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CHILD CARE QUALITY: STRUCTURAL QUALITY
HEAD START FAMILY AND CHILD EXPERIENCES SURVEY
Measure: Counts of Children and Adults
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.
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 Family Child Care Observation, Spring 2003 Classroom Observation), Early Head Start Evaluation and Tracking Pre-K.
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 FACES 1997 was 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 and will be collected in 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 |
| 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
In the initial field test for FACES, classroom observation data were collected in spring 1997.
Classroom observation data from the initial cohort for the main study of FACES 1997 were first collected in fall 1997 and spring 1998 (spring of the Head Start year). Classroom observation data were also collected in spring 1999 for children who were still in Head Start (i.e., those who were 3 years old in fall 1997).
For FACES 2000, classroom observation data were collected in fall 2000 and spring 2001. Classroom observation data were also collected in spring 2002 for children who were still in Head Start (i.e., those who were 3 years old in fall 2000).
For the FACES 2003 cohort, classroom observation data were collected in fall 2003 and will be collected in spring 2004. Classroom observation data will also be collected in spring 2005 for children who were still in Head Start (i.e., those who were 3 years old in fall 2003).
Subscales/Components
There are no subscales for this measure. The components include counts of the numbers of children and the numbers of adults in the classroom at two separate time periods during a classroom observation. This provides the information needed to calculate child/adult ratios and for other calculations to be used in assessing specific measures of classroom quality.
Procedures for Administration
During a classroom observation, the observer records during two time periods the number of boy children, girl children, and adults working with the children in the classroom.
Psychometrics/Data Quality
Psychometric information is not yet available.
Languages Available
Other than English, the languages in which this measure is available is not explicitly stated.
Items Included
In the table below, record the number of boy children in the classroom, the number of girl children in the classroom, the number of paid staff and adult volunteers working with the children and the time of this observation.
Choose two time periods at least one hour apart during your visit to make these observations. Whenever possible, time period #1 should be “circle time” or its equivalent early in the classroom period (i.e., structured activity) and time period #2 should be indoor free play or “learning centers” later in the classroom period (i.e., unstructured activity). For each time, provide a brief description of the classroom activity during which the county was taken (e.g., circle time, free play, story time).
| Time | Description of Activity | Number of paid staff | Number of adult volunteers | Number of boys | Number of girls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||||
| 2 |
References and Source Documents
The measure can be requested by contacting the FACES Project Director (Dr. Nicholas Zill, nicholaszill@westat.com) or the ACF Project Officer (Dr. Louisa Tarullo, lbtarullo@acf.hhs.gov).
A number of FACES reports are available on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Web site: 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
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