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SAC Needs Assessment

SAC Needs Assessment. Background. A goal of the Massachusetts State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care (SAC) Identify the needs of young children birth to age eight,

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SAC Needs Assessment

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  1. SAC Needs Assessment

  2. Background • A goal of the Massachusetts State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care (SAC) • Identify the needs of young children birth to age eight, • assess the “quality and availability of early childhood education and development programs and services for children from birth to school entry.”

  3. Purpose of Needs Assessment • To inform the Board of Early Education and Care and EEC of the resources that will best serve families and communities in supporting the holistic development of children and youth families. • To build our knowledge and understanding of critical issues facing families.

  4. Where are we now? • EEC has contracted with Wellesley College Center for Women to develop a statewide needs assessment. • The researchers have been meeting with the Planning and Evaluation Committee monthly. • The researchers have developed research questions, a logic model, sampling plans and two types of surveys, one for the early education and care workforce and one for families.

  5. Research Questions for Families and Educators • Family Research Questions • What is the demand for resources to support child development for families with children ages 0 to 13? • Which children and families have access to the programs that they need including high quality EEC programs, health care and community resources and supports? • Are children, birth to age 13, on track to succeed when they enter school and beyond? • Educator Research Questions • How prepared is the EEC workforce to provide effective education and care for all? How stable is the workforce? What supports are available to educators to become more reflective practitioners? • How does the workforce define and understand quality in EEC programs?

  6. Surveys • The researchers developed a long and short version of the Family and Educator survey. The 2 versions can be used together or independently of one another. For example: • Short form can be used with a general sample and long form for the oversample or supplemental sample • Long form can be used with general sample and short form for oversample or supplemental sample. • Short or long form can be used only with a general sample. • Survey questions were compiled from existing national surveys. • Additional data sources include EEC Administrative data such as the Educator Registry.

  7. Family Survey Questions • Family survey questions were compiled from 14 existing surveys. • National Study of Child Care Supply and Demand, • National Early Head Start Study, • Abt National Study of Child Care for Low Income, • National Household Education Surveys (NHES), • Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (HS FACES), • National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (NICHD SECCYD), • Strengthening Families • Minnesota Household Survey • FastTrack Project • Census Survey of Income and Program Participation Child Well Being, (Census SIPP). • National Health Interview Survey • MA Early Education Household Survey • Boston Public School Needs Assessment • Desired Results for Children and Families- Parent Survey (California DOE)

  8. Educator Survey Questions • Educator survey questions were compiled from 12 existing surveys. • National Early Head Start Study, • Abt National Study of Child Care for Low Income, • National Household Education Surveys (NHES), • Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (HS FACES), • Boston Ready: K1 teacher survey • Strategies for Children • National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (NICHD SECCYD), • Massachusetts Cost and Quality Study • National Study of Child Care Supply and Demand (NORC NSCCSD), • New Teacher Support, Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning Survey (TELL Maryland) • Teacher Reflective Attitude Survey • National Prekindergarten Study Questionnaire (NPSQ)

  9. Sampling Recommendations • Family Statewide Sample: Random digit dialing and/or online and paper surveys • Random sample of families with or without oversampling of low income families. • Convenience sample from CFCE outreach. • Survey of all families served through CFCE’s. • Educator Statewide Sample: Online and paper surveys. • Random sample of educators • All registered educators in the EEC Registry • Can include optional oversample of kith and kin providers

  10. Determining what’s useful for Policy and Planning? • To help EEC determine which themes from the Needs Assessment surveys would be most useful for policy and planning, EEC asked various groups (EEC staff, CCR&Rs, CFCE grantees, Board Members and the Advisory Council) to complete a short questionnaire. • Respondents were asked to rank the themes by what would be most useful for policy and planning with the middle ranking being neutral. • 162 people responded to the questionnaire.

  11. EEC Family Questionnaire Results and Board Committee Discussions • The following themes were considered most useful for policy and planning. • Work flexibility/needs • Parent/Guardian Definition of child care quality • Strengthening Families/Protective factors • Child Health/Health Care Special Needs • Early Education and Care use • Information/Knowledge of child care resources • School attendance/Adjustment • Relative Neighborhood • Housing • Community Resources • Home Activities/Family Involvement outside of school • Demographics • Future Education • Family Stresses • Quality of care received • Child Care Satisfaction

  12. Linking the Family Survey Questions to risks in the Developmental Domains • Though the Needs Assessment looks at all children and families, the needs assessment also links to child development risk. • Of those the questionnaire determined would be most useful, some are linked to the 5 developmental domains. • Work flexibility/needs • Parent/Guardian Definition of child care quality • Strengthening Families/Protective factors (social emotional) • Child Health/Health Care Special Needs (cognitive, physical, approaches to learning, language) • Early Education and Care use • Information/Knowledge of child care resources • School attendance/Adjustment (cognitive, social emotional)

  13. Linking the Family Survey with Child Development Risk • Relative Neighborhood (social emotional) • Housing • Community Resources (physical, social emotional) • Home Activities/Family Involvement outside of school • Demographics • Future Education (cognitive and social emotional) • Family Stresses (cognitive, social emotional) • Quality of care received (cognitive, physical, approaches to learning, social emotional) • Child Care Satisfaction

  14. How can the most useful Family themes be used.

  15. EEC Family Questionnaire Results and Board Committee Discussions • The following themes were considered not as useful. Themes were considered less useful for a variety of reasoning including gathering the data from existing administrative data sources. • Family Health • Family Mental Health • Parent/Guardian Health • Family Involvement/Educational Information • Family Resources/Income Supports • Subsidy • Parenting strategies

  16. EEC Workforce Questionnaire Results and Board Committee Discussions • The following themes were considered most useful in policy and planning. • Workforce training • Workforce understanding of quality • Workforce and ELL and Special Needs children • Workforce in the field • Workforce leaving the field • Workforce Demographics • Workforce needs for supports for children and their families • Workforce and child expulsion

  17. How can the most useful Workforce themes be used.

  18. EEC Workforce Questionnaire Results and Board Committee Discussions • The following themes were considered not as useful. Themes were considered less useful for a variety of reasoning including gathering the data from existing administrative data sources. • Workforce program benefits • Workforce job description position, program, hours and salary • Workforce interaction with families and attitudes towards family involvement. • Workforce communication with families.

  19. Feedback from State Advisory Council • Research Questions • Questions are broad and may need to be more focused before implementation. Possible areas to focus on include strengthening families protective factors, housing and school attendance. • Struggle to get the right information. There is so much information EEC would like to know. • Sampling Recommendations • Random Digit Dialing is difficult as many families no longer have telephone landlines • Face to face interviews would be better, otherwise might not get accurate answers. • Incentives- to get quantity of responses but need to be aware of creating bias.

  20. Next Steps • Needs Assessment model and sampling plan presented to Board on June 14. • RFR drafted and posted. • Educator survey proposed implementation during FY12 1st quarter.

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