DOI: 10.3886/icpsr38027
title: Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), Family Engagement Plus Study, United States, 2014-2015
title: Archival Version

description: The 2014 Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey, or FACES 2014, is the sixth in a series of national studies of Head Start, with earlier studies conducted in 1997, 2000, 2003, 2006, and 2009. FACES 2014 used a new study design that differs from earlier rounds of FACES in several important ways: (1) it included larger program and classroom samples, (2) all data were collected in a single program year, (3) the baseline sample of children included both children enrolled in their first and second year of Head Start, and (4) several special studies were conducted along with the main (Classroom + Child Outcomes Core and Classroom Core) study to collect more detailed information about a given topic, to study new populations of Head Start programs and participants, and to evaluate measures for possible use in future rounds of FACES. For example, the Family Engagement Plus study collected information from parents and staff (teachers and family services staff) on family engagement efforts and service provision in Head Start programs. The FACES 2014 Family Engagement Plus study took place in spring 2015 within the 60 programs that participated in the child-level data collection in the Classroom + Child Outcomes Core study. This Plus study describes family engagement practices in Head Start from the perspectives of parents and Head Start staff. It examines how practices align with the Head Start Parent, Family, and Community Engagement (PFCE) Framework and targeted family outcomes. It also explores how programs engage with community partners to provide comprehensive services to families and how parents and staff characterize their relationships with one another. It includes semi-structured interviews with parents and family services staff (FSS) as well as supplemental content added to the Core parent and teacher surveys. This release includes open-ended qualitative data from the semi-structured interviews included in the Family Engagement Plus study. The primary research questions for the Family Engagement Plus study are as follows: What do family engagement efforts look like in Head Start? How are families engaged in Head Start and in their children's learning and development at home and in the community? What staff are involved in family engagement efforts, and in what ways are they involved in those efforts? How are comprehensive family services provided in Head Start? How do parents and staff characterize their relationships and interactions with one another? How do family engagement efforts and service provisions align with the Head Start Parent, Family, and Community Engagement (PFCE) Framework? The User's Manual provides detailed information about the Family Engagement Plus study design, execution, and data to inform and assist researchers who may be interested in using the data for future analyses or pairing the Family Engagement qualitative data collection sources with other FACES 2014 sources.
description: A comprehensive redesign of the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) study took place in 2011, where researchers determined that FACES must be a vehicle that provides timely and ongoing information about Head Start program performance, including program improvement efforts, program quality, and outcomes for children and families. Therefore, FACES 2014 adhered to a Core Plus study design that consisted of a core set of data collection activities to capture key characteristics and indicators related to programs, classrooms, and child outcomes. In addition, topical modules or special studies, known as the Plus studies, allowed FACES to respond flexibly to new policy and programmatic issues and questions and to address in greater depth topics in the Core studies.
description: The Family Engagement Plus study is a cross-sectional, mixed-method addition to FACES 2014. The study draws on supplemental items in the Core parent and teacher surveys and semi-structured family engagement interviews containing open- and closed-ended items for family services staff (FSS) and parents. This collection, referred to as the Family Engagement qualitative data collection, contains interview transcripts with the open-ended responses. Please refer to the User's Manual for information on how to link interview transcripts to the closed-ended survey data in the remaining FACES 2014 Family Engagement data. Interviews took place between April and July 2015. Research staff interviewed sampled FSS by telephone during regular work hours. Parents were asked in one of three ways to participate in the semi-structured interview: 1) if completing the Core survey by phone, they were invited by the telephone interviewer at the end of the survey; 2) if completing the Core survey online, a telephone interviewer called them shortly after they finished the survey; and 3) if they had not yet completed the parent survey near the end of the data collection period, telephone interviewers called selected parents and asked them to participate. Parent interviews were conducted in English or Spanish, and parents received $25 for completing the interview. For consistency, all interviewers followed the interview protocol in a standardized manner (e.g. no rephrasing interview items, adding probes, or asking items out of order). Interviews conducted in Spanish were translated to English following transcription.
description: For the family services staff (FSS) interview, questions were grouped into the following themes: Opportunities for family engagement: opportunities offered by the program for leadership and sharing opinions; how the program engages fathers or father-figures, children with disabilities, families from different cultural and language backgrounds; process of transitioning between Head Start and preschool or kindergarten Program supports for family engagement and services: types of resources and support staff receive to help engage families and connect them to needed services, and referrals tracking process Experiences and process of working with families to achieve goals Working with community partners: how the program encourages families to get involved in their community, and available resources for staff in this effort For the parents interview, questions were grouped into the following themes: Choosing Head Start: how parents learned about Head Start, initial perceptions about what Head Start could do for them, satisfaction with the program Relationships with program and staff: how often parents talk to teachers/staff, degree of comfort and feeling welcomed by program staff, process of obtaining services, how staff help parents reach goals for children and themselves Family engagement in the program: leadership opportunities, activities, sharing opinions about the program Community engagement: program activities that allow families to connect with and support each other, encouragement to get involved outside the program in learning, training, or activism Please refer to the Questionnaires in this collection for the full question text.
