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II. STUDY METHODOLOGY Child Care Market Rate Survey 2023 Page | 6

confidentiality of their information. Providers who chose not to complete the survey via internet or telephone were reminded of the option of using mail or fax to return the survey form. Based on outcomes of the telephone calls, survey packets were mailed or faxed to respondents who had not completed the survey online, who had lost or discarded the survey packet, or who reported not having received a survey packet. D. FINAL SAMPLE 1. Sample Disposition and Response Rate Contacts were attempted with a total of 5,035 facilities: 3,851 centers and 1,184 homes. Table 1 provides information on the sample disposition (Appendix C has sample disposition by county). Table 1. Sample Disposition by Facility Type: 2023. Respondent Status Centers Homes Total Sample Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Completed via Phone/Paper 1,604 41.7 598 50.5 2,202 43.7 Completed Online 627 16.3 370 31.3 997 19.8 NC Pre-K Only** 681 17.7 0 0.0 681 13.5 No Response/No Contact 451 11.7 148 12.5 599 11.9 Could Not Locate Respondent* 28 0.7 24 2.0 52 1.0 Closed/Duplicate* 23 0.6 13 1.1 36 0.7 No Children in October/ New Startup/ Will Resume* 344 8.9 8 0.7 352 7.0 No Fees Assessed 72 1.9 12 1.0 84 1.7 Ineligible Provider (No Full- time Children)* 20 0.5 7 0.6 27 0.5 Refused to Participate 1 0.0 4 0.3 5 0.1 TOTAL SAMPLE 3,851 100.0 1,184 100.0 5,035 100 *Indicates surveys excluded from Adjusted Sample. ** Centers with NC Pre-K only are included in the sample disposition but excluded from the analysis and response rate table. Table 2 contains information on the final response rate for the “adjusted sample.” The adjusted sample excludes the categories denoted by an asterisk in Table 1, including respondents who could not be located, those who represented duplicate records, and those with no children enrolled at the time of the survey. The remaining pool is considered to represent respondents who are truly eligible to participate in the survey. A total of 4,568 eligible respondents were then contacted and asked to participate in the survey; 3,964 of those completed the survey by phone, paper, or online, representing a response rate of 86.8