Family Outcomes Surveys

The original Family Outcomes Survey (FOS) was developed and validated by the Early Childhood Outcomes (ECO) Center to assess five family outcomes and the helpfulness of early intervention. There were multiple versions of the original Family Outcomes Survey, some for parents of young children with special needs and some for parents of all young children.

In 2010, upon request from states, the ECO Center developed an updated version of the FOS for Part C programs. The Family Outcomes Survey-Revised (FOS-R): Part C was designed to better assist Part C programs in measuring family outcomes and determining the helpfulness of early intervention programs for federal reporting and program improvement purposes. The core concepts in the FOS-R remain the same as in the original FOS, with the addition of more detailed information to guide program improvement activities and a modified survey format. Both the original and revised versions have been translated into Spanish as well as additional languages. Special thanks to our colleagues in Texas, Minnesota, and Washington for assisting with these translations. The ECTA Center supports the use of both the FOS (2006) and FOS-R (2010). These tools have been tested to ensure sound psychometric integrity that can be used to document family outcomes and identify areas for program improvement. If a state would like to adapt these surveys, we encourage you to reach out to staff and the ECTA Center to discuss potential adaptations and implications for producing reliable and valid data.

For more information on the FOS, visit https://ectacenter.org/eco/pages/familysurveys.asp 

Please contact staff at the ECTA Center if you wish to adapt the survey: https://ectacenter.org/about/contact.asp 

The ECTA Center is a program of the FPG Child Development Institute of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, funded through cooperative agreement number H326P220002 from the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education. Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent the Department of Education's position or policy.
Project Officer: Julia Martin Eile

Family Outcomes Survey
Preschool General Version

The Family Outcomes Survey is designed to provide a way for you to describe your family and the ways you support your child’s needs.

Instructions:
•	This survey should be filled out by the person in your family who has the most knowledge about your child’s education and development.
•	All of the responses include the word “we” or “our.” This refers to your family.  Usually this means parents and others who support and care for your child.  But every family is different, so think of what “family” means to you when answering.
•	On every page, you will be asked to answer questions like the example below:

How much does your family know about dinosaurs?
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	
We know a little about dinosaurs		We know some about dinosaurs		We know a good amount about dinosaurs		We know a great deal about dinosaurs	

•	Read each question and circle the number that best describes your family right now. 
•	If a statement almost describes your family, but not quite, circle the number just to the left or the right. For example if you feel that the statement 5 “We know a good amount about dinosaurs” almost describes your family, but not quite—circle the 4.
If you do not know how to answer a question, or if you are not comfortable answering the question, skip it and go to the next question.

© 2006. Adapted from version: 11-10-06 (rev. 2-22-07), posted 2-22-07. This survey was developed by Don Bailey, Kathy Hebbeler, and Mary Beth Bruder as part of the Early Childhood Outcomes (ECO) Center. Permission is granted to reproduce this survey for state and local program use. When reproducing, please identify as “Developed by the Early Childhood Outcomes Center with support from the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education.” Please contact staff@the-ECO-center.org if you wish to use or adapt the survey.

Family Outcomes Survey

UNDERSTANDING YOUR CHILD'S STRENGTHS, ABILITIES, AND SPECIAL NEEDS
1.	Your child is growing and learning.  How much does your family understand about your child’s development?
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	
We are just beginning to understand our child's development		We understand some about our child's development 		We understand a good amount about our child's development 		We understand a great deal about our child's development	

2.	Some children have special health needs, a disability, or are delayed in their development.  These are often referred to as “special needs.”   How familiar is your family with your child's special needs?
□	CHECK HERE IF YOUR CHILD DOES NOT HAVE SPECIAL NEEDS AND GO TO QUESTION 3.
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	
We are just beginning to understand our child’s special needs		We understand some about our child’s special needs 		We understand a good amount about our child’s special needs		We understand a great deal about our child’s special needs 	

3.	Professionals who work with you and your child want to know if the things they do are working.  How often is your family able to tell if your child is making progress?
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	
We seldom can tell if our child is making progress 		We sometimes can tell if our child is making progress 		We usually can tell if our child is making progress 		We almost always can tell if our child is making progress 	

KNOWING YOUR RIGHTS AND ADVOCATING FOR YOUR CHILD
4.	A variety of programs and services may be available to help your child and family.  How much does your family know about the programs and services that are available?
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	
We are just beginning to learn about the programs and services that are available 		We know some about the programs and services that are available		We know a good amount about the programs and services that are available		We know a great deal about the programs and services that are available 	

5.	Families often meet with professionals to discuss and plan for your child’s education and development.  How comfortable is your family participating in these meetings?
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	
We are just beginning to feel comfortable participating in meetings 		We are somewhat comfortable participating in meetings 		We are generally comfortable participating in meetings 		We are very comfortable participating in meetings 	

