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II. STUDY METHODOLOGY Child Care Market Rate Survey 2023 Page | 5

A. SURVEY POPULATION All regulated centers and homes were included in the survey population except Head Start centers, Developmental Day Centers, and providers that offer only part-time care for children (ages 0 to 5 for less than 32 hours a week in September 2023). Head Start programs were excluded from the survey because their financing is different from those of other child care facilities. Certified Developmental Day Center rates were also excluded because their rates are captured through a different process. Centers and homes that served only children receiving subsidy services in September 2023 (no care for children of private-paying parents) were included in the survey with the stated private-pay rates charged by the facilities used in the calculation of updated market rates. B. SURVEY DESIGN The study involved the use of a single survey form for centers and homes. As in the previous surveys, the 2023 survey was designed to capture information on child care enrollment and rates for the month of September 2023 and for summer care for school-age children during July 2023. A pretest of the survey and instructions was conducted with a random sample of six child care programs statewide. Providers were encouraged to participate based upon the assurance that information collected via the pretest survey would be used for the official survey, with limited follow-up for any additional information needed. Based on respondent input during the pretest, minor changes were made to the final survey form and instructions. C. DATA COLLECTION AND DATA QUALITY CONTROL PROCEDURES Three methods were offered for completing the market rate survey: return mail, online, or by telephone. A Market Rate Survey packet was mailed to 5,035 centers and homes in North Carolina in October 2023. The survey packet included a letter from the Director of DCDEE (Appendix A) asking child care providers to complete an online survey at a secure site hosted by CUACS. The secure website allowed respondents to download a PDF of the survey (Appendix B) if they preferred to complete the survey on paper and return by mail. The survey package also included instructions, a prepaid business reply envelope, and a postcard that could be returned if respondents believed they were ineligible to participate in the survey. Three weeks after the initial survey packet was mailed, trained interviewers made telephone calls to non-responding child care providers in an attempt to complete the survey. These telephone calls were conducted over a period of nineteen weeks. Using an established protocol, telephone interviewers reminded survey nonrespondents of the importance of the survey and assured