Notice2024-23479
Proposed Information Collection Activity; Financing for Early Care and Education: Quality and Access for All-Case Studies (New Collection)
Primary source
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Published
October 10, 2024
Issuing agencies
Health and Human Services DepartmentChildren and Families Administration
Abstract
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services seeks approval to collect information to deepen our understanding of Head Start programs' funding approaches, as well as how the use of multiple funding sources within a single Head Start program may be associated with the delivery of Head Start's comprehensive services and early care and education (ECE) funding landscapes within states. Interviews will be conducted with Head Start staff, as well as state and local/regional staff knowledgeable about and/or directly responsible for ECE financial decision making and/or funding source administration. Existing documents from Head Start programs and ECE agencies will also be reviewed to further contextualize interview data.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 197 (Thursday, October 10, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 197 (Thursday, October 10, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 82245-82246]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-23479]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
Proposed Information Collection Activity; Financing for Early
Care and Education: Quality and Access for All-Case Studies (New
Collection)
AGENCY: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration
for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services.
ACTION: Request for public comments.
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SUMMARY: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services seeks approval to collect
information to deepen our understanding of Head Start programs' funding
approaches, as well as how the use of multiple funding sources within a
single Head Start program may be associated with the delivery of Head
Start's comprehensive services and early care and education (ECE)
funding landscapes within states. Interviews will be conducted with
Head Start staff, as well as state and local/regional staff
knowledgeable about and/or directly responsible for ECE financial
decision making and/or funding source administration. Existing
documents from Head Start programs and ECE agencies will also be
reviewed to further contextualize interview data.
[[Page 82246]]
DATES: Comments due December 9, 2024. 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#baf5eae8ffd3d4dcd5d9d5d6d6dfd9ced3d5d4fadbd9dc94d2d2c994ddd5cc"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b4fbe4e6f1dddad2dbd7dbd8d8d1d7c0dddbdaf4d5d7d29adcdcc79ad3dbc2">[email protected]</span></a>. Identify all requests by the title of
the information collection.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Description: The proposed data collection builds upon prior survey
work (Office of Management and Budget (OMB) #0970-0623) and seeks to
better understand Head Start programs' use of multiple funding sources
to support high-quality programming, as well as the state and local/
regional policy contexts that influence their decision making. The data
collection effort will consist of two studies: Study 1 will focus on
coordination, or lack thereof, between the state level and the Head
Start program level; Study 2 will focus on coordination, or lack
thereof, between the local level (region/county, city/municipality) and
the Head Start program level. To capture the diversity of state ECE
funding landscapes, both studies will examine coordination within: (A)
states that combine ECE funding sources at the state level and (B)
states that do not combine ECE funding sources at the state level.
Studies 1 and 2 will both include semi-structured interviews with
staff within Head Start programs and state government agencies, and
Study 2 will also include interviews with staff within local/regional
coordinating entities (LCEs). The interviews will probe on approaches
to using multiple funding sources at state, local/regional, and Head
Start program levels, including how Head Start programs use multiple
funding sources to support high-quality programming, how Head Start
program funding approaches are shaped by system-level approaches and
structures, and the implications of using multiple funding sources for
access, quality, and equity in ECE programming. Because of slight
differences in the ECE funding landscape across states that do and do
not combine funding at the state level, different interview protocols
have been created within each study for state agency staff in states
that do combine funding at the state level and staff in states that do
not combine funding at the state level. Similarly, separate protocols
were created for use in Head Start programs that do or do not use
multiple funding sources. There is a single interview protocol for
staff of LCEs with statutorily defined ECE financing authority.
Interviewers will also request and collect existing policy and/or
budget-related documentation that may further contextualize respondent
accounts and perspectives.
The resulting insights will inform ACF about the implementation of
different funding models supporting Head Start programs, the
facilitators that support and challenges that deter the use of multiple
funding sources, and potential associations with program quality.
Respondents: Head Start program staff, State ECE staff, local/
regional coordinating entity staff.
Annual Burden Estimates
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Number of
Number of responses per Average burden Total Annual
Instrument respondents respondent per response burden (in burden (in
(total over (total over (in hours) hours) hours)
request period) request period)
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Final Recruitment Script--Head 86 1 .5 43 21.5
Start Staff...................
Final Recruitment Script--Local/ 42 1 .5 21 10.5
Regional Staff................
Final Recruitment Script--State 56 1 .5 28 14
ECE Agency Staff..............
Study 1--Head Start Program 16 1 1.5 24 12
Staff Interview Guide--
programs that use multiple
funding sources...............
Study 1--Head Start Program 16 1 1.5 24 12
Staff Interview Guide--
programs that do not use
multiple funding sources......
Study 1--State ECE Agency Staff 6 1 1.5 9 4.5
Interview Guide--states that
combine funding at the state
level.........................
Study 1--State ECE Agency Staff 6 1 1.5 9 4.5
Interview Guide--states that
do not combine funding at the
state level...................
Study 2--Head Start Program 16 1 1.5 24 12
Staff Interview Guide--
programs that use multiple
funding sources and are in
states that have LCEs.........
Study 2--Head Start Program 16 1 1.5 24 12
Staff Interview Guide programs
that do not use multiple
funding sources and are in
states that have LCEs.........
Study 2--Local Coordinating 24 1 1.5 36 18
Entity Staff Interview Guide
for states with LCEs..........
Study 2--State ECE Agency Staff 12 1 1.5 18 9
Interview Guide--states that
combine funding at the state
level and have LCEs...........
Study 2--State ECE Agency Staff 12 1 1.5 18 9
Interview Guide--states that
do not combine funds at the
state level and have LCEs.....
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Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 139 hours.
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: 42 U.S.C. 9835; 42 U.S.C. 9844.
Mary C. Jones,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024-23479 Filed 10-9-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-22-P
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