Assessing the Implementation and Cost of High Quality Early Care and Education Project (ICHQ) Field Test, United States, 2021 (ICPSR 38949)
Version Date: Mar 19, 2025 View help for published
Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s)
United States Department of Health and Human Services. Administration for Children and Families. Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR38949.v1
Version V1
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Summary View help for Summary
Mathematica conducted a field test for the Assessing the Implementation and Cost of High Quality Early Care and Education (ICHQ) Project. The goals of the field test were to:
The research team recruited a purposive sample of 80 centers in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, and Pennsylvania to participate in the field test and conducted data collection from April to December 2021. Implementation interviews (DS2) were conducted by phone with either one or a few key staff who knew the most about the center's operations and educational program. Cost data (DS5) were collected in an electronic spreadsheet by staff who knew the most about each center's finances. A web-based time-use survey collected information about how all teaching staff and select center administrators spend their time in activities related to providing early care and education services (DS3). The research team also conducted a center engagement interview to gather information about center characteristics (DS1), and an additional survey of all teaching staff (the same respondents identified for the time-use survey) to assess their perceptions of center practices and the work environment (DS4).
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Access to these data requires an application and a signed Restricted Data Use Agreement. Details, including the Restricted Data Use Agreement, are provided via the online application.
Distributor(s) View help for Distributor(s)
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Date of Collection View help for Date of Collection
Data Collection Notes View help for Data Collection Notes
Project Director:
Pia Caronongan (Mathematica)
Principal Investigators:
Gretchen Kirby (Mathematica), Pia Caronongan (Mathematica)
To protect confidentiality, the data producers did not include geographic information in the data.
Study Purpose View help for Study Purpose
The purpose of this study included refining the implementation measures to improve and establish their psychometric properties, refine the cost measures to identify costs associated with each key function and across ages of children, and test the associations between implementation, cost, and quality measures that are reflected in the conceptual framework.
Study Design View help for Study Design
This study included five data collection activities:
Each section of the interview included questions about (1) the structural features and adopted practices a center has in place to carry out each of the five key functions of its operations, and (2) the presence of specific activities (for example, approach to selecting and hiring staff, use of evidence-based tools, and type and frequency of training and coaching) that are needed to ensure intended features and practices are carried out effectively to achieve positive outcomes. The interviewer also collected information about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on operations and services. The reference period for implementation data collection was August 2020 to March 2021. The research team selected this period to capture services provided during a typical program year, because some centers adjust their programming in the summer months.
The workbook included instructions on how to complete it and space for responses or drop-down lists with prespecified options, depending on the question. The workbook had a series of tabs to enter costs for different categories of resources a center uses (for example, salaries and fringe benefits, facilities, equipment, and contracted services). Drop-down lists embedded throughout the workbook allowed respondents to select the key function associated with specific costs. Respondents also entered information about the number of children served in each age group and the number of hours of care provided during the specified reference period. The research team also collected costs of specific resources centers needed to operate and serve children during the COVID-19 pandemic and asked open-ended questions to capture how resource use changed in response to the pandemic. The reference period for cost data collection was planned to be the most recently completed calendar year (2020) or fiscal year; however, again because of the pandemic, the research team asked centers to select a recent three-month period when the center was open and serving some or all children in person.
The cost team members used a common protocol to review the workbooks and sent follow-up questions. The cost team members worked with respondents by telephone and email to address follow-up questions. They prioritized information on resource categories likely to make up the largest proportion of costs, such as salaries, fringe benefits, and facilities.
Sample View help for Sample
The research team chose four states (Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, and Pennsylvania) to select centers for the field test. The research team limited the number of states to include more centers from each state and ensure sufficient variation on key center characteristics within each state. Each of the four states met the following three criteria:
The research then selected a purposive sample of centers across the four states to recruit 80 centers for the field test. The research team first recruited centers that participated in an earlier phase of ICHQ data collection (Phase 1) and recruited new centers to get to a total of 80 CCEE centers. Centers in the field test needed to operate full-day, full-year programs and not be embedded within a public school system test. The research team also worked to maximize variation on three center characteristics:
Time Method View help for Time Method
Universe View help for Universe
Center-based child care and early education (CCEE) centers in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, and Pennsylvania
Unit(s) of Observation View help for Unit(s) of Observation
Data Type(s) View help for Data Type(s)
Mode of Data Collection View help for Mode of Data Collection
Description of Variables View help for Description of Variables
The center characteristics data (DS1) includes data from the center engagement interview: item-level variables and constructed variables about the size of the center (licensed capacity), ages of children served in the center, profit status, affiliation with larger organization or chain, funding mix, QRIS rating level, and accreditation status. The file has one record for each center.
The implementation data (DS2) includes data from the implementation interview, both item-level variables and constructed variables. The file also contains the scores for each of the five implementation measures (one for each center function). The file has one record for each center.
The time use survey data, staff level (DS3) contains data from the time use survey. It includes item-level variables for each staff respondent in a center to gather information on staff time use. There is one record for each staff member that completed the time use survey. Center IDs are in the file to identify staff in the same center and facilitate merging the file with center-level data.
The time use and teaching staff survey (SEQUAL) data (DS4), center level contains data from the time use survey and the teaching staff survey (SEQUAL). It includes constructed variables that aggregate time use by job category (such as administrator or teaching staff). The file also contains center-level average scores for each of the four domains of the teaching staff survey (SEQUAL). The file has one record for each center whose staff completed a time use or teaching staff survey (SEQUAL).
The cost data (DS5) captures data from the cost workbook: some item-level variables and some constructed variables, including child care hours, and costs by resource category (such as salaries, facilities, etc). The file also includes the estimates for each of the cost measures: (1) total cost per child care hour, (2) total cost per child care hour by the age of children served (infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children); (3) cost per child care hour by resource category, (4) cost allocation by resource category, (5) cost per child care hour for each of the five center functions, and (6) cost allocation for each of the five center functions. This file has one record for each center that completed a cost workbook.
Response Rates View help for Response Rates
The ICHQ field test data collection included the 80 centers who were eligible and recruited for the project. Some of these centers had participated in Phase 1 of the ICHQ data collection. However, not all 80 centers completed all data collection tools. As data collection extended into fall 2021, some centers encountered challenges in completing data collection tools due to ongoing service disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic and staff turnover.
Original Release Date View help for Original Release Date
2025-03-19
Version History View help for Version History
2025-03-19 ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection:
- Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes.
Notes
The public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public. Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.
One or more files in this data collection have special restrictions. Restricted data files are not available for direct download from the website; click on the Restricted Data button to learn more.