America’s Families (NSAF) is a part of the Urban Institute’s Assessing the New Federalism project and was developed and conducted in partnership with Child Trends, Inc. The first round of the study was funded by 16 different foundations, and data collection was administered by Westat.
Population Assessed
The NSAF is a representative survey of the noninstitutionalized, civilian population of persons under age 65 in the nation as a whole and in 13 states: Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin. The combined populations of these states compose more than one-half of the U.S. population. Study states are representative of a broad range of characteristics, such as fiscal policy, approaches to government, and child well-being indicators. They also varied in terms of geographic location, size, and dominant political tradition.
In 1997, 50,355 phone and in-person interviews were conducted in 45,996 households. Interviews were conducted in 42,973 telephone households and in 1,488 non-telephone households. Information was obtained for children under the age of 17. The national NSAF response rates for adults with at least one child and other sampled adults were 65.4 percent and 61.7 percent, respectively. The sample of focal children was 49 percent female. Thirty-four percent of the children were between the ages 6 through 11, and the remaining children were adolescents between the ages 12 through 17. White children comprised 66 percent of the sample; Blacks, 15 percent; and Hispanics 14 percent. Based on weighted data, 43 percent of the children live in households with incomes 200 percent below poverty level.
Comparing the 1997 NSAF eligible population to official counts from the U.S. Census Bureau, Kenney, Scheuren, & Wang (1999, p. 6–3) noted that “our coverage of children (persons under 18) was excellent overall, at 93 percent. We also did reasonably well for adults 18 to 64, with a coverage ratio of about 86 percent.”
The sample was weighted to be representative of the country as a whole and the specific state in which the respondent lived.
Periodicity
Three rounds of data have been collected: 1997, 1999, and 2002.
Subscales/Components
In Section G: Child Care, the 1997 NSAF questionnaire asks several questions about structural quality. The part of the section devoted to child care for sampled children age 0 to 5 asks questions about quality in group care centers and programs, child care or babysitting in the home, and child care or babysitting in someone else’s home (where applicable). The survey part for sampled children ages 6 to 12 asks about child care or babysitting in the home and in someone else’s home (where applicable). The questions relate to the number of children being cared for and (depending on the type of care) the number and age of people supervising the child.
Procedures for Administration
In the 1997 NSAF, the reporter for child care quality questions was the Most Knowledgeable Adult (MKA). The major mode of data collection was Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI). To ensure that those without phone service were represented, a smaller sample of homes without phones was obtained, and phones were provided. The MKA interview typically lasted 40 minutes, although child care quality questions formed only a very small portion of it.
Psychometrics/Data Quality
As with many questions in the 1997 NSAF, missing data for the child care quality items were minimal. Typically, less than 1 percent of eligible survey respondents did not respond to these items. For example, question G7 (about the number of adults supervising the sampled child in a child care program) had a “don’t know” rate of only 0.20 percent and a refusal rate of 0.00 percent (Wigton et al., 2000, p. 7–80).
Languages Available
Interviews for the 1997 NSAF were done in English or Spanish. Spanish translations were programmed into the CATI system used in data collection. Hard copies of the questionnaire were not available in Spanish.
Items Included
The following is the citation for the 1997 NSAF methodology series report that contains the 1997 NSAF questionnaire in full:
Wang, K., Dipko, S., & Vaden-Kiernan, N. (1999). 1997 NSAF questionnaire: Report no. 12. Washington, DC: Urban Institute.
The following structural quality questions were asked in the 1997 NSAF interview in Section G: Child Care (Main Version). A similar set of questions was asked for each sampled child (between 0 and 5 years old and between 6 and 12 years old). The following questions are only a small subset of the questions asked in Section G; questions not relevant to child care quality and skip patterns unnecessary to understanding the questions were omitted. Also, no items were included from the Summer Version of Section G, which was used if survey administration took place between June 13 and September 26. For the complete 1997 NSAF questionnaire, see http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/Methodology_12.pdf.
Section G: Child Care (Main Version)
Section Ga: Child Care (Younger Child 0-5 Years Old)
G1. We’d like to know how (CHILD1) spent (his/her) time when (he/she) was not with you during the last month. I’m going to read a list of different kinds of programs children attend and of people who care for children. I’d like you to tell me which ones you used for (CHILD1), at least once a week during the last month. First, did (CHILD1) attend...
G1a. Head Start?
G1b. What about a day or group care center, a nursery, a preschool, or a pre-kindergarten?
G1c. [ASK IF CHILD1 IS 2 YEARS OLD OR OLDER] A before- or after-school care program outside your home?
G1d. Did (CHILD1) have child care or babysitting in your home {by someone other than your (spouse/partner)}?
G1e. What about child care or babysitting in someone else’s home?
DAY/GROUP CARE CENTER, NURSERY, PRESCHOOL, OR PRE-KINDERGARTEN
[The following questions were asked if the sampled child attended a day or group care center, a nursery, a preschool, or a pre-kindergarten.]
G6. About how many children are usually in (CHILD1’s) room or group at this center or program?
[IF MORE THAN ONE PROGRAM, RECORD NUMBER OF CHILDREN IN PROGRAM USED MOST. PROGRAMS SHOULD NOT INCLUDE HEAD START OR BEFORE- OR AFTERSCHOOL CARE.]
