Clinical trial NCT05831436: The Role of Licensing in Early Care and Education: Licensed Providers
Official title: The Role of Licensing in Early Care and Education (TRLECE): Surveys Licensed Child Care Providers
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: Child Care Providers Perceptions of the Licensing System
Keywords: Child care and early education
Child care licensing
Early care and education programs
Lead sponsor: Child Trends
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Department of Health and Human Services
name: ICF International, Inc.
First posted: 2023-04-26
Enrollment: 2884
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Observational model: OTHER
Time perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL
Sampling method: PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: Licensed child care providers

Brief summary: Child Trends, funded by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE), Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will collect descriptive information for The Role of Licensing in Early Care and Education (TRLECE): Licensed Child Care Providers project. The goal of this information collection is to deepen the field's understanding of child care and early education licensing systems, which play a critical role in supporting positive outcomes for providers, families, and children. The investigators will conduct one round of survey data collection with a nationwide survey of licensed child care providers from all states.

Detailed description: This study aims to advance understanding of the landscape of child care and early education licensing systems. State/territory child care and early education licensing agencies establish and monitor regulations that child care programs serving young children must meet to operate legally. These regulations and monitoring practices play a large role in the operations of child care programs but have received relatively little research attention. The field has limited information about features of state/territory licensing units and limited information about child care and early education providers' experiences and perceptions of licensing (i.e., there are a few findings from individual states but no national survey). Ultimately, TRLECE: Licensed Child Care Providers findings can inform changes to licensing policies and practices in the child care and early education field, guidance and technical assistance to state leaders, and future research.

The investigators will gather information for this descriptive study through a survey of licensed child care provider. This survey is designed to collect information about licensed child care and early education providers' experiences with child care licensing, including regulations and inspections; perceptions of the burden, value, and fairness of the licensing system; and perceived strengths of and challenges with the licensing system. The investigators intend to invite a stratified random sample of directors of center-based programs and family child care providers from all 50 states and the DC to participate and will aim to have 1,000 participants from each group.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* A randomly selected group of directors/owners/managers of licensed child care programs (providers) in all U.S. states and DC

Exclusion Criteria:

* Individuals who are not directors/owners/managers of licensed child care programs (providers) in all U.S. states and DC

Primary outcomes:
measure: Child care provider survey
timeFrame: one time
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Bethesda
country: United States
facility: Child Trends Headquarters
state: Maryland
Study officials:
affiliation: Child Trends
name: Kelly L Maxwell, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: