Introduction
This page contains resources to support First 5 LA grantees in completing the online Annual Report Survey.
- Overview
- Key Tips and Reminders
- Frequently Asked Questions
To download this information as a PDF, click here.
Overview
All First 5 LA (F5LA) grantees are required to report key data elements via SurveyMonkey, an online survey. F5LA-wide reporting allows us to collect aggregate data to describe our overall portfolio of investments benefiting children 0-5, their families and providers and the organizations and systems that support them.
Annual Report Surveys are due August 31
REPORT – State Annual Report Survey
DUE – August 31st of calendar year
PERIOD – Covers the entire fiscal year: July 1st – June 30th
Your program officer has identified a contact person for each grant. That contact person will receive an email with a link to the survey (to streamline data collection, there are three different surveys, depending on the type of services your grant provides).
Please use the instruction sheet provided in that email sent with the survey link. If you have not received an instruction sheet, please contact your program officer directly.
Key Tips and Reminders
- Although the project period of your grant/contract may not be July 1–June 30, you will be asked to supply information based on this time period to conform to the overall First 5 LA fiscal year.
- For every question, answer only as it applies to the First 5 LA project the report is for, not for your whole organization.
For questions about what to report, contact your Program Officer or refer to the instruction sheets provided to you. For technical assistance with SurveyMonkey contact: Holli Kyle, (hk***@fi******.org).
Frequently Asked Questions
The FAQs will be updated periodically following training sessions or as more questions are received.
General
1. Is this all I have to submit now?
In addition to this state annual survey, your Program Officer may request additional initiative-specific reports, such as the Performance Matrix.
2. When is the year-end report due?
The year-end report is due by August 31. Data should reflect the complete fiscal year, July 1 – June 30.
3. Will there be additional reports specific to budget/finance?
Only if your Program Officer requests.
4. Is the training/reporting for financial staff or only for programmatic staff?
There are no questions about budgets, and the majority of the information is for programmatic staff.
5. Is it possible to receive a list of narrative questions before we log into the system?
Yes, attached in the email sent you with instructions and the survey link.
6. Is the report due August 31st an annual report or another 6-month report?
The state annual survey reflects activities for the complete year.
7. I am working with others to complete the report. Who should I contact about getting them set up within the system?
There is no need for logins or passwords with SurveyMonkey. Your program officer has identified a contact person for each grant. That person will receive an email with a link to the survey. This link can be accessed from anywhere, by anyone and you will see whatever information has been entered up to that point. You do not need to complete the survey all in one sitting. Your information will be automatically saved.
Technical Questions
1. Am I able to enter data for the reports, save and come back later to finish?
Yes, changes entered into SurveyMonkey are automatically saved once you click “next” on the bottom of each survey page, so you can come back later and submit.
2. Is there a spell check within the program for the success story?
Yes, but we recommend that you type up the success story in Word and then copy and paste the narrative information.
3. Is tech support available if needed?
If you have questions regarding the content of the survey, you should contact your Program Officer. If you require technical support with using SurveyMonkey, please contact Holli Kyle, hk***@fi******.org.
Organization and Geographic Information
1. We have increased the number of grantees we are serving from when we started until now. Do you want SPA/Supervisorial Districts for FY 2019-20 only?
Yes.
2. Should we indicate the area that our clients come from in addition to the area we serve?
Yes. We want to know the entire reach of the investment, so if your clients are coming from other areas please indicate that.
3. If we are working as a coalition, should the information be for our lead agency only or the entire group?
The entire group. We want to include the districts/areas served by all partners that are funded by F5LA grants.
4. What are Best Start geographies?
Best Start geographies focus on building supportive communities where children and families can thrive. First 5 LA supports Best Start in 14 communities across L.A. County. In an effort to coordinate our place-based work, First 5 LA would like to know if your project is working in any of our Best Start geographies. You can find maps of our Best Start geographies here: https://www.first5la.org/article/best-start-commun…
Reporting Categories
1. I don’t know the races/languages/ages of the children/parents/providers I serve.
Please either estimate to the best of your ability (preferred option), or put the total number under “unknown.”
2. Regarding direct services to providers, would that include, for example, having them come to an in-service training?
Possibly, but ask your Program Officer to be sure.
3. When filling in parent numbers, does 1 equal one parent or both parents?
One equals one parent, not both.
4. Sometimes we serve school-aged children–during the kids’ vacation, for example–in order to help our parents out. Can I list those children under unknown?
They would go under “Other Family Members.” “Children” should only reflect children age 0-5.
5. What do I count pregnant women as?
Count pregnant women as parents.
6. My project is Welcome Baby which primarily serves 1-2 Best Start geographies; however, we often have clients that are referred/transferred to us from other Welcome Baby hospitals who are serving other Best Start geographies, so do we include all Best Start geographies or only those the project is intended to primarily serve at our site?
Include all Best Start geographies that your program reached. Confirm with Program Officer.
7. Our agency provides services in which we do mass screenings. The children are ages 0-5 but the group is so large that we do not track their ages individually. Should we record them all as “unknown?”
If you feel you can make an accurate estimate of their ages, then do so. If not, then you may record them as unknown.
8. Our program does a lot of individual and family advocacy, should we include the places we have referred our clients and families, like food pantries, etc.?
This is a good question for your Program Officer. As a general rule, we only collect information on services provided with First 5 LA funding.
9. We serve providers but our First 5 LA grant is not for this work. Should we fill out the Children, Families, & Providers survey?
Confirm with your program officer, but the general rule is that we only want data for those services/activities you provide via your First 5 LA contract.
