Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES 2014) [United States]

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. 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 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 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: 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 - Center/Program Codebook Appendix F - Classroom/Teacher Codebook Appendix G - Child Codebook Appendix H - Family Engagement Family Service Staff Interview Codebook Appendix I - Family Engagement Parent Interview Codebook Appendix J - Description of Constructed/Derived Variables

2014年启动计划家庭与儿童体验调查，简称FACES 2014，是该系列国家研究的第六次，此前的研究分别于1997年、2000年、2003年、2006年和2009年进行。本调查涵盖了启动计划项目及中心、教室、儿童及其家庭的全国代表性样本。对启动计划项目及中心负责人、教室教师和家长的调查数据提供了有关项目政策与实践、教室活动以及启动计划工作人员和家庭背景和经历的描述性信息。通过教室观察，评估了启动计划教室的质量。研究中的儿童参与直接评估，在不同时间点提供了他们入学准备技能的丰富图景。FACES 2014采用了一种新的研究设计，与之前FACES的各轮研究相比，在几个重要方面有所不同：（1）它包括了更大的项目及教室样本，（2）所有数据都是在单一项目年份内收集的，（3）儿童基线样本包括第一年和第二年入学的儿童，以及（4）在主研究或核心研究的基础上，进行了几项特别研究，以收集关于特定主题的更详细信息，研究新的启动计划项目和参与者的群体，并评估未来FACES各轮可能使用的措施。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）关于家庭参与努力和服务提供的启动计划项目信息。启动计划办公室、儿童和家庭管理局、其他联邦机构、地方项目和公众一直依赖于FACES提供关于以下方面的有效且可靠的国家信息：（1）启动计划儿童的技能和能力，（2）启动计划儿童的技能和能力与全国学龄前儿童的比较，（3）启动计划儿童对幼儿园的准备程度和随后的表现，以及（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帮助项目管理和决策者至关重要的研究问题。FACES的核心问题包括：服务启动计划儿童和家庭的群体及其家庭的统计学特征是什么？服务启动计划群体的特征是如何变化的？家庭和儿童在启动计划项目中的体验是什么？这些体验是如何变化的？启动计划儿童在项目开始和结束时的一年的认知和社会技能是什么？启动计划项目的表现是否随着时间的推移而改善？启动计划教师在教育、经验和资历方面的资格是什么？启动计划教师的平均教育水平是否在上升？观察到的启动计划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？哪些项目及教室层面的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收益有何关系？用户指南提供了关于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设计要素和关键指标（以及儿童发展成果）：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 - 中心/项目代码簿附录F - 教室/教师代码簿附录G - 儿童代码簿附录H - 家庭参与家庭服务工作人员访谈代码簿附录I - 家庭参与家长访谈代码簿附录J - 构建或衍生变量的描述