Notice2023-17435
Proposed Information Collection Activity; Child Abuse and Neglect Background Checks for Child Care and Early Education Project (New Collection)
Primary source
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Published
August 15, 2023
Issuing agencies
Health and Human Services DepartmentChildren and Families Administration
Abstract
The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE), Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is proposing an information collection activity for the Child Abuse and Neglect Background Checks for Child Care and Early Education (CAN Checks for CCEE) Project. The goal of the project is to better understand how states and territories use findings from CAN registry checks, as required by the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014 (CCDBG), to make child care employment eligibility determinations. The study will also be used to understand state and territory variation, facilitators, and challenges in implementing CAN registries; and any resulting within- or across-state/territory equity implications.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 156 (Tuesday, August 15, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 156 (Tuesday, August 15, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55460-55461]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-17435]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
Proposed Information Collection Activity; Child Abuse and Neglect
Background Checks for Child Care and Early Education Project (New
Collection)
AGENCY: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration
for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services.
ACTION: Request for public comments.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE),
Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is proposing an
information collection activity for the Child Abuse and Neglect
Background Checks for Child Care and Early Education (CAN Checks for
CCEE) Project. The goal of the project is to better understand how
states and territories use findings from CAN registry checks, as
required by the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014
(CCDBG), to make child care employment eligibility determinations. The
study will also be used to understand state and territory variation,
facilitators, and challenges in implementing CAN registries; and any
resulting within- or across-state/territory equity implications.
DATES: Comments due within 60 days of publication. In compliance with
the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ACF is
soliciting public comment on the specific aspects of the information
collection described above.
ADDRESSES: You can obtain copies of the proposed collection of
information and submit comments by emailing
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9ed1ceccdbf7f0f8f1fdf1f2f2fbfdeaf7f1f0defffdf8b0f6f6edb0f9f1e8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="bdf2edeff8d4d3dbd2ded2d1d1d8dec9d4d2d3fddcdedb93d5d5ce93dad2cb">[email protected]</span></a>. All requests should be identified by
the title of the information collection.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Description: The proposed information collections for the CAN
Checks for CCEE Project is designed to explore how states and
territories implement CAN background checks for child care employment
eligibility decisions. While the CCDBG Act of 2014 clearly describes
procedures and exclusionary criteria pertaining to the use of criminal
and sexual offender background checks to inform child care employment
eligibility decisions, requirements for the use of CAN background
checks are less clear. The findings will be of interest to ACF, and in
particular to OPRE and the Office of Child Care, who are interested in
the effective and equitable implementation of CAN registry background
checks of prospective and current child care staff. Findings will also
be of interest to Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) state/
territory lead agencies that oversee the CCDF program in their states/
[[Page 55461]]
territories and the state/territory offices that oversee early care and
education. The results of this study also have implications for child
care programs and staff. Further, given the U.S. Congress' interest in
prior exploratory work on this topic, it may be informative for federal
lawmakers, as well.
CCDF lead agency staff and CAN registry custodians that participate
in this information collection will be asked to complete a voluntary,
one-time web-based survey. The survey for CCDF lead agency staff will
focus on the practices and policies related both to in-state/territory
and interstate CAN registry checks, including what data they request
and receive, as well as how they use it in making child care employment
eligibility decisions. The survey for CAN registry custodians will
focus on the contents of CAN registries, policies around inclusion in/
expunction from the registries, and policies regarding sharing data.
Approximately half of CCDF lead agency survey respondents (up to
28) will be invited to participate in voluntary follow-up interviews.
This open-ended data collection format will allow for exploration of
key themes that emerge from the surveys; facilitators and barriers in,
and respondent recommendations around, implementing the CAN registry
checks; how practice may vary from policy; and, in some cases, to
obtain answers to questions not answered in the survey.
Respondents: Each state, territory, and the District of Columbia
will be invited to complete two web-based surveys: one CCDF lead agency
survey and one CAN registry custodian survey. Given that each agency
may have multiple staff members with relevant knowledge of different
survey topics and no one staff member may possess all of the knowledge
to complete the survey, we are allowing for up to 3 respondents per
state/territory for the CCDF lead agency staff and 2 respondents per
state/territory for the CAN registry custodian surveys (up to 280 total
individuals). Once survey administration is complete, one CCDF lead
agency staff person from half of the states, territories, and the
District of Columbia (up to 28) will be invited to participate in a
follow-up interview. For the interviews, we will select a sample of
CCDF lead agency staff that represents diversity across state and
territory approaches toward the CAN registry background checks.
Annual Burden Estimates
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Number of
Number of responses per
respondents respondent Avg. burden Total/annual
Instrument (total over (total over per response burden (in
request request (in hours) hours)
period) period)
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Instrument 1: CCDF Lead Agency Survey........... 168 1 * 0.75 126
Instrument 2: CAN Custodian Survey.............. 112 1 * 0.75 84
Instrument 3: CCDF Lead Agency Interview........ 28 1 1.50 42
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Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours:........ .............. .............. .............. 252
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* Note that this is the estimated time to complete the full survey, which could be completed by one individual
or multiple individuals. Surveys completed by multiple individuals will take less time for each individual to
provide a response.
Comments: The Department specifically requests comments on (a)
whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the
proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether
the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the
agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of
information; (c) the quality, utility, and clarity of the information
to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection
of information on respondents, including through the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
Consideration will be given to comments and suggestions submitted
within 60 days of this publication.
Authority: Research funding set-aside authorized by the CCDBG Act
of 2014 and funded by CCDF. Section 658O(a)(5) of CCDBG (as codified at
42 U.S.C. 9857 et seq.) grants the Secretary of the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services the authority to reserve up to \1/2\ percent
of the total Discretionary and Mandatory CCDF funding ``to conduct
research and demonstration activities, as well as periodic external,
independent evaluations of the impact of the program described by this
subchapter on increasing access to child care services and improving
the safety and quality of child care services, using scientifically
valid research methodologies, and to disseminate the key findings of
those evaluations widely and on a timely basis.''
Mary B. Jones,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2023-17435 Filed 8-14-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-23-P
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