[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 11 (Wednesday, January 16, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3431-3432]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-00593]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

    Title: School Readiness Goals and Head Start Program Functioning.
    OMB No.: New Collection.
    Description: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), 
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is proposing a data 
collection as part of the ``School Readiness Goals and Head Start 
Program Functioning'' research project. The purpose of this study is to 
improve understanding of how local Head Start and Early Head Start 
programs define, measure, and communicate school readiness goals, and 
how they use these goals in program planning to improve program 
functioning. ACF is proposing to use a semi-structured telephone 
interview protocol to collect information from program directors and 
other key staff from approximately 60 local grantees and site visit 
protocols to collect further qualitative information through interviews 
and/or focus groups with program staff, oversight boards, key 
stakeholders, and parents in a subset of 12 of these grantees. ACF has 
contracted with the Urban Institute to collect and analyze the data 
gathered in the telephone interviews and site visits.
    Topics to be covered in the telephone interview and site visit 
protocols include: A description of school readiness goals set by local 
grantee; the process used to set school readiness goals; contextual 
factors informing choices made about school readiness goals (e.g., 
needs of local children and families, program and staff 
characteristics, and community characteristics); how programs use and 
analyze data about school readiness goals; how programs report progress 
on goals; and how school readiness goals and data form program planning 
and improvement efforts.
    Respondents: Head Start and Early Head Start program directors and 
managers closely involved with school readiness goal setting (e.g. 
education services coordinators); others in leadership positions (e.g. 
agency directors, center directors, home-based services coordinators or 
assistant program directors); front-line staff (e.g. Head Start 
teachers, Early Head Start teachers, home visitors, family service 
workers, and program specialists); members of Head Start governing 
bodies and local policy councils; liaisons from local education 
agencies; and parents with children in Head Start and Early Head Start 
programs.

[[Page 3432]]



                                             Annual Burden Estimates
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                                                     Number of    Average burden
           Instrument              Total number    responses per     hours per     Total burden    Annual burden
                                  of respondents    respondent       response          hours           hours
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Telephone Interview.............             120               1            0.75              90              90
Key Leaders Interview...........              24               1            1.5               36              36
Other Leaders Interview.........              30               1            1                 30              30
Front-line Staff Interview......              96               1            1                 96              96
Governing Body/Policy Council                 72               1            1                 72              72
 Interview......................
Local Education Agency Interview              12               1            1                 12              12
Parent Focus Group..............             144               1            1.5              216             216
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 552.
    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 
Planning, Research and Evaluation, 370 L'Enfant Promenade SW., 
Washington, DC 20447, Attn: OPRE Reports Clearance Officer. Email 
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.

Steven M. Hanmer,
Reports Clearance, Officer.
[FR Doc. 2013-00593 Filed 1-15-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-22-M