DOI: 10.3886/icpsr38527
title: Understanding Children's Transitions from Head Start to Kindergarten (HS2K), United States, 2019-2023
title: Archival Version

description: The purpose of this project was to better understand how to improve children's transitions from Head Start programs to elementary schools. Central to this project was a systems approach that recognizes that effective transitions require intentional engagement from both the sending programs (Head Start) and the receiving programs (elementary schools). This approach also recognized that transition strategies and practices must be implemented at multiple levels - among classroom teachers in Head Start and kindergarten, families, elementary school principals and Head Start directors, Head Start grantees and school districts, and state and federal agencies. Specifically, the project aimed to explore the definition of "successful transitions" by addressing the following research questions: What strategies and practices are Head Start programs implementing to support children as they transition from Head Start to kindergarten? What is the content, quality, and quantity of these strategies and practices? How are they experienced by children, families, teachers, and other direct service providers? What characterizes relationships/partnerships among Head Start programs, elementary schools, and other community partners that support children's successful transitions from Head Start to kindergarten? What are the specific facilitators of, and barriers to, successful transitions? What are the key perceived short- and long-term outcomes of transition strategies and practices for children, families, Head Start teachers, and kindergarten teachers? What are the key contextual factors and mechanisms that result in these key perceived outcomes? This project included several key tasks, including a review of the knowledge base, the development of a theory of change, a scan of existing measures and data sources to determine alignment with the theory of change, the development of new measures based on gaps identified in the measures scan, and the implementation of a comparative multi-case study.
description: The HS2K team conducted a comparative multi-case study that took an ecological approach to studying promising transition approaches from Head Start to kindergarten. This comparative case study design involved qualitative fieldwork methods and naturalistic or interpretive inquiries (Merriam, 1998). The research team explored the multiple settings and multi-directional influences on children's, families', and teachers' transition-related experiences and outcomes. The primary goals of this comparative multi-case study were to understand (1) the multi-layered perspectives, policies, professional supports, and practices (i.e., the 4Ps) around kindergarten transitions within Head Start, within elementary schools, and across systems including the organizational contexts that influence transitions; and (2) the direct experiences of families and their children.
description: All members of the HS2K team took part in a case study training session in February 2022. The training addressed: the study background; case study design; review of data collection protocols; team roles and responsibilities; planning, logistics, and scheduling for the interviews and focus groups; respondent privacy and informed consent; data handling, security, and tracking; culturally responsive and equitable data collection; and interviewing and focus group best practices. The HS2K team collected data from a sample of five cases that spanned different states and contexts across the country. Interviews were conducted with Head Start and local education agency (LEA) staff at multiple levels of the systems (LEA, school, program, center, classroom) and focus groups with Head Start parents in the spring and summer of 2022. A more structured interview approach was used as opposed to a less structured approach to reduce variability since there were multiple researchers conducting interviews in multiple sites (Creswell, 1998). Although protocols were structured, all of the interview questions were open-ended, and participants were encouraged to elaborate and give examples. In addition, researchers were also encouraged to ask probing questions when necessary to elicit more information about the outlined topics or themes as time allowed. Interviews and focus groups for each case were conducted by a two-person team, comprised of a case study lead and notetaker. Each team worked with the Head Start and LEA site contact to schedule the data collection activities. Participants used an automated scheduling system to book available times on the interviewer's calendar. Head Start staff identified best dates for conducting focus groups with parents. Prior to the interview and focus groups, the case study lead obtained verbal informed consent from participants. The case study lead asked for permission from the participants to audio record the interview or focus group. The notetaker took detailed notes during the interviews and focus groups and cleaned the notes. The notetaker sent thank you emails (with incentives for parent focus group participants). <strong>Interviews:</strong> The HS2K team conducted 57 semi-structured staff interviews with Head Start and LEA administrators and staff. The interviews lasted between 45 and 90 minutes - depending on role - and were conducted between April and September of 2022 via Zoom. Topics included background (e.g., role and responsibilities), perspectives on the transition and transition supports, family engagement in the transition processes, transition policies, partnerships between Head Start programs and district/elementary schools, and final reflections. Respondents were also asked to describe the composition and structure of the people and community partners they work with directly around transitions, both within and across systems. Interviews were mostly conducted in English, though some were in Spanish. The interviews were professionally transcribed. <strong>Focus Groups:</strong> To obtain in-depth understanding of families' experiences with transition, the HS2K team conducted six virtual focus groups via Zoom with Head Start families that lasted approximately 90 minutes. However, for two of the focus groups, only one parent joined the group, which made the session more of a one-on-one interview. By talking with parents/primary caregivers, the research team sought a better understanding of the successes, changes, and challenges with the transition process. Focus groups were conducted in English or Spanish to match parents' native language and preferences. The focus groups were professionally transcribed. <strong>Follow-Up Semi-Structured Post-Transition Family Interviews:</strong> The research team conducted interviews with parents who indicated interest in a follow-up interview from December 2022 through January 2023. Five individual interviews, for 45-minutes each, were conducted via Zoom. These interviews sought to understand how parents and children experienced the transition from Head Start to kindergarten and their perceptions of the helpfulness of the transition supports and activities that were described by the Head Start and LEA staff. The interviews were conducted in English and were professionally transcribed.