description: The FACES 2014 data contain a variety of analysis weights, a subset of which have been developed to be used specifically with FACES 2014 Family Engagement Plus study data sources. The use of weights with FACES data is important for ensuring that findings accurately represent the populations of Head Start children, their families, programs, classrooms, and teachers. FACES analysis weights account for variations in the probabilities of selection as well as for eligibility and differences in cooperation rates among those selected. They also adjust for sample attrition over time. Not all sampled families and staff participated in the FACES 2014 Family Engagement Plus study, but those data were collected from a sample meant to be nationally representative of Head Start children, teachers, and FSS. Analysis weights are to be used with survey data and constructed variables. Users interested in weighting open-ended qualitative data from semi-structured FACES 2014 Family Engagement Plus study interviews will need to code and quantify responses. By weighting the analysis, researchers represent the target population as cases are counted relative to sample members' representation in the population. Use of analysis weights reduces the potential bias in findings that is associated with differential selection and nonresponse.
description: Response Rates: In the FACES 2014 study, there were high participation rates at each level and each time point of data collection with a few exceptions. Ninety-percent of programs selected agreed to participate. For the FACES 2014 Family Engagement Plus study, there was a target goal of a certain number of completed parent and FSS semi-structured interviews. The completion rate was 89 percent for FSS. The completion rate was 83 percent for parents. Please consult the User's Manual for more details on response rates.
description: The sample is a multi-stage sample, with the first two of four stages (programs and centers) being selected with probability proportion to size (based on number of classrooms). Classrooms (stage three) and children (stage four) were sampled with equal probability. A total of 180 programs were selected, 60 of which included child-level data collection in fall 2014. In all 180 programs, an average of two centers and two classrooms in each center were selected. Within the 60 programs with child-level data collection, approximately 12 children were selected in each classroom to yield 10 participating children. Additional sampling was done to support the family engagement study in spring 2015. The researchers selected a subsample of 12 parents per program, or 720 parents, from those whose children participated in the Classroom + Child Outcomes Core in fall 2014. Among these, 650 were associated with children still enrolled in Head Start in the spring (and therefore still eligible for FACES 2014 data collection). Among those still eligible in spring 2015, 382 consented, and 315 completed a semi-structured parent interview. Within each of the 60 programs with child-level data collection (that is, participating in the Classroom + Child Outcomes Core), researchers randomly selected up to 4 family services staff (FSS), for a sample of 196. Among the selected FSS, 182 were eligible staff; 163 consented, and 145 completed a semi-structured FSS interview. The final sample in this collection contains the transcripts of those participants whose interviews were recorded and align with the closed-ended survey measures (n = 449; 305 parents and 144 FSS).
description: Datasets: DS0: Study-Level Files DS1: Family Services Staff (FSS) Interview Data DS2: Parent Interview Data
description: The Head Start programs participating in FACES 2014 were a probability sample selected from among 2,900 study-eligible programs on the 2012-2013 Head Start Program Information Report (PIR) (the 2012-2013 PIR was used for the 2014-2015 sample and the 2014-2015 PIR was used for the 2017 sample). To be eligible for the study, a program had to be in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia, be providing services directly to children ages 3 to 5, and not be in imminent danger of losing its grantee status. Furthermore, programs under the Migrant and Seasonal Worker program or American Indian and Alaska Native program were not eligible. Probability samples of centers were selected within each program, classrooms within each center, and children within each classroom. Teachers associated with selected classrooms were included in the study with certainty, as were parents associated with selected children. The FACES 2014 Family Engagement Plus study took place within the 60 programs that participated in the child-level data collection in the Classroom + Child Outcomes Core study. Family services staff (FSS) in the 60 programs with child-level data collection were selected for the FACES 2014 Family Engagement Plus study. Researchers selected a subsample of 12 parents from each of the 60 FACES 2014 Family Engagement Plus study programs, or 720 parents, from those whose children participated in the Classroom + Child Outcomes Core in fall 2014. Among these, 650 were associated with children still enrolled in Head Start in the spring (and therefore still eligible for FACES 2014 data collection). The User's Manual provides more information on the Family Engagement qualitative data collection sample.. Smallest Geographic Unit: Country
description: telephone interview<strong>FACES 2014:</strong> <strong>Project Officers:</strong> The Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey would like to acknowledge Maria Woolverton and Mary Mueggenborg's roles as the ACF Project Officers for FACES 2014. <strong>Project Director:</strong> Lizabeth Malone, Ph.D. (Mathematica Policy Research) <strong>Principal Investigators:</strong> Louisa Tarullo, Ph.D. and Nikki Aikens, Ph.D. (Mathematica Policy Research) <strong>Acknowledgment:</strong> Juárez and Associates, Inc. assisted in collecting data for FACES 2014. Psychometric support was provided by Educational Testing Service. <strong>Consultants:</strong> Margaret Burchinal and Martha Zaslow In addition, the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey would like to acknowledge the following people involved in archiving the FACES 2014 Family Engagement Qualitative Data Collection Archiving Project: <strong>Project Officer:</strong> Nina Hetzner as the ACF Project Officer for the FACES 2014 Family Engagement Qualitative Data Collection Archiving Project <strong>Project Director:</strong> Felicia Hurwitz, Ph.D. (Mathematica Policy Research) <strong>Senior Advisor:</strong> Nikki Aikens, Ph.D. (Mathematica Policy Research) <strong>Additional Resources:</strong> Reports based on this data collection are available at the Administration for Children and Families website.For additional information on the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) study, please visit the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation website.This collection is related to the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) 2014 cohort, ICPSR 36643. For similar study information and characteristics, please refer to both studies.