American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (AI/AN FACES)

Overview

The Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) has been a major source of information on Head Start programs and the children and families these programs serve since 1997, but has historically not included Region XI (programs that serve federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes). AI/AN FACES 2019 builds on AI/AN FACES 2015 (NCT03842111), which was the first national study of Region XI Head Start children and families, to continue to collect information on key Head Start program performance measures.

Full Title of Study: “American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (AI/AN FACES 2019)”

Study Type

  • Study Type: Observational
  • Study Design
    • Time Perspective: Cross-Sectional
  • Study Primary Completion Date: July 17, 2020

Detailed Description

The Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) has been a major source of information on Head Start programs and the children and families the programs serve since 1997, but has historically not included Region XI (programs that serve federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes). AI/AN FACES 2019 builds on AI/AN FACES 2015, which was the first national study of Region XI Head Start children and families, to continue to collect information on key Head Start program performance measures. The design and execution of AI/AN FACES has been informed by close collaboration with members of the AI/AN FACES Workgroup which includes Region XI Head Start program directors, researchers with experience working with AI/AN communities, Mathematica Policy Research study staff, and federal officials from the Office of Head Start, Region XI, and the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation. Building on FACES as the foundation, members of the AI/AN FACES Workgroup have shared insights and information on the kinds of information needed about children and families served by Region XI AI/AN Head Start programs. Members also provided input on recruitment practices and study methods that are responsive to the unique cultural and self-governing contexts of tribal Head Start programs. AI/AN FACES 2019 provides the mechanism for collecting data on a nationally representative probability sample in Region XI to learn what progress Head Start has made toward meeting program performance goals and provide valid and reliable information to federal, local, and tribal stakeholders. AI/AN FACES 2019 focuses on children and families to describe the school readiness skills, family characteristics, and Head Start experiences of these children, with a focus on Native culture and language. The investigators will collect information on programs and classrooms to provide context for children's experiences. Data collection with Region XI children, families, classrooms, and programs will take place in the Fall of 2019 and the Spring of 2020.

Arms, Groups and Cohorts

  • Region XI Head Start children and families
    • children (800) parents (800) classrooms/teachers (80) program directors (22) center directors (37)

