Notice2026-19906
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request, National Database of Childcare Prices, Extension Without Change of a Currently Approved Collection
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
September 29, 2026
Issuing agencies
Labor Department
Abstract
The Department of Labor (DOL), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance consultation program to provide the general public and federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). This program helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents is properly assessed. Currently, DOL is soliciting comments concerning the collection of data for the National Database of Childcare Prices (NDCP). A copy of the proposed Information Collection Request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the addressee section of this notice.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 187 (Tuesday, September 29, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 187 (Tuesday, September 29, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61450-61451]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-19906]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB
Review; Comment Request, National Database of Childcare Prices,
Extension Without Change of a Currently Approved Collection
AGENCY: Women's Bureau, Department of Labor.
ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (DOL), as part of its continuing
effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a
preclearance consultation program to provide the general public and
federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or
continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). This program helps to ensure that
requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden
(time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are
clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on
respondents is properly assessed. Currently, DOL is soliciting comments
concerning the collection of data for the National Database of
Childcare Prices (NDCP). A copy of the proposed Information Collection
Request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in
the addressee section of this notice.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the
addressee section below on or before November 30, 2026.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either one of the following
methods:
Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#29474d4a59694d4645074e465f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="83ede7e0f3c3e7ecefade4ecf5">[email protected]</span></a>;
Mail or Courier: U.S. Department of Labor, Women's Bureau, Room S-
3002, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20210.
Instructions: Please submit one copy of your comments by only one
method. All submissions received must include the agency name and OMB
Control Number identified above for this information collection.
Comments, including any personal information provided, become a matter
of public record. They will also be summarized and/or included in the
request for OMB approval of the information collection request.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to
collection activities, contact Erin George by telephone at (202) 693-
1000 ext. 21597 or by email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6f010b0c1f2f0b000341080019"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="630d07001323070c0f4d040c15">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
This proposed information collection seeks to update the NDCP, a
comprehensive federal source of county-level childcare prices. The NDCP
was first made available to the public in 2022, and it currently
provides comprehensive data for the years 2008 through 2021. The NDCP
is based on data collected by each state or territory in its childcare
Market Rate Surveys. State or territorial human services or workforce
development offices conduct the surveys as a requirement to receive
Child Care and Development Block Grants (CCDBG). The surveys provide
market prices of various types of child care (e.g., center-based, home-
based), by age of children (e.g., infants, toddlers, preschoolers,
school-age children) and by geography. The surveys are used to
establish reimbursement rates for childcare subsidies. Market Rate
Surveys collect childcare price information from a subset of all
eligible centers and care providers in the priced market to obtain an
estimate of the full market price of care in that locality. Because the
surveys establish the full market price of care in local areas, the
data is ideal to examine local childcare prices. However, this data is
not reported to the federal government and is retained by the states or
territories. As a result, reporting metrics are not standardized across
jurisdictions, and some of the data is not accessible to the public.
Market Rate Surveys are currently collected in three-year cycles.
The information collection would request surveys for the most recent
data collection cycle. The data requested would have been collected
already by the states and territories to meet federal regulations; no
new data collection obligation is created in this request. DOL would
harmonize child-care price measures to ensure that they are comparable
across jurisdictions. The data would then be combined with county-level
characteristics publicly available from the American Community Survey.
The resulting database (NDCP) would be evaluated to protect respondent
confidentiality, implementing proper disclosure avoidance techniques in
counties with small samples. The NDCP would be made available to the
public as a research tool to understand childcare prices at the county
level and changes in childcare prices over time. Section 2 of Public
Law 66-259 that established the Women's Bureau authorizes this
information collection. See 29 U.S.C. 13.
This information collection is subject to the PRA. A federal agency
generally cannot conduct or sponsor a collection of information, and
the public is generally not required to respond to an information
collection, unless it is approved by the OMB under the PRA and displays
a currently valid OMB Control Number. In addition, notwithstanding any
other provisions of law, no person shall generally be subject to
penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information that
does not display a valid Control Number. See 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and
1320.6.
II. Desired Focus of Comments
This Federal Register Notice provides the opportunity to comment on
the proposed data collection. DOL is particularly interested in
comments on:
[cir] whether the proposed collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance functions of the agency, including whether
the information will have practical utility;
[cir] the accuracy of the agency's burden estimate of the proposed
information collection, including the validity of the methodology and
assumptions;
[cir] the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be
collected; and
[cir] how the burden of the collection of information on those who
are to respond could be minimized, including
[[Page 61451]]
through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information
technology (e.g., permitting electronic submissions of responses).
III. Current Actions
At this time, DOL is requesting clearance to request market rate
survey data collected by the states, the District of Columbia, and
Puerto Rico to update the National Database of Childcare Prices.
Type of Review: Extension without change of a currently approved
collection.
OMB Control Number: 1290-0025.
Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal Governments.
Number of Respondents: 52.
Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
Number of Responses: 52.
Average Burden Time per Response: 2 hours.
Estimated Burden Hours: 104 hours.
Comments submitted in response to this request will be summarized
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget
approval of the information collection request; they will also become a
matter of public record.
IV. Authority
44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A).
Paula Huff,
Certifying Official, Women's Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor.
[FR Doc. 2026-19906 Filed 9-28-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-GQ-P
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