[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 29 (Monday, February 14, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7507-7508]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-2744]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

    Title: Head Start National Training and Technical Assistance System 
Quality Assurance Study.
    OMB No: New collection.
    Description: The Head Start National Training and Technical 
Assistance Quality Assurance Study is being undertaken to document and 
provide feedback on the work of the newly designed Head Start Training 
and Technical Assistance (T/TA) system. The Head Start Bureau awarded 
this contract to Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., and its 
subcontractor, Xtria LLC, in October 2004.
    Providing training and technical assistance has long been a crucial 
component of the national-regional Head Start system. Through the new 
T/TA system, however, the Head Start Bureau has placed greater emphasis 
on quality and consistency of T/TA service delivery. Under the new T/TA 
system, the Head Start Bureau's T/TA Branch annually sets national 
priorities. Regional Office T/TA liaisons oversee the system's 12 
contracts, awarded in December 2003, which include locally based 
content experts in the areas of disabilities, early literacy, child 
development, fiscal administration and management, health, and family 
and community partnerships. These content experts support locally based 
TA specialists (TAS), who work with a caseload of 10 to 12 programs to 
develop T/TA training plans based on each grantee's self-assessment and 
the results from the Program Review Instrument for Systems Monitoring 
(PRISM) process. National contractors provide training and other 
resources according to priorities determined by the Head Start Bureau 
and in line with Administration initiatives. Programs can also use 
their special T/TA grant funds and, when necessary, additional funds 
from their basic Head Start grant funds to hire consultants or attend 
training events.
    In addition, through Higher Education Grants, universities provide 
coursework to meet Head Start staff's credentialing needs in 
partnership with Head Start programs. The Higher Education grantees 
(HEGs) are organized into three consortia, representing Historically 
Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities and 
Hispanic/Latino-serving institutions.
    For the regional Head Start system, the Quality Assurance Study 
will assess (1) each Head Start region's implementation and structure 
of the new system, (2) regional T/TA strategies and services provided 
to grantees, (3) grantees' progress in assessing T/TA needs and 
identifying appropriate ways to meet those needs, (4) grantees' annual 
T/TA plans, and (5) grantees' perceptions about the system's impact on 
program quality and child outcomes. The study also will analyze whether 
the HEGs meet their goal of increasing the early childhood credentials 
of Head Start staff and teachers. In 2005, the study will collect 
information about the delivery of T/TA services to Head Start and Early 
Head Start programs through site visits to 48 representative programs 
(about 4 per region) and site visits to 15 HEGs (5 of each of the 3 
types of HEGs). In 2006, the study will visit 36 of the 48 
representative Head Start and Early Head Start programs to learn about 
changes in the T/TA system. All data collection activities have been 
designed to minimize the burden on respondents by minimizing the time 
required to respond. Participation in the study is voluntary.
    The research will provide the Head Start Bureau and the 
Administration for Children and Families with information about 
exemplary practices as well as areas in the T/TA system that could be 
improved.
    Respondents: Early Head Start and Head Start directors, 
coordinators, specialists, center administrators, teachers and home 
visitors; locally based TA specialists; university-based HEG project 
directors, university faculty, Head Start program administrators, and 
Head Start program staff and teachers.

            Estimated Response Burden for Respondents for the Head Start T/TA Quality Assurance Study
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                                                                     Number of    Average burden
                   Instrument                        Number of     responses per   per  response   Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent        (hours)         (hours)
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                                       Program Site Visit Protocols (2005)
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Director........................................              48               1             1.5              72
Coordinator/Specialist (group)..................             144               1            1.25             180
Center Administrator (group)....................             288               1            1.25             360
Teacher/Home Visitor (group)....................             480               1            1.25             600
Locally Based TA Specialist.....................              48               1             1.5              72
Program Reviews a...............................              48               1              .5              24
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                                         HEG Site Visit Protocols (2005)
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HEG Project Director/Coordinator................              15               1             1.5            22.5
HEG Staff/Faculty (group).......................              45               1               1              45
HS Director.....................................              30               1               1              30
HS Staff (group)................................              60               1               1              60
                                                 -----------------
    Total for 2005..............................  ..............  ..............  ..............         1,465.5
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                                       Grantee Site Visit Protocols (2006)
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Director........................................              36               1             1.5              54
Coordinator/Specialist (group)..................             108               1            1.25             135

[[Page 7508]]

 
Center Administrator (group)....................             216               1            1.25             270
Teacher/Home Visitor (group)....................             360               1            1.25             450
Locally Based TA Specialist.....................              36               1             1.5              54
Program Reviews a...............................              36               1              .5              18
                                                 -----------------
    Total for 2006..............................  ..............  ..............  ..............             981
                                                 =================
        Total for 2005 and 2006.................  ..............  ..............  ..............         2,446.5
Estimated Average Burden Hours..................  ..............  ..............  ..............       1,223.25
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a These reviews will be conducted with the locally based TA specialists.

    In compliance with the requirements of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Administration for Children and 
Families is soliciting public comment on the specific aspects of the 
information collection described above. Copies of the proposed 
collection of information can be obtained and comments may be forwarded 
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. E-mail 
address: [email protected]. All requests should be identified by 
the title of the information collection.
    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.

    Dated: February 4, 2005.
Robert Sargis,
Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 05-2744 Filed 2-11-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-M