Clinical Trial Outcome Measures

Primary Measures

  • English proficiency
    • Time Frame: 1 year
    • Children’s English language proficiency will be assessed during week-long site visits using Preschool Language Assessment Survey (PreLAS 2000): Simon Says and Art Show. See Duncan and DeAvila for more information on the scores and technical properties. Duncan, S.E., and E. DeAvila. Preschool Language Assessment Survey 2000 Examiner’s Manual: English Forms C and D. Monterey, CA: CTB/McGraw-Hill, 1998.
  • Language-English receptive vocabulary
    • Time Frame: 1 year
    • Indicators of language will be assessed during week-long site visits using Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Fifth Edition (PPVT-5). See Dunn 2019 for more information on the scores and technical properties. Dunn, D. M. Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Fifth Edition. Examiner’s Manual and Norms Booklet. Bloomington, MN: NCS Pearson, Inc., 2019.
  • Language-Expressive vocabulary
    • Time Frame: 1 year
    • Indicators of language will be assessed during week-long site visits using Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test-Fourth Edition (EOWPVT-4). See Martin and Brownell 2010 and Martin 2012 for more information on the scores and technical properties. EOWPVT-4: Martin, N., and R. Brownell. “Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test-4th Edition.” Novato, CA: Academic Therapy Publications, 2010.
  • Literacy-Letter word knowledge
    • Time Frame: 1 year
    • Indicators of literacy will be assessed during week-long site visits using Letter-Word Identification Test from Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement-Fourth Edition. Please see Schrank et al. 2014 for more information on the scores and technical properties. Schrank, F., K. McGrew, and N. Mather. Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Cognitive Abilities and Achievement. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014.
  • Literacy-early writing
    • Time Frame: 1 year
    • Indicators of literacy will be assessed during week-long site visits using Spelling Test from Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement-Fourth Edition. Please see Schrank et al. 2014 for more information on the scores and technical properties. Schrank, F., K. McGrew, and N. Mather. Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Cognitive Abilities and Achievement. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014.
  • Literacy-Letter sounds knowledge
    • Time Frame: 1 year
    • Indicators of literacy will be assessed during week-long site visits using Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Birth Cohort PreK version (ECLS-B) Phonemic Awareness/Letter Sounds. Please see Snow et al. 2007 for more information on the scores and technical properties. Selected items to be used to complement the Woodcock Johnson Letter Word Identification. These assessment instruments are not available for use by other investigators without special arrangements with the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Snow, K., L. Thalji, A. Derecho, S. Wheeless, J. Lennon, S. Kinsey, J. Rogers, M. Raspa, and J. Park. “Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), Preschool Year Data File User’s Manual (2005-06).” NCES 2008-024. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, 2007.
  • Mathematics
    • Time Frame: 1 year
    • 8. Indicators of mathematics will be assessed during week-long site visits using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort PreK (ECLS-B) version mathematics assessment of children’s understanding of relative size, ordinal numbers, and pattern matching; number recognition; and the children’s ability to count, recognize shapes, add, and solve word problems. Please see Snow et al. 2007 for more information on the scores and technical properties.
  • Mathematics
    • Time Frame: 1 year
    • Indicators of mathematics will be assessed during week-long site visits using the Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement-Fourth Edition Applied Problems Test. Please see Schrank et al. 2014 for more information on the scores and technical properties. English version: Schrank, F., K. McGrew, and N. Mather. Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Cognitive Abilities and Achievement. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014.
  • Children’s physical health
    • Time Frame: 1 year
    • Indicators of physical well-being will be assessed by weighing (using kilograms) and measuring children’s height (using centimeters), and combining these measurements to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI) in in kg/m^2.
  • General health status
    • Time Frame: 1 year
    • Indicators of physical well-being will be assessed by parent report to a survey item on if child’s health is excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor
  • Executive function
    • Time Frame: 1 year
    • Indicators of executive function will be assessed by the Minnesota Executive Function Scale (MEFS). The MEFS is a standardized and adaptive assessment administered on a touch-screen tablet with child-friendly graphics, avatars, and child-directed instructions. The MEFS provides an objective assessment of children’s self-regulation, particularly cognitive flexibility, working memory, and inhibitory control. See Carlson and Zelazo 2014 for more information on the task. Carlson, S. M., & Zelazo, P. D. (2014). Minnesota Executive Function Scale: Test Manual. Reflection Sciences, Inc. St. Paul, MN.
  • Social-emotional development
    • Time Frame: 1 year
