2018 Early Childhood Family Satisfaction Survey Now Available Through May 31
BATON ROUGE, La. -- While more families report being satisfied with programming at their child's early childhood education center, they need better information about the quality of experiences offered to their child, according to
survey results released today by the Louisiana Department of Education, in partnership with the United Way of Southeast Louisiana and Women United.
The 2017 "Early Childhood Family Satisfaction Survey," which drew over 2,400 responses, shows:
- Louisiana families are satisfied with their early childhood programs. Ninety-six percent of families are likely to choose their program again and 95 percent are satisfied with the quality of the program their child attends. That's an increase of 6 percent and 7 percent, respectively, since the inaugural report in 2016.
- Family understanding and knowledge of their child's early childhood program has improved over time, but many families still report needing additional information about the quality of the experiences offered to their child. Seventy-eight percent of families believe their children are learning important skills, their program has enough books, toys and activities, and their child's caregiver is warm and caring. But one in five families who responded were unsure about features of the program, like whether there were enough adults there to care for all the enrolled children and whether their child was learning lessons that would help him or her in school.
- Families, particularly those who are disadvantaged, need support to make the best choices for the care of their children. Families reported they had difficulty navigating the enrollment process and that cost is a significant barrier. For many, affording quality childcare can compete with other basic needs such as food, housing and medical care. As communities continue to coordinate enrollment and improve the quality of their sites, it will be critical to understand the family perspective on the impact of these efforts.
"The Family Satisfaction Survey allows us to tap into how families feel about the education and care their young children are receiving every day and what we can do to better support them," said State Superintendent John White. "This knowledge is critical as Louisiana unifies its early childhood and K-12 education systems and expands access to high-quality learning opportunities for all children."
"The reality is almost half of households in Louisiana are forced to make difficult decisions when covering basic needs, including education, making it all the more important to help families select a quality program," said Michael Williamson, United Way of Southeast Louisiana President and CEO. "United Way and Women United's continuing partnership with the Department maintains our focus on ensuring all families have access to affordable, high-quality early care and education."
The 2017 survey results were released as the 2018 survey is being completed by families with children in publicly-funded seats. This year's survey was mailed to sites to be distributed to families last month, and the deadline is May 31, 2018. Families who received a paper survey should follow the enclosed instructions on how to submit the document. Families who are interested in participating online can access the survey
here. The responses will not be linked to individual teachers, children or families, or reported at the program level.
The 2018 survey will ask families similar questions as were asked on the previous two surveys but will also incorporate questions about the
Louisiana School and Center Finder, a comprehensive online reporting tool released in Fall 2017. The tool, the
first of its kind in the nation, allows families to search any of the state;s 1,600 publicly funded early childhood programs, including Head Start, school and child care centers, and view each site's full performance profile.
The 2018 survey is being administered by the Department in partnership with United Way of Southeast Louisiana, Women United of Southeast Louisiana and the Louisiana Association of United Ways.