G7. {For the program you use most}, About how many adults usually supervise the children in (CHILD1’s) room or group?
[IF MORE THAN ONE PROGRAM, RECORD NUMBER OF CHILDREN IN PROGRAM USED MOST. PROGRAMS SHOULD NOT INCLUDE HEAD START OR BEFORE- OR AFTER-SCHOOL CARE.]
CHILD CARE OR BABYSITTING BY SOMEONE IN MKA’S HOME
[The following questions were asked if the sampled child had child care or babysitting in the MKA’s home by someone other than the MKA’s spouse/partner.]
G12. Is the person usually caring for (CHILD1) in your home 18 years of age or older?
G15. Not counting (CHILD1), how many other children under age 13 does this person regularly care for at the same time?
[INCLUDE CHILDREN OF THE CAREGIVER UNDER AGE 13.]
CHILD CARE OR BABYSITTING IN SOMEONE ELSE’S HOME
[The following questions were asked if the sampled child had child care or babysitting in someone else’s home.]
G18. Is the person usually caring for (CHILD1) 18 years of age or older?
G20. Not counting (CHILD1), how many other children does this person regularly care for at the same time?
[INCLUDE CHILDREN OF THE BABYSITTER.]
G21. Does this person have any other adults helping to care for (your child/the children) on a regular basis?
G22. How many adults, not counting this person?
Section Gb: Child Care (Older Child 6-12 Years Old)
G30. {We’d like to know how (CHILD2) spent (his/her) day when (he/she) was not with you during the last month.}
I’m going to read a list of different kinds of programs children attend and of people who care for children. I’d like you to tell me which ones you used for (CHILD2), at least once a week during the last month. First, did (CHILD2) attend...
G30a. A before- or after-school care program outside your home?
G30b. Did (CHILD2) have child care or babysitting in your home {by someone other than your spouse/by someone other than your partner}?
G30c. What about child care or babysitting in someone else’s home?
CHILD CARE OR BABYSITTING BY SOMEONE IN MKA’S HOME
[The following questions were asked if the sampled child had child care or babysitting in the MKA’s home by someone other than the MKA’s spouse/partner.]
G35. Is the person usually caring for (CHILD2) in your home 18 years of age or older?
G38. Not counting (CHILD2) how many other children under age 13 does this person regularly care for at the same time?
[INCLUDE CHILDREN OF THE CAREGIVER WHO ARE UNDER AGE 13.]
CHILD CARE OR BABYSITTING IN SOMEONE ELSE’S HOME
[The following questions were asked if the sampled child had child care or babysitting in someone else’s home.]
G41. Is the person usually caring for (CHILD2) 18 years of age or older?
G43. Not counting (CHILD2) how many other children under age 13 does this person regularly care for at the same time?
[INCLUDE CHILDREN OF THE CAREGIVER WHO ARE UNDER AGE 13.]
G44. Does this person have any other adults helping to care for (your child/the children) on a regular basis?
G45. How many adults, not counting this person?
References and Source Documents
Dean Brick, P., Kenney, G., McCullough-Harlin, R., Rajan, S., Scheuren, F., Wang, K., Brick, J. M., & Cunningham, P. (1999). Methodology report no. 1: National Survey of America’s Families: Survey methods and data reliability. Washington, DC: Urban Institute. Retrieved July 1, 2003, from http://www.urban.org/content/Research/NewFederalism/NSAF/Methodology/1997MethodologySeries/1997.htm
Ehrle, J., & Moore, K. (1999). Methodology report no. 6: Benchmarking child and family well-being measures in the NSAF. Washington, DC: Urban Institute. Retrieved July 1, 2003, from http://www.urban.org/content/Research/NewFederalism/NSAF/Methodology/1997Metho dologySeries/1997.htm
Kenney, G., Scheuren, F., & Wang, K. (1999). 1997 NSAF survey methods and data reliability: Report no. 1. Washington, DC: Urban Institute.
Urban Institute. (2001a). Assessing the new federalism. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved July 1, 2003, from http://www.urban.org/Content/Research/NewFederalism/AboutANF/AboutANF.htm
Urban Institute. (2001b). National Survey of America’s Families: 1997 snapshots of America’s families. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved July 1, 2003, from http://www.urban.org/content/Research/NewFederalism/NSAF/Snapshots/1997Results/Foreword/Fore.htm
Urban Institute. (2001c). National Survey of America’s Families: Overview. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved July 1, 2003, from http://www.urban.org/Content/Research/NewFederalism/NSAF/Overview/NSAFOverview.htm
Wang, K., Dipko, S., & Vaden-Kiernan, N. (1999). 1997 NSAF questionnaire: Report no. 12. Washington, DC: Urban Institute.
Wigton, A., Scheuren, F., Wenck, S., Zhang, H., Nooter, D., & Smith, W. (2000). 1997 NSAF child public use file documentation and codebook with undercount adjusted weights: Report no. 18. Washington, DC: Urban Institute.
A full list of source information is available online at http://www.urban.org/content/Research/NewFederalism/NSAF/Methodology/1999MethodologySeries/1999.htm.
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