    • Indicators of social-emotional development will be assessed using teacher report of several items on children’s positive and problem behaviors. Please see the FACES 2014 User’s Manual (Kopack Klein et al. 2017) for more information on the scores and technical information. Kopack Klein, A., B. Lepidus Carlson, N. Aikens, A. Bloomenthal, J. West, L. Malone, E. Moiduddin, M. Dang, M. Hepburn, S. Skidmore, S. Bernstein, A. Kelly, F. Hurwitz, A. Edwards, H. Zhou, and G. Lim. “Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (2014) User’s Manual.” Report submitted to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation. Washington, DC: Mathematica Policy Research, 2017.
  • Social-emotional development-cognitive/social behaviors
    • Time Frame: 1 year
    • Indicators of social-emotional development will be assessed using assessor report children’s cognitive/social behaviors during the assessment time, using the Leiter International Performance Scale-Third Edition Examiner Rating Scale. The Leiter comprises eight subscales that examine children’s approach to the assessments, their engagement with the materials, and their ability to attend to and regulate their physical and emotional responses during the assessment tasks. Please see Roid et al. 2013 for more information on the scores and technical properties. Roid, G.H., L.J. Miller, M. Pomplu, and C. Koch. Leiter International Performance Scale-3rd Edition. Wood Dale, IL: Stoelting, 2013.
  • Social-emotional development – Approaches to learning
    • Time Frame: 1 year
    • Indicators of social-emotional development will be assessed using teacher report of approaches to learning using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Kindergarten Class of 1998 (ECLS-K). The items assess a child’s motivation, attention, organization, persistence, and independence in learning. Please see U.S. Department of Education 2002 for more information on the scores and technical properties. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. “Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K), Psychometric Report for Kindergarten through First Grade.” NCES 2002-05. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, 2002.
  • Classroom quality-teacher child interactions
    • Time Frame: One-day observation in March-May 2020
    • Indicators of classroom quality will be assessed using the the PreK Classroom Assessment Scoring System. The Pre-K CLASS assesses the qualities of interactions between teachers and students in classrooms and measures aspects of interactions related to children’s early academic achievement and social competencies. Please see Pianta et al. 2008 for more information on the scores and technical properties. Pianta, Robert, K. LaParo, and B. Hamre. The Classroom Assessment Scoring System Pre-K Manual. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia, 2008.
  • Classroom quality-global classroom environment
    • Time Frame: One-day observation in March-May 2020
    • Indicators of classroom quality will be assessed using a shortened form of the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised (ECERS-R), a global rating of classroom quality based on structural features of the classroom (Harms et al. 2005). The items in the short form represent the strongest 21 items identified by researchers in a large-scale study (Clifford et al. 2005). Please see Harms et al. 2005 and Clifford et al. 2005 for more information on the scores and measure technical properties. Harms, T., R.M. Clifford, and D. Cryer. Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale: Revised Edition. New York: Teachers College Press, 2005. Clifford, Richard, Oscar Barbarin, Florence Chang, Diane M. Early, Donna Bryant, Carollee Howes, Margaret Burchinal, and Robert Pianta. “What Is Pre-Kindergarten? Characteristics of Public Pre-Kindergarten Programs.” Applied Developmental Science, vol. 9, no. 3, 2005, pp. 126-143.
  • Classroom quality-Native cultural and language classroom observation
    • Time Frame: One-day observation in March-May 2020
    • In AI/AN FACES 2019, children’s exposure to Native cultural and language experiences during the classroom observation will be documented using the Native Culture & Language in the Classroom Observation (NCLCO). The NCLCO was developed for AI/AN FACES 2015 and adapted for 2019, both with the guidance of the study Workgroup. The AI/AN FACES 2015 Workgroup. “Native Culture & Language in the Classroom Observation.” Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2019.

Participating in This Clinical Trial

Inclusion Criteria

  • The Region XI AI/AN Head Start programs participating in AI/AN FACES were a probability sample selected from among 146 study-eligible programs on the 2016-2017 Head Start Program Information Report (PIR). To be eligible for the study, a program had to be providing services directly to children ages 3 to 5, and not be in imminent danger of losing its grantee status. 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. Exclusion Criteria:

  • Head Start programs in Regions I through X and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (Region XII) were not eligible for AI/AN FACES. Other ACF studies (FACES-NCT03971435 and MSHS-NCT03116243) focus on those programs.

Gender Eligibility: All

Minimum Age: 3 Years

Maximum Age: N/A

Are Healthy Volunteers Accepted: No

Investigator Details

  • Lead Sponsor
    • Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
  • Collaborator
    • Children’s Bureau – Administration for Children and Families
  • Provider of Information About this Clinical Study
    • Sponsor
  • Overall Official(s)
    • Lizabeth Malone, Ph.D., Study Director, Mathematica Policy Research
    • Nikki Aikens, Ph.D., Principal Investigator, Mathematica Policy Research
    • Louisa Tarullo, Ed.D., Principal Investigator, Mathematica Policy Research

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