Research is at the core of Sesame Street’s model for creating engaging and effective content for young children and families. We are studying the effectiveness of Sesame Street’s Growing Together online professional development course.

Our goal for the research is to assess the impact of the Sesame Street resources on teachers’ and parents’ knowledge, attitudes and self-reported behavior regarding family engagement, as well as the impact of the resources on children’s social emotional skills (as reported by teachers).

Who is conducting the study?
Sesame Street has selected PHMC’s Research & Evaluation Group (REG) to conduct the study of their Growing Together online professional development course. To learn more about REG, visit our website: http://www.phmcresearch.org/sesamestreet.

Why should teachers and parents participate in the study?
By participating in the study, teachers and parents are helping us to determine whether or not the Growing Together online professional development course is effective. Teachers and parents will also be given the opportunity to provide their feedback so that the course can be improved in the future.

Teachers and parents will be compensated for their time to complete study surveys (see below).

Teachers in Pennsylvania who complete the course are eligible for 3 PQAS hours. The course is aligned with the Pennsylvania Core Knowledge Competencies in:

• Curriculum and Learning Experiences
• Child Growth & Development
• Families, Schools and Community Collaboration and Partnerships
• Communication
• Health, Safety and Nutrition

Why a family engagement course for teachers?
Families are a child's first teachers. Lessons learned from home help to shape a young child's interest in learning, and ways to engage, and preparation for success in school. When providers celebrate the experiences of children within their families, we create opportunities in early childhood settings for children to be successful. Educators like you have the power to harness the relationships with parents to prepare children for school and the world across every developmental domain.

This free course highlights the ways that children learn from parents, providers, and experiences in their community across every developmental domain. Across five units, providers will explore strategies for school readiness with an overview of developmental domains, actionable steps to promote engagement in educational settings, and tips to strengthen partnerships with parents.

• In Unit 1, Growing Together uses a child's curiosity to explore approaches to learning, and ways to make every moment with a student meaningful.
• In Unit 2, Growing Together builds the bridge between a child's home and school communities that extend social emotional competence into academic success.
• In Unit 3, the course helps participants learn how exposure to vocabulary and open-ended questions advance the language and literacy of children and their role in the world.
• In Unit 4, Growing Together explores the varied types of motor development and ways in which healthy eating, playing, and moving are directly related to student focus and academic success.
• In Unit 5, the course provides strategies to spur cognition in early childhood through STEAM activities that promote resilience, and resources to extend mathematical concepts.

Upon completion of the course, educators will receive a certificate detailing the lesson objectives aligned to the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework. We recommended printing this FAQ page to share with those who are granting credit.

This course is designed to be completed at the participant's own pace. For the study, we ask that teachers take one unit every two weeks. Units are estimated to take about 45 minutes. The units of the course must be completed in order. (When other teachers take the course later, they can complete the course in one sitting or over multiple sittings.)

Teachers and parents from up to 100 centers will participate in the study. Centers are in Pennsylvania and across the countryWhat is the eligibility criteria to participate?

To be eligible, teachers must :

• Work in an eligible center with a director who had agreed for the center to participate in the study
• (includes working in the center, working from home, or furloughed)
• Have access to reliable, high-speed internet
• Have an email address that can be shared with researchers
• Read English enough to understand course materials and/or surveys
• Be available during the study weeks

To be eligible, parents must:

• Have a child who is 3.5 – 5.5 years old during late summer/early fall 2020 enrolled in a classroom with a teacher interested in participating in the study; this includes children attending the center and/or children engaging in distance learning
• Have access to reliable, high-speed internet
• Have an email address that can be shared with researchers
• Read English enough to understand course materials and surveys
• Be available during the timeframe of the study (late summer/early fall 2020)

Can my director require me to participate in the study?
No, all participation must be voluntary.

Can I require parents to participate in the study?
No, all participation must be voluntary.

Can I participate in the study without the permission of my center’s director?
No, you must have the permission of your center’s director to participate in the study.

