HOW TO CREATE PARENT SURVEYS FOR MY CHILD CARE CENTER?

A good parent survey will provide insight into your business. Make sure to keep the survey brief and concise. Parents as well as most people will provide the best answers in the first couple minutes. Make sure to use interval data when possible for statistical purposes. Below are a number of examples of online survey builders and sample questions. When a survey is deployed successfully it will improve parent satisfaction and attract more parents to your child care center.

Surveys provide a critical source of data and insights for everyone engaged in the information economy, from businesses to media, to government and academics. They are commonly used to understand populations as a whole by using relevant questions from a sample of people.

If you want to conduct surveys yourself, there are various types available such as: face-to-face surveys, telephone surveys, self-administered paper and pencil surveys, and self-administered computer surveys, which are typically online.

Online surveys can be administered from your website. You can direct parents to the survey via e-mail and links. A benefit of using survey software is the built-in analytical tools they provide. These types of surveys are very impactful and easy to use.

There are several cloud-based survey tools available that can help you gather feedback and insights from parents. They are as follows:

There are 4 types of data you could collect and they are as follows:

1. Nomimal Data

   • Nominal data is a type of qualitative data that groups variables into categories. It is the least precise and complex level of data. Nominal data is labeled into mutually exclusive categories within a variable, and these categories cannot be ordered in a meaningful way. For example, the preferred mode of transportation can be considered nominal data because it is sorted into categories such as car, bus, train, tram, bicycle, etc.
   • Nominal data is used to label variables without providing any quantitative value. It is the simplest form of a scale of measure and cannot be ordered or measured like ordinal data.

1. Ordinal Data

   • Ordinal data is a type of qualitative data that groups variables into descriptive categories with a natural order. Unlike nominal data, ordinal data has an inherent rank order among its categories, but the distances between the categories are not known or are uneven. For example, a survey question about the frequency of physical exercise could be categorized as “Never,” “Rarely,” “Sometimes,” “Often,” and "Always".
   • Ordinal data is useful for capturing information that can be ranked or ordered, such as opinions, ratings, or demographic factors. It is the second level of measurement in the hierarchy of four levels: nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio.
   • When analyzing ordinal data, you can calculate summary statistics such as frequency distribution, mode, median, and range. However, it's important to note that unlike interval or ratio data, the differences between adjacent scores in ordinal data are not equal.

1. Interval Data

   • Interval data is a type of quantitative (numerical) data that groups variables into categories and always uses some kind of ordered scale. Furthermore, interval values are always ordered and separated using an equal measure of distance. Here are some key characteristics of interval data:
     • a) Measurement: Interval data is measured using an interval scale, which not only shows the order and direction but also the difference between values.
     • b) Interval Difference: The distances between each value on interval data are equal.
     • c) Calculation: In interval data, one can add or subtract values but cannot divide or multiply.
     • d) Point Zero: Absolute zero point is arbitrary, which means a variable can be measured even if it has a negative value.
   • Common examples of interval scales include standardized tests such as the SAT and psychological inventories. For example, the Kelvin temperature scale is an interval scale where there is no true zero point.

1. Ratio Data

   • Ratio data is a form of quantitative (numeric) data that measures variables on a continuous scale, with an equal distance between adjacent values. It shares these features with interval data, but a distinguishing property of ratio data is that it has a 'true zero.'

     Here are some key characteristics of ratio data:

     • a) Measurement: Ratio data is measured using an interval scale, which shows the order, direction, and difference between values.
     • b) Interval Difference: The distances between each value on ratio data are equal.
     • c) Calculation: In ratio data, you can add, subtract, multiply, and divide values.
     • d) Point Zero: Ratio data has a true zero point, which means a variable cannot have a negative value.

   • Common examples of ratio scales include height, weight, time, temperature in Kelvin, and counts of objects.

Use categories to group similar questions together. Example categories are:

1. Child Care Program
2. Daycare Health & Safety
3. Staff & Management
4. Outcomes and Satisfaction

Child Care Programming

• a. Does the curriculum meet your child's needs?
• b. Are there adequate ways for your child to build their learning skills?
• c. Is the program inclusive enough for your child's unique challenges?
• d. Is your child comfortable with the learning environment?
• e. Do you think our learning program is well suited for your child?

Health & Safety

• a. How safe do you find our learning environment?
• b. How safe do you find our physical environment?
• c. Do our staff appear to create a safe environment for your child?
• d. Do you feel comfortable leaving your child in our care?
• e. Are all precautions taken to remediate allergies and other health risks?
• f. Are you comfortable with our response to health emergencies and pandemics?

Staff & Management

• a. Are our child care workers approachable and friendly?
• b. Are our managers approachable and friendly?
• c. Do you know the names of our daycare staff?
• d. Do you know the names of our management team?
• e. Do you have enough information about our child care works such as their credentials and background checks?
• f. Do you have enough information about management team such as their credentials and background checks?
• g. How accessible is information on our child care workers?
• h. How accessible is information on our management team?

Outcomes & Satisfaction

• a. How satisfied are you with the short-term progress of your child's development in our care?
• b. How satisfied are you with the mid-term progress of your child's development in our care?
• c. How satisfied are you with the long-term progress of your child's development in our care?
• d. How satisfied are you with our service overall?
• e. How likely are you to return to our child care center?
• f. How likely are you to refer others to our child care center?