Description:
The Parent Services Interviews (PSIs) developed
for the national Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project (EHSRE) were designed to include instruments that assess
potential program effects on service needs and use,
as well as outcomes related to economic self-sufficiency.
The interview questions were drawn from a variety of
sources and include published instruments, questions
drawn from other large national surveys, and questions
that were developed specifically for this study. They
cover topics including: family goals, perceived needs
and resources, employment, education and job training,
child care, home visits, transportation, housing, social
support, health status, health care services, case management,
other family support services, and public assistance
receipt. The interviews can be found on the web at the
addresses listed above.
The results of the evaluation (through age 3) are included
in two reports and their appendices and are available
at www.mathematica-mpr.com and http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/ehs/ehs_resrch/index.html.
Uses of Information: The
Early Head Start PSIs can be used by programs to obtain
service use information that can be compared to the
national study findings. The summary information on
services obtained from parents in the PSI questions
may be especially useful to programs that do not collect
detailed service use information in a management information
system. For copyrighted instruments, programs must obtain
permission to use the assessments and must pay for their
use.
Reliability: The technical
appendices of the two reports include internal consistency
reliability for summary scores. As a general rule, summary
scores were not included in the report if their reliability
was not above .65. Most measures in the PSI interviews
were single questions and did not require computing
summary scores.
Validity: Many of the
questions were included in the evaluation because they
had been used before in large studies and had demonstrated
construct validity. Validity work based on the data
collected was not reported in the two reports.
Method of Scoring: Most
PSI measures were based on single questions and do not
need scoring. Scoring procedures for any measure requiring
scoring are summarized in the reports.
Interpretability: The
information obtained from the PSI questions is easily
interpretable.
Training Support: As part
of the evaluation project, in-depth training manuals
were developed; these can be obtained by requesting
them from Jackie Allen at jallen@mathematica-mpr.com.
In addition to the manuals, interviewers attended a
central training session and had to meet rigorous standards
before administering the study instruments. Mathematica
is not providing any training support for the measures.
Adaptations/Special Instructions
for Individuals with Disabilities: Contact Mathematica
for more information about how the protocols were adapted
for use with individuals with disabilities.
Report Preparation Support:
None described.
References:
ACYF. “Building Their Futures: How Early Head Start
Programs Are Enhancing the Lives of Infants and Toddlers
in Low-Income Families. Volume I: Technical Report.”
Washington, DC: Administration on Children, Youth and
Families, 2001. www.mathematica-mpr.com or http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/ehs/ehs_resrch/index.html.
ACF. “Making a Difference in the Lives of Infants
and Toddlers and Their Families: The Impacts of Early
Head Start.” Washington, DC: Administration for
Children and Families, June 2002. www.mathematica-mpr.com
or http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/ehs/ehs_resrch/index.html.
Sprachman, S., C. DeSaw, L. Mendenko, M. Salem, K.
Boller, and B. Kolln. “Early Head Start National
Evaluation Data Collection Training Manual for 6-Month
Parents Services Interview, 14-Month Parent-Child Interview
and Assessment, and Child Care Observations.”
Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., December
1996.
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