Community Participation and the American Indian Alaska Native Family and Child Experience Survey

• In Event: New Opportunities to Study the Understudied: Secondary Analyses with Two Federal Datasets

Abstract

The presentation highlighting the AI/AN FACES data will start with a discussion of Region XI Head Start, which serves programs run by federally recognized tribes. We will discuss the unique features of Region XI programs, including a discussion of the importance of including Native language and culture into the program. We will also provide a brief discussion of the history of research with Native communities, discuss why Region XI had not been included in previous national studies of Head Start children and families, and why we undertook the study in the way we did.

Planning for AI/AN FACES 2015 was the result of over two years of careful planning with advice from members of a workgroup made up of Region XI Head Start Directors, researchers with experience working with tribal communities, the study contractor, and federal officials. We tried to honor a tribal community based participatory research (CBPR) frame when working on the study. Workgroup members provided advice on every question we asked participants, on how to effectively and respectfully engage with tribal communities (including co-presenting at tribal councils and tribal institutional review boards), on how to train data collectors, and in how to disseminate findings. We followed this same model when we repeated the study in 2019, with some enhancements based on lessons learned and advice from our workgroup. Procedures for tribal review and approval in each of the Head Start programs communities were followed for both waves of data collection.

AI/AN FACES 2015 collected data in the fall and spring of the 2015-16 program year and AI/AN FACES 2019 collected data in the fall and spring of the 2019-20 program year. The sample is weighted to represent all children, families, classrooms, and programs in Region XI. The full AI/AN FACES technical reports includes detailed information about the study design and measures. A few features of the study design will be presented.
Data collection included:
• Surveys from program directors, center directors, teachers, and parents
• Direct child assessments and parent and teacher ratings of children’s skills
• Direct classroom observations
Finally, in response to requests from the members of our workgroup, in particular our Region XI Head Start directors, we worked together with the communities we collected data from and a Tribal IRB representative to make the data available for secondary analysis for qualified researchers. Being qualified includes not only knowledge of data analyses, but also knowledge of and experience working with tribal communities or partnering with individuals to share that experience. We created a data committee to review all applications and products for AI/AN FACES data to ensure that those accessing the data consider the unique characteristics and expectations of these communities.

During this presentation, we will not only highlight data that is available for additional analyses, including themes that might be explored, we will also discuss the data committee process and provide tricks and tips for navigating access.

Authors

• Meryl Yoches Barofsky, United States Office of Child Care
  Presenting Author

• Laura Hoard, United States Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation (OPRE)
  Non-Presenting Author

• Allison Walker, Administration for Children and Families
  Non-Presenting Author

• Aleta Lynn Meyer, Administration for Children and Families
  Non-Presenting Author