Research Practices and Policy

Contents

Research at Fort Hill

Fort Hill teachers and administrators support the research and academic mission of the college and facilitate children’s participation in approved research studies at Fort Hill.

The Smith College Psychology department maintains a dedicated space in the building (off the large common) for research purposes. Researchers from other departments, as well as other institutions, also conduct studies at Fort Hill; Smith College researchers have priority in conducting research at Fort Hill. All staff at Fort Hill support approved research to the greatest extent possible.

All research studies must be approved by the director, the Smith College Institutional Review Board and meet the EEC policy on Research, Experimentation, and Unusual Treatment.

We ask that researchers do not provide rewards at Fort Hill to children who participate in the research.

Approval Process

To initiate a research project, the principal investigator (PI), or research coordinator, contacts the director and describes the study in detail. If the study aligns with the CECE program goals, the director provides verbal approval or a letter of support for the project.

Please see below for details on the following requirements: an electronic copy of IRB approval, the Consent to Participate in Research form for families,  the Documentation of Research form, Consent for Background Record Check for all researchers, documentation of completed Child Safety training for all researchers, and a Research Log.

Child Safety

Background Record Check

All research with children must take place in the classroom or under the constant supervision of an individual who has cleared the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) Background Record Check (BRC) process. Any individual who has the potential for unsupervised contact with children must undergo a full EEC BRC, which includes a check of the Massachusetts Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI), a review for abuse or neglect findings with the Department of Children and Families (DCF), a Sex Offender Registry Information check (SORI), and a fingerprint-based check of state and national criminal history databases (fingerprint). If the sessions will be held outside the supervision of a classroom teacher, one member of the research team must complete the EEC BRC process and supervise all research sessions.  The process for completing the BRC is as follows:

  • The supervising researcher submits a Consent for Background Record Check, along with a photo identification, to the office coordinator.
  • The office coordinator requests an EEC BRC, which includes a CORI, DCF, SORI, and Fingerprint record check.
  • When the EEC BRC returns the results, the office coordinator communicates the next step in the process to the applicant.
  • If an applicant is approved for fingerprinting, the applicant must register and complete the fingerprinting within the mandated timeframe. Funding for the fingerprinting is the responsibility of the researcher; the CECE does not fund fingerprinting for researchers.

Children with signed consent are eligible to participate in research outside the classroom when a supervising researcher has completed the entire EEC BRC process, has been approved by the EEC BRC, and is on site supervising the research sessions.

Please see the Fort Hill Background Record Check policy for more information.

Child Safety Registration and Training

The principal investigator must review the  Smith College Child Safety website and register with Smith College using the Child Safety Certification website. The registration process includes identifying all staff and volunteers who will work with minor children and ensuring completion of online training.

All staff and volunteers must complete online training as detailed on the website before having contact with children. Once the training is completed, the principal investigator receives an email documenting the training. The PI must forward the documentation for each individual to theoffice coordinator. The office coordinator maintains a record of the training.

Monitoring Children’s Participation

The research activity must be audible and visible at all times to at least one CECE EEC certified teacher. If the researcher plans for children to participate outside of an active classroom, the researcher must provide audio and visual surveillance of the activity. This may take the form of an iPad using Face Time, Skype, a web cam, or other technology that allows children to be seen and heard at all times by an EEC certified teacher. The office coordinator coordinates with the researcher about the location of the technology to ensure appropriate supervision.

Communicating to Families, Children, and Teachers

The research team, office coordinator, and director coordinate clear communication about the research study to families, children, and teachers. The principal investigator provides the director with a brief summary of the study, including the age of the children who will participate and a timeline. The director shares this information with the CECE teachers in advance of the study. The researchers make plans to visit classrooms to meet the teachers and children before the study begins. If the study warrants, the researchers may also plan face-to-face meetings with the teachers or families before, during, or after the study. If the study results in a publication, the researcher sends the article to the director.

Logistics of the Research Process

The director:

  • provides initial approval of research projects; and,
  • communicates with families and teachers regarding the research project.

The researcher:

  • completes the Documentation of Research Form;
  • submits a copy of the IRB approval to the director;
  • submits a copy of the IRB-approved Consent to Participate in Research form to the office coordinator;
  • coordinates submission, to the office coordinator, of Consent for Background Record Check for a researcher to supervise the sessions, if they are to be held outside the classroom ;
  • submits documentation that all researchers have completed the Child Safety online training;
  • coordinates with the office coordinator a time for the researchers to visit the classrooms prior to the research activity;
  • coordinates with the office coordinator to set up a monitoring system;
  • communicates with teachers regarding children’s daily participation and ensures that children are appropriately supervised at all times;
  • maintains a Research Log and submits it the office coordinator after every session;
  • notifies the classroom supervising teacher at the beginning of each day which children she will be inviting on that day
  • notifies a classroom teacher before taking a child to the research room;
  • documents the time the child leaves the classroom and returns to the classroom on the Research log and the classroom clipboard;
  • signs in and out of the building at every session; and,
  • plans meetings, as appropriate, with families to describe the project and/or share the results of the study.

The office coordinator:

  • processes Consent for Background Record Check forms;
  • maintains documentation of Background Record Checks and Child Safety training;
  • coordinates a time for the researchers to visit the classrooms prior to the research ;
  • distributes Consent to Participate in Research forms to eligible children;
  • collects returned consent forms and maintains a list of the children eligible to participate and the status of their consent;
  • prepares an email address book of children eligible to participate; and,
  • uploads the Research Log, the Consent to Participate form, and the IRB Approval to the researcher’s Google Drive folder.

Teachers:

  • facilitate and encourage children’s participation in research; and,
  • participate in research as requested and as appropriate.
 We value the opportunity to participate in research that furthers knowledge of child development and early education. Thank you for joining the Fort Hill community.