Page 109 - Gateways for Early Educators

Gateways for Early Educators
Group Agreements: Before beginning the discussion I’d like to take a few minutes to brainstorm a list of ground rules for the focus group (e.g., one person talks at a time, no side conversations, respect everyone’s opinions, turn off cell phones, etc.)
“Please review and sign this document [hold up consent form]. Please be sure to complete this survey before we begin [hold up survey]. Does anyone have any questions before we begin?”
Ice breaker:
“Please let us know your first name, when you participated in the coaching program, and what goal(s) you worked on with your coach (why you decided to participate in the coaching program.)”
Focus Group Questions:
1. [After participants have mentioned their goals, note who had an “adult-child interaction” type goal. Maybe repeat it back to the group and ask if others had similar goals of interactions with children. If no one had an adult-child interaction goal, ask “I noticed nobody had a goal in the areas of adult child engagement or creating positive interactions. What would have helped you select this as a goal?”
2. Has receiving coaching benefitted the children you care for, specifically those who are low income and whose parents received financial assistance (subsidies)? Please tell us about it.
3. Think back to your experience with your coach. What were some of the best strategies /ways) your coach used to help you reach your goals? (if needed - probes: building a relationship, initial assessment, setting goals, modeling, giving feedback, reflective practice, communities of practice)
4. Have you improved your child care program as a result of the coaching you received (prompt: personally and professionally)? Please tell us about it.
5. What were some of the challenges you experienced in working with your coach (what strategies were not as helpful)?
6. What changes would you make to the program generally (not related to the coach) to make your experience even more positive?
a. Tell us about the amount of time your coach spent with you. [Can prompt about frequency- How often did your coach meet with you? Was that ideal?]
b. Tell us about how the coach met with you (Can prompt: At your child care program site, at the office, by email, by telephone, etc.) Did the location/format in which coaching took place help you or was it a challenge?
7. If you attended Gateways trainings while you were being coached, in what ways did trainings support or not support the coaching you received?
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