ESQ At a Glance.pdf
A brief, parent-completed screening tool that gathers important information about the home environments of children and helps guide decision-making about referral options.
| Type of screening | Social determinants of health/environmental conditions |
|---|---|
| Purposes | Identifies risk and protective factors in a child's environment; helps professionals consider families' needs, organize referral information, and monitor outcomes for families. |
| Areas covered | Education and Employment; Housing; Child and Family Health; Economics and Finances; Family Life; and Community |
| Age range | Birth through 6 years |
| Who completes it | Parents and caregivers |
| Who scores and uses results | Home visitors, parent educators, early interventionists, Head Start and Early Head Start professionals, social workers, pediatricians |
| Number of questions | 30 questions |
| Sample Questions | Have you or your child/children witnessed violence in your home or neighborhood? (Housing) Do you worry about having enough food for your family? (Economics and Finances) |
| Time to complete | ESQ takes 10-15 minutes to complete by interview or independently |
| Time to score | 2-3 minutes |
| Scores provided | 6 raw scores, one for each area, plus overall score |
| Training | Specific training is not needed to use the tool, but professionals need background or training in working with diverse families and families exposed to environmental challenges. |
| Available languages | English and Spanish |
| Research | A study with 324 parent-child dyads (72 recruited from social services agencies in a mid-sized suburban city in the northwestern United States and 252 parent-child dyads recruited online from 24 U.S. states) was published in Fall 2015. The study found a correlation with ESQ and Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF) scores for the online sample. In addition, the ESQ showed moderate correlations with the ASQ:SE for the online sample at 6 and 48 month intervals and with ASQ:SE cutoff scores at 60 months. Utility measures showed that professionals found ESQ to be helpful in assessing family needs, and that caregivers were able to complete the tool in a relatively short period of time. |