[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 188 (Friday, September 27, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61139-61140]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-24658]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Notices of Award of Non-Competitive Grant

AGENCY: Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF), ACF, 
DHHS.

ACTION: Notice; opportunity to comment.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that ACYF is considering awarding 
discretionary research grant funds without competition to Cornell 
University, Office of Sponsored Programs, 115 Day Hall, Ithaca, New 
York 14853, for up to $254,332 of Child Care and Development Block 
Grant funds in FY 2002. Pending the availability of Federal funds, and 
the continuing non-Federal support of the project from other sources, 
ACYF will award up to $254,526 of Child Care and Development Block 
Grant funds in FY 2003 and up to $245,543 in FY 2004. The project 
period will begin on September 30, 2002, and end on September 29, 2005. 
This award will provide Federal support for research to develop 
econometric models of the

[[Page 61140]]

child care industry and new strategies for finance and administration.
    The proposed research project addresses many questions of relevance 
to the child care field, to ACF, and to the Child Care Bureau in 
particular. The project will fill a gap in the information currently 
available about child care as an economic sector in the U.S. economy 
and help build a new policy framework from the perspective of economic 
development. The project is comprised of three interrelated components:
    [sbull] In the first component, researchers will explore how input/
output modeling can be adapted to model the economic development 
impacts of the child care industry in different States and localities 
ranging from urban to rural in character. Challenges in estimating 
employment and productivity of the child care industry with its diverse 
mix of public, private and non-profit providers will be addressed, as 
will questions of how to value the economic role played by child care 
in enabling parents to work. This component will contribute to a better 
theoretical and empirical understanding of how child care contributes 
to the broader economy.
    [sbull] The second component will focus on dissemination. 
Researchers will develop and test a web-based methodology that can be 
used by States and localities to measure the economic impact of the 
child care industry in their region. This tool will enable users to 
collectively build a national database (using state and local data) and 
begin to shape a picture of the early care and education industry as a 
whole.
    [sbull] The third component of this project will be to monitor how 
states and cities use an economic development frame to craft new 
approaches to child care finance and administration. Investigators will 
track how state and local coalitions engage non-traditional partners 
(such as business leaders, economists, community developers, and 
bankers) in building new strategic alliances aimed at strengthening 
investments in child care.
    The study has a strong research design and methodology, builds on a 
solid understanding of the current state of research in the child care 
field, and is led by an exceptionally experienced team of 
investigators. The data collected through this study will provide 
information urgently needed by policymakers in early education and 
welfare reform.
    The study answers a call for needed research on economic models of 
child care expressed by researchers and policymakers in the most recent 
meeting of the Child Care Policy Research Consortium held in 
Washington, DC, on April 17-19, 2002, and the Annual Meeting of State 
Child Care Administrators held in Washington, DC, on July 31-August 2, 
2002.
    Cornell University and its sub-contractor Stoney Associates are in 
a unique position to carry out this work with highly qualified 
personnel, university facilities and in-kind resources. Together, they 
have laid the foundation for this project through previous economic 
impact research, outreach and participatory research, and evaluation 
and policy analysis.
    [sbull] Cornell has started the collaborative planning and 
groundwork for the study through the Department of City and Regional 
Planning, the Department of Applied Economics, the Institute for Social 
and Economic Research (which provides access to social science data), 
and the Community and Rural Development Institute (which works with 
local and state policy makers on community development, outreach, and 
research).
    [sbull] Stoney Associates is a nationally recognized consulting 
firm and leader in the area of early education and child care finance. 
Stoney Associates has excellent connections with State and local child 
care administrators, and is a founding partner in the Alliance for 
Early Childhood Finance, a national organization focused on developing 
new strategies for financing of child care in America.
    Therefore, while the project will provide a substantial benefit in 
the child care field, ACF, and the Child Care Bureau in particular, the 
amount of ACF funding needed is minimal due to the work already 
completed or underway through other funding sources.
    The Agency is providing members of the public, including qualified 
organizations that would be interested in competing for the funding, if 
a competition were held, an opportunity to comment on the planned 
action.

    Statutory Authority: This award will be made pursuant to the 
Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 as amended (CCDBG 
Act); section 418 of the Social Security Act; Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2001 (Pub. L. 106-554). The Catalog of Federal 
Domestic Assistance is 93.647.


DATES: In order to be considered, comments on this planned action must 
be received on or before October 7, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties, including qualified organizations that 
would be interested in competing for the funding, if a competition were 
held, should write to: Karen Tvedt, Child Care Bureau, Administration 
on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF), Administration for Children and 
Families (ACF), Department of Health and Human Services, 330 C Street, 
SW., Room 2046, Washington, DC 20447; e-mail address: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Tvedt, Child Care Bureau, at 
(202) 401-5130.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 93.647, Child 
Care Research Discretionary Grants)

    Dated: September 23, 2002.
Joan E. Ohl,
Commissioner, Administration on Children, Youth and Families.
[FR Doc. 02-24658 Filed 9-26-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-M