Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), United States, 2014-2015

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验调查》，简称FACES 2014，是该系列全国性Head Start研究的第六次调查，前五次分别在1997年、2000年、2003年、2006年和2009年进行。本版发布包含了对Head Start项目及中心、教室、儿童及其家庭的国家代表性样本，直至2017年春季。通过对Head Start项目及中心负责人、教室教师和家长的调查，提供了关于项目政策与实践、教室活动和Head Start工作人员及家庭背景与经历描述性信息。通过教室观察来评估Head Start教室的质量。研究中的儿童参与了直接评估，提供了他们在不同时间点的学校准备技能的图像。FACES 2014采用了新的研究设计，与之前FACES各轮次的研究在几个重要方面存在差异：(1)纳入了更大的项目及教室样本；(2)所有数据均在单一项目年度内收集；(3)儿童基线样本包括在Head Start接受第一年和第二年教育的儿童；(4)在主研究（核心研究）之外，还开展了多项特别研究，以收集有关特定主题的更详细信息，研究新的Head Start项目及参与者群体，并评估未来FACES各轮次可能使用的措施。例如，家庭参与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Head Start项目家庭参与努力和服务提供的详细信息。Head Start办公室、儿童和家庭事务管理局、其他联邦机构、地方项目以及公众都依赖于FACES提供关于以下方面的有效且可靠的全国信息：(1)Head Start儿童的技能和能力；(2)Head Start儿童的技能和能力与全国幼儿相比如何；(3)Head Start儿童对幼儿园的适应性和随后在幼儿园的表现；(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关键的研究问题，这些问题对于帮助项目管理人员和政策制定者至关重要。FACES的核心问题包括：服务Head Start的儿童和家庭群体的社会经济特征是什么？服务Head Start的群体如何变化？家庭和儿童在Head Start项目中的经历是什么？它们是如何变化的？Head Start儿童在项目开始和结束时一年的认知和社交技能如何？Head Start项目的表现是否随时间改进？Head Start教师的资格（教育、经验和证书）如何？Head Start的平均教师教育水平是否在上升？观察到的Head Start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？质量是如何随时间变化的？哪些项目级和教室级因素与观察到的教室质量相关？观察到的质量与儿童的成果和发展进步有何关联？用户指南提供了有关FACES 2014研究设计、执行和数据的信息，以供可能希望使用这些数据进行未来分析的研究人员参考。用户指南中作为附录提供了以下内容：附录A - FACES设计要素和关键措施（以及捕获的儿童成果）：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 - 2015年春季中心/项目代码簿附录F - 2015年春季教室/教师代码簿附录G - 2014-2015年儿童代码簿附录H - 2015年春季家庭参与家庭服务工作人员访谈代码簿附录I - 2015年春季家庭参与家长访谈代码簿附录J - 2017年春季中心/项目代码簿附录K - 2017年春季教室/教师代码簿附录L - 构建和派生变量的描述附录M - 两年来儿童生长的合成估计