DOI: 10.3886/icpsr38861
title: Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES 2014) Contextual Variables Data File, United States, 2014-2017
title: Archival Version

description: FACES provides national information about Head Start programs and participants. Beginning in 1997, a series of nationally representative samples of Head Start children and their families, classrooms, and programs has described the population served by Head Start; staff qualifications, credentials, and opinions; Head Start classroom practices and quality measures; and the experiences and well-being of children and families. FACES studies have included assessments that measure children's cognitive skills, social-emotional skills, and physical status; observations of classroom quality; and surveys of children's parents, teachers, center directors, and program directors. The Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES 2014) Contextual Variables Data File contains 28 contextual, community-level variables about 399 Head Start centers included in the FACES 2014 study sample. It does not contain data collected as part of the FACES 2014 study; instead, it contains information from publicly available data sources and is designed to merge with other FACES 2014 data files to enhance the understanding of Head Start center communities. The contextual variables data describe characteristics of the census tract or block group in which Head Start centers are located. The contextual variables include three index variables constructed by research institutions, 24 demographic and socioeconomic variables derived from the American Community Survey (ACS), and a measure of rural/urban status from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The FACES 2014 Contextual Variables Data File is intended to be used with the other FACES 2014 data files. For example, in conjunction with the other FACES 2014 data, these data could be used to: describe the characteristics of neighborhoods where children attend Head Start, describe how children's experiences or Head Start quality differ by neighborhood characteristics, or explore associations among neighborhoods, Head Start experiences, and child and family well-being.
description: Provide contextual variables to describe characteristics of the community in which Head Start centers are located.
description: To link sources of the contextual variables to Head Start centers, the data producers first had to identify each center's census tract or block group. Using the SmartyStreets (now Smarty) geocoding service, data producers converted center addresses into geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude). The next step was to manually locate centers with addresses that could not be geocoded successfully through SmartyStreets using Google Maps and record their latitude and longitude values. All contextual variables are at the census tract level with the exception of the area deprivation index variable, <strong>CON_ADI_NATRANK</strong>, which is set at the census block group level. To protect the privacy of FACES 2014 respondents, the data producers also conducted a disclosure risk analysis and reduced the number of distinct codes for each variable. Please refer to the User's Manual for additional information.
description: The 2015 Area Deprivation Index (ADI) The 2015 Social Deprivation Index (SDI) The 2015 Child Opportunity Index (COI) The 2010 primary Rural Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) code Percentage of population less than 5, between 5 and 17, and 65 and older Percentage of population that is White, Black, Hispanic Percentage of population foreign born Percentage of population that speak a language other than English at home Percentage of families in single parent households; percentage of families in single mother households Percentage of persons age 25 or older with a four-year degree, with less than a high school diploma Percentage of civilian labor force unemployed Percentage of persons in poverty Percentage of households participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Percentage of workers using public transit Percentage of total housing units that are occupied by renters, without a phone, and without a car Median age of population, household income, value of housing unit, rent, and monthly cost of units with a mortgage
description: Datasets: DS0: Study-Level Files DS1: 2014 Contextual Variables Data DS2: Copy of the FACES 2014 Survey 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. Smallest Geographic Unit: Census tract
description: record abstractsThe Contextual Variables data (DS1) can be merged with the FACES 2014 study (DS2) by using the Center ID variable <strong>C2_ID</strong>. Please see the User's Manual for additional information on merging files.Although included with this study as DS2, the FACES 2014 study (ICPSR 36643) can be accessed through its study home page.For additional information on the Head Start Family and Child Experiences (FACES) study, please visit the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation website.