[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 178 (Wednesday, September 15, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55636-55637]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-20782]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Submission for OMB review; Comment Request

    Title: Survey of Early Head Start Programs.
    OMB No.: New collection.
    Description: The Head Start Reauthorization Act of 1994 established 
a special initiative creating funding for services for families with 
infants and toddlers. In response, the Administration on Children, 
Youth and Families (ACYF) within the Administration for Children and 
Families (ACF) developed the Early Head Start program. Early Head Start 
programs are designed to produce outcomes in four domains: (1) Child 
development, (2) family development, (3) staff development, and (4) 
community development. As a requirement of the Reauthorization Act, 
ACYF funded a rigorous randomized trial to study the effectiveness of 
Early Head Start programs, sampling from 17 programs funded in the 
initial years. That research found positive effects of the program 
overall in a variety of areas, as well as effects for different program 
types and levels of implementation, and among study participants with 
different characteristics.
    The aim of the current research is to obtain a national picture of 
Early Head Start. This initiative will begin a process of describing 
how the Early Head Start initiative has grown over time, how programs 
are currently implementing services, and who is being served. The study 
will be conducted between September 2004 and May 2005.
    The data will consist of a survey of all Early Head Start programs 
in October 2004 and site visits to a selected sample of 25 programs in 
early 2005. All data collection instruments have been designed to 
minimize the burden on respondents by minimizing the time required to 
respond. Participation in the study is voluntary.
    The results of the research will be used by the Head Start Bureau 
and ACF to gain a better understanding of changes in program processes 
and services over time, to identify areas of

[[Page 55637]]

strength and weakness in order to target training and technical 
assistance or further research efforts, and finally, to provide a 
broader context for lessons learned from the impact study.
    Respondents: Early Head Start directors, Early Head Start 
coordinators and specialists, teachers, home visitors, and parents of 
Early Head Start children.

                                             Annual Burden Estimates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     Number of        Average
                   Instrument                        Number of     responses per   burden hours    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent     per response        hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Survey of Programs (2004).......................         \a\ 595               1             3.0         1,785.0
           Site Visit Protocol (2005)
Director Protocol...............................              25               1             3.0            75.0
Coordinator/Specialist Protocol: \b\
    Community Partnership.......................              25               1             1.0            25.0
    Disabilities................................              25               1             1.0            25.0
    Early Childhood.............................              25               1             1.0            25.0
    Family Partnership..........................              25               1             1.0            25.0
    Home Visiting...............................              25               1             1.0            25.0
Teacher Protocol \c\............................             125               1             1.5           187.5
Home Visitor Protocol \c\.......................             125               1             1.5           187.5
Parent Protocol \c\.............................             125               1             1.5           187.5
-------------------------------------------------
Estimated Total Annual Burden 2004..............  ..............  ..............  ..............          1785.5
    Estimated Total Annual Burden 2005..........  ..............  ..............  ..............          762.5
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\a\ Assumes an 85 percent response rate for the survey.
\b\ Not all programs will ahve staff in each position, therefore, burden estimates for some programs may be
  overstated.
\c\ Assumes groups interviews with up to five individuals per site. Assumes that all sites have both home
  visitors and teachers, although when that is not the case, the burden estimates will be overstated.

Additional Information

    Copies of the proposed collections may be obtained by writing to 
the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Administration, 
Office of Information Services, 370 L'Enfant promenade, SW., 
Washington, DC 20447, Attn: ACF Reports Clearance Officer. All requests 
should be identified by the title of the information collection. E-mail 
address: [email protected].

OMB Comment

    OMB is required to make a decision concerning the collection of 
information between 30 and 60 days after publication of this document 
in the Federal Register. Therefore, a comment is best assured of having 
its full effect if OMB receives it within 30 days of publication. 
Written comments and recommendation for the proposed information 
collection should be sent directly to the following: Office of 
Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project, Attn: Desk Officer 
for ACF, E-mail address: [email protected].

    Dated: September 7, 2004.
Robert Sargis,
Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 04-20782 Filed 9-14-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-M