Partnership Impact Research Project, 2001-2004 [United States]

The Partnership Impact Research Project is a three-year
study designed to assess the nature of early education partnerships
among Head Start, pre-kindergarten (pre-k), child care, and early care
and education programs and their influence on child care quality and
access to services. The project analyzes qualitative data in an
existing database that was collected by the
Quality in Linking Together
(QUILT) Early Education Partnerships initiative. The QUILT
database was designed to provide training and technical assistance in
the development and sustainment of partnerships to professionals
across the nation, including early care and education providers and
state leaders. It is divided into two sections: state-level and local
provider-level information. Both sections contain narratives, factual
data, and documents. Additionally, the project collected new
quantitative and qualitative data from randomly selected child care
and Head Start providers in Ohio to study the influence of
partnerships on the quality of and access to services.
The Partnership Impact Research Project explored questions about
partnerships and their impact on child care and parents while
attempting to determine whether state actions could influence both the
development of provider-level partnerships and the processes
partnerships engage in to sustain their work. Specifically, the study
was designed to address the following objectives:

Conduct a qualitative analysis of data in an existing database
to assess the nature of partnerships and state actions to support
partnerships.
Conduct a longitudinal study that uses a quasi-experimental
design and involves original data collection at three points in time
to learn about the impact of partnerships on child care center
quality, child care classroom quality, and accessibility of services
for parents.
Develop detailed reports and research briefs, tailored to
specific audiences such as legislators, administrators, and providers,
that translate research findings into practical information that
addresses questions frequently asked about child care partnerships.
Disseminate research reports and briefs through established
networks of policy makers and practitioners, using their
organizations' Web sites and publications.
The six datasets associated with this data collection are
summarized below:

Child Care Center Data -- contains information on a variety of
aspects about a child care center from the director's point of view
with many focused questions aimed at the preschool population and an
overview of the child care center as a whole. This dataset provides
information about the population being served, services provided,
teacher ratios, teacher training and education, annual budgets,
funding sources, and other major aspects of a child care center in
order to achieve an understanding of quality.
Child Care Center Partnership Data -- contains information about
the child care partnership with the Head Start Agency that provides
their services. There are five sections: funding sources, origins of
the partnership, resources, nature of the partnership, and
benefits/challenges. Information about how the partnership began, what
the centers' role is, what services are provided, and a variety of
general questions that inform others about the nature of the
partnership are available in this dataset.
Head Start Background Data -- contains background information
about a Head Start Agency that partners with child care centers and
other information related to budget, funding sources, number of
children served, and Head Start program organization.
Head Start Partnership Data -- a companion to the Head Start
Background data, this dataset contains information about the specific
partnership with each child care center the agency is involved
with. There are four sections: background information, teacher
training/professional development, services, and director
information. Additionally, information on how the partnership began,
what the agency's role is, what services are provided, and other
general questions about the partnership is available.
Parent Data -- contains information on parents' views of the
child care center that their preschooler attends. This dataset
provides information about the population being served including
home/school connection, how a parent views the classroom and the care
being provided by the center, and the services available to both the
child and parent through the center.
Teacher Data -- contains information about teachers' views of the
child care center where they are employed. This dataset provides
information about the population being served, services provided,
teacher ratios, teacher training and education, and teacher experience
in order to achieve an understanding of quality.