Table of Contents | Previous | Next |
INCOME AND EARNINGS
HEAD START FAMILY AND CHILD EXPERIENCES SURVEY
Measure: Selected “employment and educational background” and “background information” items from the FACES Staff Questionnaires (Center Director Interview, Classroom Teacher Interview, and Teacher Self-Administered Survey)
Source
The Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) evaluation is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. The project team for FACES 1997 included Westat (prime contractor), Abt Associates, Ellsworth Associates, and the CDM group. The project team for FACES 2000 included Westat (prime contractor), Xtria (formerly Ellsworth Associates), and the CDM group. The project team for FACES 2003 included Westat (prime contractor), Xtria, and the CDM group.
Items were developed by the FACES Research Team.
In addition to FACES, some of these items and variations of the items were also used by the following EDCP evaluations and surveys: National Head Start Impact Study (Spring 2003 Teacher Survey).
Population Assessed
Each cohort of FACES employs a nationally representative sample of Head Start programs, centers, classrooms, children, and parents. Each sample is stratified by three variables: region of the country (northeast, Midwest, south, or west); urbanicity (urban versus rural); and percentage of minority families in the program (50 percent or more versus less than 50 percent). Data collection methods included child assessments, parent interviews, teacher reports, staff interviews, and classroom observations. Since its inception, FACES has involved an initial field-test sample and three nationally representative cohorts: FACES 1997, FACES 2000, and FACES 2003.
FACES 1997 field test. FACES was field tested in spring 1997 with 2,400 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds and their parents in a nationally stratified random sample of 40 Head Start programs. These children were followed up in spring 1998 when the children were in kindergarten.
FACES 1997. Data from the initial cohort for the main study of FACES1997 were first collected in fall 1997 on 3,200 children and families from the same 40 Head Start programs employed in the field test. Data were collected on 1,200 3-year-olds new to Head Start; 1,280 4- and 5-year-olds new to Head Start; and 720 4- and 5-year-olds who were in the field-test study and returning for another year of Head Start. Data on these children were also collected in spring 1998 (spring of the Head Start year), spring 1999 (spring of the kindergarten year or spring of the Head Start year for those who were 3 years old in fall 1997), spring 2000 (spring of the first-grade year or spring of kindergarten for those who were 3 years old in fall 1997), and spring 2001 (spring of the first-grade year for those who were 3 years old in fall 1997).
FACES 1997 also included a validation substudy or embedded case study of 120 randomly selected families from the larger FACES sample. (NB. The embedded case study was not a part of FACES 2000 or FACES 2003). Data collection included in-person parent interviews, home and neighborhood observations, monthly telephone contacts for demographic updates, and community agency interviews regarding the amount and overall nature of collaboration between the agency and the Head Start program.
FACES 2000. A new national cohort of FACES was launched in fall 2000 (FACES 2000). Beginning in fall 2000, data from 2,800 children and families in a new nationally stratified random sample of 43 Head Start programs were collected to ascertain what progress was made in improving program performance. Data were collected in fall 2000, spring 2001, spring 2002 (when children were in kindergarten or in a second year of Head Start), and spring 2003 (when the children who were 3 years old in fall 2000 were in kindergarten).
FACES 2003. Data on a third national cohort (FACES 2003) were collected in fall 2003. Data from 2,700 children and families in a new nationally stratified random sample of 66 programs were collected in fall 2003, spring 2004, spring 2005 (when children are in kindergarten or in a second year of Head Start), and spring 2006 (when the children who were 3 years old in fall 2000 are in kindergarten).
Each cohort of FACES has approximately equal numbers of girls and boys and representative samples of white, African American, Hispanic, and children of other races (see exhibits 1 and 2).
| Weighted Percentages | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| All (n=3,120) | Age 3 (n=1,129) | Age 4 (n=1,991) | |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 50.4 | 48.7 | 51.2 |
| Female | 49.6 | 51.4 | 48.8 |
| Race/Ethnicity | |||
| African American | 28.8 | 34.7 | 26.1 |
| White | 30.7 | 29.0 | 31.4 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 27.6 | 22.5 | 30.0 |
| Native American | 1.9 | 2.3 | 1.7 |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.3 |
| Other | 8.8 | 8.7 | 8.6 |
| African American | White | Hispanic | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | % | N | % | N | % | N | % | N | % | |
| Male | 343 | 13.8 | 471 | 19.0 | 363 | 14.6 | 65 | 2.6 | 1242 | 50.1 |
| Female | 383 | 15.4 | 415 | 16.7 | 371 | 14.9 | 68 | 2.7 | 1237 | 49.9 |
| Total | 726 | 29.3 | 886 | 35.7 | 734 | 29.6 | 133 | 5.4 | 2479 | 100 |
Periodicity
Administration periodicity was dependent on the measure and the cohort.
