Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES 2014)

Mathematica Policy Research

Status: Completed

Conditions: Head Start Participation

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other; Other U.S. Federal agency

Identifiers

NCT03705377

40290A

Details and patient eligibility

About

For nearly two decades, the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) has been an invaluable source of information on the Head Start program and the children and families it serves. FACES 2014-2018 is the next phase of this important endeavor. Mathematica Policy Research and its partners, Juárez and Associates, Educational Testing Service, and consultants Margaret Burchinal and Martha Zaslow, developed the instruments and data collection procedures to assess the school readiness skills of 2,400 children and survey their parents and Head Start teachers in fall 2014 and spring 2015 (Classroom + Child Outcomes Core) and conduct observations in 720 Head Start classrooms and survey Head Start staff in spring 2015 and spring 2017 (Classroom Core).

Full description

The Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey 2014-2018, 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. It includes nationally representative samples of Head Start programs and centers, classrooms, children and their families. Data from surveys of Head Start program and center directors, classroom teachers, and parents provide descriptive information about program policies and practices, classroom activities, and the background and experiences of Head Start staff and families. Classroom observations are used to assess the quality of Head Start classrooms. Children in the study participate in a direct assessment that provides a rich picture of their school readiness skills at different time points.

FACES 2014 uses a new study design that differs from earlier rounds of FACES in several important ways: (1) it includes larger program and classroom samples, (2) all data are collected in a single program year, (3) the baseline sample of children includes both children enrolled in their first and second year of Head Start, and (4) several special studies are conducted along with the main or 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 in spring 2015 collected information from parents and staff (teachers and family services staff) on family engagement efforts and service provision in Head Start programs. Additional Plus topic modules in spring 2017 gathered information on program functioning from teachers and directors.

The Office of Head Start, the Administration for Children and Families, other federal agencies, local programs, and the public have depended on FACES for valid and reliable national information on (1) the skills and abilities of Head Start children, (2) how Head Start children's skills and abilities compare with preschool children nationally, (3) Head Start children's readiness for and subsequent performance in kindergarten, and (4) the characteristics of the children's home and classroom environments. The FACES study is designed to enable researchers to answer a wide range of research questions that are crucial for aiding program managers and policymakers. Some of the questions that are central to FACES include:

1. What are the demographic characteristics of the population of children and families served by Head Start? How has the population served by Head Start changed?
2. What are the experiences of families and children in the Head Start program? How have they changed?
3. What are the cognitive and social skills of Head Start children at the beginning and end of the program year?
4. Has Head Start program performance improved over time?
5. What are the qualifications of Head Start teachers in terms of education, experience, and credentials?
6. What is the observed quality of Head Start classrooms as early learning environments, including the level and range of teaching and interactions, provisions for learning, emotional and instructional support, and classroom organization? How has quality changed over time? What program- and classroom-level factors are related to observed classroom quality? How is observed quality related to children's outcomes and developmental gains?

Enrollment: 5,193 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 3+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 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). To be eligible for the study, a program had to be
• In one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia
• Providing services directly to children ages 3 to 5
• Not be in imminent danger of losing its grantee status.

Within those classrooms, eligible classrooms needed to

-have at least one Head Start child enrolled

Exclusion criteria

• American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start programs (Region XI) or Migrant and Seasonal Worker Head Start programs (Region XII) were not eligible. Other ACF studies (AI/AN FACES-NCT03842111 and MSHS-NCT03116243) focus on those programs.

Trial design

5,193 participants in 1 patient group

Head Start children and families

Description:

children (2,400), parents (2,400), classrooms/teachers (720), program directors (180), center directors (360), family service staff (168)