description: The research team created a matrix of constructs and protocol items, mapping each protocol item onto the study research questions. This format ensured that each construct was represented in the appropriate respondent protocols. The protocols addressed the following constructs and topic areas: <em>Kindergarten transition strategies and practices</em> Operational definition of "successful transition to kindergarten" Timeline for HS2K transition Strategies and practices implemented Alignment and continuity of practices between Head Start (HS) and kindergarten Professional supports provided to staff Perceptions of how well practices are implemented Perceived benefits of strategies and practices implemented Challenges to implementing HS2K strategies and practices Strategies for engaging family on HS2K Perceptions of family participation in kindergarten practices Differentiated HS2K practices/approaches for special populations COVID implications and opportunities Information/data collection and sharing between HS and kindergarten <em>Relationships to support kindergarten transitions</em> Coordination between HS grantee and LEA Coordination between HS program/center and school Partnerships with community organizations How collaborations influence transition supports How relationships support alignment across HS and kindergarten Characteristics of HS and LEA relationship(s) Family relationship with center/school staff Facilitators to collaborations across systems Challenges to collaborations across systems <em>Contextual factors that may influence transition practices and experiences</em> Respondent background and experience Diversity of workforce and children/families Beliefs about the role and responsibilities of parents; staff; community partners Family perceptions: learning environments in HS and kindergarten; child and family transition readiness Feeder/enrollment patterns between HS and elementary school Transition policy enactment and implementation Primary aim of transition policies <em>Perceived outcomes</em> Child: successful transition supports Family: successful transition supports Teacher: strong relationships, collaboration, and supports focused on kindergarten transitions Systems-level: successful transitions (e.g., alignment)
description: Response Rates: After initial recruitment emails were sent to six cases, one case site did not respond to the study team's invitation emails and therefore did not participate in the study. After initial discussions with another site, it was revealed that they had recent changes in leadership. Unable to gain agreement to participate, the research team made the decision not to move forward with that case. Lastly, for another case, one site declined to participate in the study. The research team reached out to three alternate sites and were able to recruit two of them to participate in the study. The third alternate site declined to participate due to timing and staff constraints. The study therefore ended up with five total cases.
description: The bounded system of interest for this study was the inter-organizational system that exists between Head Start and elementary schools. For this study, the research team referred to the Head Start/local education agency (LEA) bounded system as a "case" and the individual Head Start grantees/delegates/centers and LEAs/elementary schools within these cases as "sites". The research team sampled cases from across various Head Start-LEA configurations, and across different regions of the United States. Within each case, the research team selected a purposeful sample of interviewees representing key roles in the Head Start to kindergarten transition process. These individuals included staff at the Head Start grantee/delegate, center, and classroom levels; LEA, school, and kindergarten classroom levels; and a community partner that is key to the transition process in a particular case. The research team also conducted focus groups with groups of Head Start families. The research team intended to collect information from a similar set of respondents at Head Start and LEA sites to foster comparability across cases. Given the variability across cases, respondents varied slightly from case to case. Approximately 8 Head Start staff and 7 LEA staff were interviewed within each case, and up to 8 parents participated in a focus group within each case.
description: Datasets: DS0: Study-Level Files DS1: Head Start Administrator Transcripts DS2: Head Start Manager/Coordinator Transcripts DS3: Head Start Community Partner Transcripts DS4: Head Start Center Director/Principal Transcripts DS5: Head Start Teacher Transcripts DS6: Head Start Parent Group Transcripts DS7: Elementary School Principal Transcripts DS8: Kindergarten Teacher Transcripts DS9: Elementary School Staff Transcripts DS10: Local Education Agency District Staff/Administrator Transcripts DS11: Post-Transition Family Transcripts
description: Head Start and local education agency staff and families of children attending Head Start in one of five selected case studies in 2022.
description: telephone interview<strong>Project Officers:</strong> The HS2K project would like to acknowledge Kathleen Dwyer, PhD (project officer) and Nina Philipsen, PhD for their contributions and support. <strong>Project Director:</strong> Stacy Ehrlich Loewe (NORC at the University of Chicago) <strong>Principal Investigators:</strong> Stacy Ehrlich Loewe, PhD and Kyle DeMeo Cook, PhD <strong>Additional Resources:</strong> Reports based on this data collection are available at the Administration for Children and Families website.This collection is organized into 11 datasets grouped by respondent role. ICPSR zipped each datasets' transcripts in qualitative data packages that are available with restricted access. Please refer to the ICPSR README documentation files for more information and a list of specific files included in each dataset.