I am interesting in participating. What do I do next?
If you are interested in participating, please go to https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/5759744/Sesame-Teacher-Screening-Phase-2 to confirm your interest and determine your eligibility for participation in the study.

What is involved for intervention parents?
You will be expected to do the following:

1. Complete a baseline survey
2. Enroll in the online course and complete one unit every week
3. Engage in the course-suggested activities with parents and students
4. Complete checklists/feedback forms every week for 5 weeks
5. Complete a follow-up survey
6. Participate in a telephone focus group, if invited.

It is expected that baseline and follow-up surveys will take about 20-30 to complete. We estimate that taking the course, engaging in the activities with parents and students, and completing the checklists/feedback forms will take teachers about 1 - 1.5 hours per week. If invited to participate, the focus group should take about one hour. Teachers will be encouraged to complete surveys and view the online course during times that they are not responsible for children at the center (e.g. lunch, breaks, or outside of work). Teachers will work the children and parents on course suggested activities during their working hours.

If you are in the group that takes the course, you will register on the Sesame Street in Communities website. You will watch a welcome webinar, then receive e-newsletters for each unit.
This course is designed to be completed at the participant's own pace. For the study, we ask that teachers take one unit every week. Units are estimated to take about 45 minutes. The units of the course must be completed in order.

What is involved for children?
Information will not be collected directly from children as part of the study. Children whose teachers and parents are participating may experience course-suggested activities.

What will happen with the data collected?
Results will not identify centers, teachers, parents, or children participating in the study. We will combine all individual responses to create summary statistics.

Teachers will recieve the following?
Parents will receive the following:

• $15 Amazon.com gift cards for completing the baseline teacher survey
• $20 Amazon.com gift card for completing the follow-up teacher survey
• Entry into a drawing for 1 of 2 tablets for completing both baseline and follow-up surveys (the chance of a teacher winning is about 1 in 50 or better)
• $25 Amazon.com gift card for completing all five weekly checklists/feedback forms
• $50 Amazon.com gift card for participating in a focus group, if invited

Will my center receiving anything for participating in the study?
Centers completing the study will receive Sesame Street books, posters, and magnets.

Will parents be compensated for their time?
Parents will receive the following:

• $15 Amazon.com gift cards for completing the baseline teacher survey
• $20 Amazon.com gift card for completing the follow-up teacher survey

Entry into a drawing for 1 of 25 $25 Amazon.com gift cards for completing at least 4 of 5 checklists/feedback forms (the chance of a parent winning is about 1 in 25 or better)

• $50 Amazon.com gift card for participating in a focus group, if invited

Research is at the core of Sesame Street’s model for creating engaging and effective content for young children and families. We are studying the effectiveness of Sesame Street’s Growing Together online professional development course.

Our goal for the research is to assess the impact of the Sesame Street resources on teachers’ and parents’ knowledge, attitudes and self-reported behavior regarding family engagement, as well as the impact of the resources on children’s social emotional skills (as reported by parents).

Who is conducting the study?
Sesame Street has selected PHMC’s Research & Evaluation Group (REG) to conduct the study of their Growing Together online professional development course. To learn more about REG, visit our website: http://www.phmcresearch.org/sesamestreet.

Why should my centers’ teachers and parents participate in the study?
By participating in the study, teachers and parents are helping us to determine whether or not the Growing Together online professional development course is effective. Teachers and parents will also be given the opportunity to provide their feedback so that the course can be improved in the future.
Teachers and parents will be compensated for their time to complete study surveys (see below).

Why a family engagement course for providers?
Families are a child's first teachers. Lessons learned from home help to shape a young child's interest in learning, and ways to engage, and preparation for success in school. When providers celebrate the experiences of children within their families, we create opportunities in early childhood settings for children to be successful. Educators like you have the power to harness the relationships with parents to prepare children for school and the world across every developmental domain.

