Design Phase of the National Study of Child Care Supply and Demand (NSCCSD): Cognitive Interview Findings Report for Home-based Provider Questionnaire

Publication Date: January 15, 2010
Current as of:

Introduction

Within the context of the Design Phase of the National Study of Child Care Supply and Demand, NORC conducted several rounds of cognitive interviews on the three instruments that were developed: a demand questionnaire for parents of children under age 13, a questionnaire for home‐based providers of care to children under age 13, and a questionnaire for center‐based providers of care to children under age 13. This report documents the methodology, content and findings of four rounds for cognitive testing conducted during the development of the home‐based provider questionnaire. The approach taken was progressive, with some topics being tested iteratively across rounds, while other topics were tested only once. Another task on the contract, the Compendium of Measures, documented the extensive and high quality instrumentation already developed for asking providers about many aspects of child care. For that reason, cognitive testing on this instrument was focused on questions believed not to have worked well previously, as well as those that were newly developed for the Design Phase activities. This report focuses on the development and cognitive interviews conducted of the home‐based provider questionnaire and the findings and recommendations that stem from those interviews.

The home‐based provider segment spans a wide range of provider types, including (non¬parent) relatives who may look after children in their household on a regular basis, grandparents who provide uncompensated care for their grandchildren, other family, friends or neighbors providing informal or formal care to children under age 13, as well as licensed large home‐based providers.