Survey Tips

Tips for Completing the 2021 State of Preschool Yearbook Survey

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Survey Definitions

Accessing The Survey

Remember to have your unique web link handy to access the survey. This is found in an email from Yearbook@nieer.org
Remember that while the link may be shared and used by multiple people to complete the survey, only one person can work in the survey at a time.
Responses entered are automatically saved. You can exit the survey at any time and return where you left off using your unique web link (the same one you used to initially access the survey).

Navigating Through the Survey

Please use the Table of Contents to navigate between sections in the survey. The Table of Contents is located in the top left margin of the survey. Alternatively, you can navigate to the Table of Contents by clicking on the button at the bottom of each section of the survey.
In some instances, answers to earlier questions may change which survey questions you receive later in the survey. That is, you may inadvertently skip some questions if earlier questions are not answered. To avoid this issue and ensure that you get all the necessary questions, we recommend that you start answering questions at the beginning of each section. The Word document included in the email with your unique survey link also contains the full set of questions for your reference.
If you need to go back to an earlier section, please use the Table of Contents.
We recommend that you avoid using the forward arrow to navigate through the survey. When you get to the end of a section, there will be a red message reminding you to instead use the Table of Contents to move to another section.

If you do use the forward arrow to navigate between sections, a ✓will appear in the Table of Contents next to the section you left, and the name of the section will turn blue in the Table of Contents. This means that you have navigated through the section, but not necessarily that you have answered all the questions in that section. Please do not rely on the ✓as an indication that a section is complete.

2019-2020 Responses

For many questions, we have included your responses from the 2019-2020 school year for your reference. These answers will appear in the survey in blue between the question and the space for your 2020-2021 response. If the data you reported last year is still accurate, simply select the same response below or copy/paste the text into the blank (see below).

annotated screenshot of the survey directing users to respond with their previous answers if still accurate

Survey Responses

Nearly all text boxes in the survey allow you to leave them blank if you do not have additional detail. You do not need to add additional information each time there is a text box.
Please do not paste in guidance, policies, etc. If needed, provide a link.
For questions that require a number, percent, or dollar amount, enter only a whole number. You do not need to add $ and % signs to your response.
Some enrollment questions appear to be pre-populated with “0”. Please enter the correct enrollment information where applicable.

Completing and Submitting the Survey

Once you have completed the entire survey, use the Table of Contents to navigate to the End of Survey page. Read the instructions and review any sections of the survey as needed, then click the “Next” button at the bottom of the page. At this stage, you still have the opportunity to return to any part of the survey through the Table of Contents. When you are ready to officially submit the survey, click the “Next” button a second time. You will then be taken to a screen confirming your submission.
Please do not submit your survey until it is completed, as you will lose access to the web-survey once it is submitted.
You will have multiple opportunities to change and/or refine your survey responses during the follow-up process with NIEER.
Please complete the survey by October 1, 2021.

Survey Sections and Corresponding Question Numbers

For your reference, the following list includes the range of questions included in each section of the survey:

Section 1: Pre-K Program Name and Governance (Q1-Q3).

Section 2: Program Availability (Q4-Q7).

Section 3: Preschool Access (Q8-Q14).

Section 4: Preschool Access: Children with Disabilities (Q15-Q17).

Section 5: Preschool Access: Head Start (Q18-Q20).

Section 6: State Supplements to Head Start (Q21-Q26).

Section 7: Preschool Access: Enrollment Breakouts (Part 1) (Q27-Q38).

Section 8: Preschool Access: Enrollment Breakouts (Part 2) (Q39-Q44).

Section 9: Operating Schedule (Q45-Q54).

Section 10: Age Eligibility Factors (Q55-Q58).

Section 11: Income Eligibility Policies (Q59-Q65).

Section 12: Risk Factors used to Determine Eligibility (Q66-Q73).

Section 13: Program Standards (Part 1) (Q74-Q80).

Section 14: Program Standards (Part 2) (Q81-Q87).

Section 15: Program Standards (Part 3) (Q88-Q90).

Section 16: Attendance Data (Q91-Q93).

Section 17: Early Learning and Development Standards (Part 1) (Q94-Q99).

Section 18: Early Learning and Development Standards (Part 2) (Q100-Q104).

Section 19: Curriculum (Q105-Q113).

Section 20: Child Assessments (Q114-Q122).

Section 21: Lead Teacher Qualifications (Q123-Q131).

Section 22: Additional Lead Teacher Information (Q132-Q139).

Section 23: Assistant Teacher Qualifications (Q140-Q145).

Section 24: Teacher Professional Development (Part 1) (Q146-Q154).

Section 25: Teacher Professional Development Part 2 (Q155-Q160).

Section 26: Lead Teacher Workforce Salary and Benefit Parity Policies (Q161-Q166).

Section 27: Assistant Teacher Workforce Salary and Benefit Parity Policies (Q167-Q170).

Section 28: Resources (Part 1) (Q171-Q178).

Section 29: Resources (Part 2) (Q179-Q186).

Section 30: Classroom Observations (Part 1) (Q187-Q193).

Section 31: Classroom Observations (Part 2) (Q194-Q202).

Section 32: Other Accountability (Q203-Q208).

Section 33: State-Funded Preschool and COVID-19 (2020-2021) (Q209-Q211).

Section 34: State-Funded Preschool and COVID-19 (2021-2022) (Q212-Q220).

Section 35: Important Changes and Contact Information (Q221-Q226).

Still Have Questions?

If you have questions at any time while completing the survey, don’t hesitate to contact the NIEER Yearbook team:

Allison Friedman-Krauss (afriedman-krauss@nieer.org)
Karin Garver (kgarver@nieer.org)
Kate Hodges (khodges@nieer.org)
GG Weisenfeld (gweisenfeld@nieer.org)
Beth Gardiner (bgardiner@nieer.org)
Tracy Jost (tjost@nieer.org)

Thank you!