Center Director Interview: This interview was administered at the following times: FACES 1997, fall 1997; FACES 2000, fall 2000; and FACES 2003, fall 2003.
Classroom Teacher Interview: This interview was administered at the following times: FACES 1997, fall 1997 and spring 1998; FACES 2000, fall 2000 and spring 2001; and FACES 2003, fall 2003. In addition, for FACES 2003, this interview will be administered in spring 2004.
Head Start Teacher Self-Administered Survey: For each of the cohorts, the Head Start Teacher self-administered survey was administered as needed (e.g., whenever a new teacher assumed a sampled classroom).
Components
The majority of questions about income and earnings come from two sections within the staff questionnaires: employment and educational background, and background information. The section on employment and educational background asks questions about the staff member’s professional background and job with Head Start. Specific questions address income and earnings, such as the number of hours per week that a staff member is paid to work for Head Start; the months per year a staff person is paid to work for Head Start; and the benefits received (but not dollar amounts) through Head Start, such as vacation time, paid sick leave, paid/unpaid maternity leave, and paid dental and health insurance. The background information section asks one question about income—what is the total annual salary before taxes received as a teacher for the current school year? This section then asks two questions about putting this amount into a time frame—the number of months per year the salary covers and the hours per week covered by salary less overtime. Expenditures and other reductions, such as taxes, are not addressed.
Procedures for Administration
Center director interview: The center director completes the interview in a one-on-one setting where the interviewer asks questions and writes the respondent’s answers. The complete FACES 1997 center director interview takes about 90 minutes; the center director interview was shortened for FACES 2000 and FACES 2003, taking only 30 minutes to complete.
Classroom teacher interview: The classroom teacher completes the interview in a one-on-one setting where the interviewer asks questions and writes the respondent’s answers. The complete FACES 1997 classroom teacher interview takes about 40 minutes; the classroom teacher interview was shortened for FACES 2000 and FACES 2003, taking only 20–25 minutes to complete.
Teacher self-administered survey: The classroom teacher completes the survey. It is self-administered. The complete teacher self-administered survey takes about 20 minutes.
Psychometrics/Data Quality
Psychometric information is not yet available.
Languages Available
The staff questionnaires can be administered in English and Spanish. For respondents who
speak a language other than English or Spanish, an interpreter is used (if possible).
Items Included
Note: Items included are from the first administration of the interviews. The items are also
included in subsequent interviews, with minor differences/additions/changes. The full interviews
are available at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hs/faces/index.html
Employment and Educational Background Items:
Now I’d like to ask you some questions about your professional background and your job with Head Start.
- Do you receive the following benefits through Head Start?
Benefit Do you receive the benefit? a Paid vacation time No Yes Don't Know b Paid sick leave No Yes Don't Know c Paid maternity leave No Yes Don't Know d Unpaid maternity leave No Yes Don't Know e Paid family leave No Yes Don't Know f Fully or partially paid health insurance No Yes Don't Know g Paid dental insurance No Yes Don't Know h Tuition reimbursement No Yes Don't Know i Retirement plan No Yes Don't Know j Other (specify) No Yes Don't Know
Background Information Items:
- What is your total annual salary (before taxes) for the current school year?
- How many months of the year does this salary cover?
- How many hours per week does this salary cover (not including overtime)?
References and Source Documents
The staff questionnaires are available at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hs/faces/index.html
A number of FACES reports are available on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Web site at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hs/faces/index.html
The reports include the following:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2003, June). Head Start FACES (2000): A whole child perspective on program performance, fourth progress report. Washington, DC: Author.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2002, January). A descriptive study of Head Start families: FACES technical report I. Washington, DC: Author.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2001, January). Head Start FACES: Reaching out to families: Head Start recruitment and enrollment practices. Washington, DC: Author.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2001, January). Head Start FACES (1997): Longitudinal findings on program performance, third progress report. Washington, DC: Author.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2000, June). FACES findings: New research on Head Start program quality and outcomes. Washington, DC: Author.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (1998, June). Head Start FACES (Pilot): Program performance measures, second progress report. Washington, DC: Author.
Information about FACES presentations and papers is available at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hs/faces/index.html
More information about the FACES validation substudy is available in the following paper: Vaden-Kiernan, M., D’Elio, M. A., & Sprague, K. (n.d.). The FACES embedded case study: Documenting the methodology and early findings. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Available at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hs/faces/pres_papers/embedded_casestdy/embedded.pdf
| Table of Contents | Previous | Next |