Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), United States, 2014-2017

The 2014 Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey, 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. This release includes nationally representative samples of Head Start programs and centers, classrooms, children and their families through spring of 2017. Data from surveys of Head Start program and center directors, classroom teachers, and parents provided descriptive information about program policies and practices, classroom activities, and the background and experiences of Head Start staff and families. Classroom observations were used to assess the quality of Head Start classrooms. Children in the study participated in a direct assessment that provided a picture of their school readiness skills at different time points. FACES 2014 used a new study design that differs from earlier rounds of FACES in several important ways: (1) it included larger program and classroom samples, (2) all data were collected in a single program year, (3) the baseline sample of children included both children enrolled in their first and second year of Head Start, and (4) several special studies were conducted along with the main (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 collected information from parents and staff (teachers and family services staff) on family engagement efforts and service provision in Head Start programs. 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 was 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: 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? What are the experiences of families and children in the Head Start program? How have they changed? What are the cognitive and social skills of Head Start children at the beginning and end of the program year? Has Head Start program performance improved over time? What are the qualifications of Head Start teachers in terms of education, experience, and credentials? Are average teacher education levels rising in Head Start? 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? The User Guide provides detailed information about the FACES 2014 study design, execution, and data to inform and assist researchers who may be interested in using the data for future analyses. The following items are provided in the User Guide as appendices. Appendix A - Elements Of The FACES Design And Key Measures Used (And Child Outcomes Captured): FACES 1997 - FACES 2014 Appendix B - Copyright Permissions Appendix C - Instrument Content Matrices Appendix D - Instruments Appendix E - Spring 2015 Center/Program Codebook Appendix F - Spring 2015 Classroom/Teacher Codebook Appendix G - 2014-2015 Child Codebook Appendix H - Spring 2015 Family Engagement Family Service Staff Interview Codebook Appendix I - Spring 2015 Family Engagement Parent Interview Codebook Appendix J - Spring 2017 Center/Program Codebook Appendix K - Spring 2017 Classroom/Teacher Codebook Appendix L - Descriptions of Constructed/Derived Variables Appendix M - Synthetic Estimation for Child Growth Across Two Years

《2014年早期教育家庭与儿童经历调查》，简称FACES 2014，是该系列国家研究的第六次调查，之前的研究分别在1997年、2000年、2003年、2006年和2009年进行。本次发布包括截至2017年春季的国家代表性样本，涉及早期教育项目与中心、教室、儿童及其家庭。通过对早期教育项目与中心负责人、教室教师和家长的调查，提供了有关项目政策与实践、教室活动以及早期教育工作人员和家庭的背景与经历描述性信息。教室观察被用于评估早期教育教室的质量。研究中的儿童参与了直接评估，以描绘他们在不同时间点的学校准备技能状况。FACES 2014采用了与之前FACES轮次显著不同的新研究设计：（1）纳入了更大规模的项目与教室样本，（2）所有数据均在单一项目年度内收集，（3）儿童基线样本包括第一年和第二年的早期教育注册儿童，（4）在主研究（核心研究）的同时，进行了几项特殊研究，以收集有关特定主题的更详细信息，研究新的早期教育项目与参与者群体，并评估未来FACES轮次可能使用的措施。例如，家庭参与度加研究收集了家长和工作人员（教师和家庭服务工作人员）关于家庭参与努力和服务提供的早期教育项目信息。早期教育办公室、儿童和家庭管理局、其他联邦机构、地方项目及公众均依赖FACES提供关于（1）早期教育儿童技能和能力、（2）早期教育儿童的技能和能力如何与全国幼儿园儿童相比、（3）早期教育儿童进入幼儿园的准备情况及其后续表现的全国性有效且可靠的资料、（4）儿童家庭和教室环境的特征。FACES研究旨在使研究人员能够回答一系列对于帮助项目管理人员和政策制定者至关重要的研究问题。FACES的核心问题包括：服务儿童和家庭的群体的人口统计学特征是什么？服务儿童和家庭的群体有何变化？家庭和儿童在早期教育项目中的经历是什么？这些经历有何变化？早期教育儿童在项目开始和结束时的一年的认知和社会技能如何？早期教育项目绩效随时间有何改善？早期教育教师的资格在教育、经验和证书方面如何？平均教师教育水平在早期教育中是否有所提高？观察到的早期教育教室作为早期学习环境的质量如何，包括教学和互动的水平与范围、学习提供、情感和教学支持以及教室组织？质量随时间有何变化？哪些项目级和教室级因素与观察到的教室质量相关？观察到的质量如何与儿童的成果和发展收益相关？《用户指南》提供了有关FACES 2014研究设计、执行和数据的信息，以供可能对使用数据进行未来分析的研究人员参考和协助。用户指南中提供的附录包括：附录A - FACES设计要素与关键措施（以及儿童发展成果的捕捉）：FACES 1997 - FACES 2014；附录B - 版权许可；附录C - 工具内容矩阵；附录D - 工具；附录E - 春季2015年中心/项目代码簿；附录F - 春季2015年教室/教师代码簿；附录G - 2014-2015年儿童代码簿；附录H - 春季2015年家庭参与和家庭服务工作人员访谈代码簿；附录I - 春季2015年家庭参与家长访谈代码簿；附录J - 春季2017年中心/项目代码簿；附录K - 春季2017年教室/教师代码簿；附录L - 构建和衍生变量的描述；附录M - 两年间儿童生长的合成估计。