This free course highlights the ways that children learn from parents, providers, and experiences in their community across every developmental domain. Across five units, providers will explore strategies for school readiness with an overview of developmental domains, actionable steps to promote engagement in educational settings, and tips to strengthen partnerships with parents.

• In Unit 1, Growing Together uses a child's curiosity to explore approaches to learning, and ways to make every moment with a student meaningful.
• In Unit 2, Growing Together builds the bridge between a child's home and school communities that extend social emotional competence into academic success.
• In Unit 3, the course helps participants learn how exposure to vocabulary and open-ended questions advance the language and literacy of children and their role in the world.
• In Unit 4, Growing Together explores the varied types of motor development and ways in which healthy eating, playing, and moving are directly related to student focus and academic success.
• In Unit 5, the course provides strategies to spur cognition in early childhood through activities that promote resilience, and resources to extend mathematical concepts.

Upon completion of the course, educators will receive a certificate detailing the lesson objectives aligned to the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework. We recommended printing this FAQ page to share with those who are granting credit.

 
Teachers and parents from up to 100 centers will participate in the study. Centers are from Pennsylvania and across the country.

What is the eligibility criteria to participate?

To be eligible, teachers must:

• Work in an eligible center with a director who had agreed for the center to participate in the study (includes working in the center, working from home, or furloughed)
• Have access to reliable, high-speed internet
• Have an email address that can be shared with researchers
• Read English enough to understand course materials and/or surveys
• Be available during the study weeks

To be eligible, parents must:

• Have a child who is 3.5 – 5.5 years old during late summer/early fall 2020enrolled in a classroom with a teacher interested in participating in the study; this includes children attending the center and/or children engaging in distance learning
• Have access to reliable, high-speed internet
• Have an email address that can be shared with researchers
• Read English enough to understand course materials and surveys
• Be available during the timeframe of the study (late summer/early fall 2020)

Why should I participate in the study?
By participating in the study, parents are helping us to determine whether or not the Growing Together online professional development course is effective. Parents will also be given the opportunity to provide their feedback so that the course can be improved in the future. Parents will be compensated for their time to complete study surveys (see below).

When is the study being conducted?
The study will take place in the late summer/early fall 2020.

Can the director or my child’s teacher require me to participate in the study?
No, all participation must be voluntary.

Can I participate in the study even if my child’s teacher is not participating in the study?
No, your child’s teacher must be participating in the study for you to participate in the study.

 
Parents will be expected to do the following:

1. Complete a baseline parent survey
2. Have discussions with the teacher pertaining to course-related topics
3. Engage in teacher-suggested, course-related activities with their child
4. Complete checklists/feedback forms every week for 5 weeks
5. Complete a follow-up parent survey
6. Participate in a telephone focus group, if invited.

It is expected that baseline and follow-up surveys will take about 20 minutes to complete. We estimate that having discussions with teachers and engaging in activities with their child will take parents 30-60 minutes per week.

Will parents be compensated for their time?
Parents will receive the following:

• $15 Amazon.com gift cards for completing the baseline teacher survey
• $20 Amazon.com gift card for completing the follow-up teacher survey
• Entry into a drawing for 1 of 25 $25 Amazon.com gift cards for completing at least 4 of 5 checklists/feedback forms (the chance of a parent winning is about 25 in 600 or better)
• $50 Amazon.com gift card for participating in a focus group, if invited

What is involved for children?
Information will not be collected directly from children as part of the study. Children whose teachers and parents are participating may experience course-suggested activities.

What will happen with the data collected? Can I see the results for my child’s teacher?
Results will not identify centers, teachers, parents, or children participating in the study. We will combine all individual responses to create summary statistics. We will not be able to share results regarding individual teachers with parents as it would violate confidentiality.

I am interested in participating. What do I do next? If you are interested in participating, please go to: https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/5759779/Sesame-Parent-Screening-Phase-2 as soon as possible to express your interest and determine your eligibility.Who can I contact with questions about the study?

If you have further questions, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 215-731-2039