6.	Families of children with special needs have rights, including what to do if you are not satisfied.  How familiar is your family with your rights?
□	CHECK HERE IF YOUR CHILD DOES NOT HAVE SPECIAL NEEDS AND GO TO QUESTION 7.
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	
We are just beginning to understand our rights 		We understand some about our rights 		We understand a good amount about our rights 		We understand a great deal about our rights 	

HELPING YOUR CHILD DEVELOP AND LEARN 
7.	Families help their children develop and learn.  How much does is your family know about how to help your child develop and learn?
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	
We are just beginning to know how to help our child develop and learn 		We know some about how to help our child develop and learn		We know a good amount about how to help our child develop and learn		We know a great deal about how to help our child develop and learn	

8.	Families try to help their children learn to behave the way they would like.  How much does your family know about how to help your child learn to behave the way your family would like?
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	
We are just beginning to know how to help our child behave the way we want 		We know some about how to help our child behave the way we want		We know a good amount about how to help our child behave the way we want		We know a great deal about how to help our child behave the way we want	

9.	Families work with professionals to help their children learn and practice new skills at home or in their communities.  How often does your family help your child learn and practice these new skills?
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	
We are just beginning to help our child learn and practice these skills 		We sometimes help our child learn and practice these skills		We usually help our child learn and practice these skills		We routinely help our child learn and practice these skills 	

HAVING SUPPORT SYSTEMS

10.	Many people feel that talking with another person helps them deal with problems or celebrate when good things happen.  How often does your family have someone your family trusts to listen and talk with when they need it?
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	
We seldom have someone to talk with about things when we need it		We sometimes have someone to talk with about things when we need it		We usually have someone to talk with about things when we need it		We almost always have someone to talk with about things when we need it	

11.	Families sometimes must rely on other people for help when they need it, for example to provide a ride, run an errand, or watch their child for a short period of time.  How often does your family have someone you can rely on for help when your family needs it?
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	
We seldom have someone we can rely on for help when we need it		We sometimes have someone we can rely on for help when we need it		We usually have someone we can rely on for help when we need it		We almost always have someone we can rely on for help when we need it	

12.	Most families have things they enjoy doing.  How often is your family able to do the things your family enjoys?
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	
We seldom are able to do the things we enjoy 		We sometimes are able to do the things we enjoy 		We usually are able to do the things we enjoy 		We almost always are able to do the things we enjoy 	

ACCESSING YOUR COMMUNITY
13.	All children need medical care.  How well does your family’s medical care meet your child’s special needs?
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	
Our medical care meets few of our child’s needs 		Our medical care meets some of our child’s needs 		Our medical care meets many of our child’s needs 		Our medical care meets almost all of our child’s needs 	

14.	Many families have a need for quality childcare. By this, we do not mean occasional babysitting, but regular childcare, either part-day or full-day.  How well does your family’s childcare meet your child’s needs?
□	CHECK HERE IF YOUR FAMILY HAS NOT WANTED CHILDCARE, AND GO TO QUESTION 15.
□	CHECK HERE IF YOUR FAMILY HAS WANTED CHILDCARE BUT IT IS NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE, AND GO TO QUESTION 15.
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	
Our childcare meets few of our child’s needs 		Our childcare meets some of our child’s needs 		Our childcare meets many of our child’s needs 		Our childcare meets almost all of our child’s needs 	

15.	Many families want their child to play with other children or participate in religious, community, or social activities. How often does your child participate in these activities right now?
□	CHECK HERE IF YOUR FAMILY HAS NOT WANTED YOUR CHILD TO PARTICIPATE IN SUCH ACTIVITIES AND GO TO QUESTION 16.
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	
Our child seldom participates in the activities we want		Our child sometimes participates in the activities we want		Our child usually participates the activities we want 		Our child almost always participates in the activities we want	

FEELINGS ABOUT YOUR CHILD’S PRESCHOOL PROGRAM

16.	To what extent has your child’s preschool program helped your family know how to help your child learn?
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	
Our child’s preschool program has done a poor job of helping us know how to help our child learn		Our child’s preschool program has done a fair job of helping us know how to help our child learn		Our child’s preschool program has done a good job of helping us know how to help our child learn		Our child’s preschool program has done an excellent job of helping us know how to help our child learn	

17.	To what extent has your child’s preschool program encouraged your family to be actively involved in your child’s education level?
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	
Our child’s preschool program has done a poor job of encouraging us to be actively involved in our child’s education		Our child’s preschool program has done a fair job of encouraging us to be actively involved in our child’s education		Our child’s preschool program has done a good job of encouraging us to be actively involved in our child’s education		Our child’s preschool program has done an excellent job of encouraging us to be actively involved in our child’s education	

18.	To what extent has your child’s preschool program included your family as a full partner in making decisions about your child’s education?
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	
Our child’s preschool program has done a poor job of including us as full partners in making decision about our child’s education		Our child’s preschool program has done a fair job of including us as full partners in making decision about our child’s education		Our child’s preschool program has done a good job of including us as full partners in making decision about our child’s education		Our child’s preschool program has done an excellent job of including us as full partners in making decision about our child’s education	

Thank you for completing this survey!