[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 158 (Thursday, August 15, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 49760]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-19805]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request
Title: Evaluation of the Head Start Designation Renewal System
OMB No.: New Collection.
Description: In the fall of 2011, the Administration for Children
and Families (ACF) within the US Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) significantly expanded its accountability provisions
with the implementation of the Head Start Designation Renewal System
(DRS). The DRS is designed to identify which Head Start and Early Head
Start grantees are providing high quality, comprehensive services to
the children and families in their communities. Where they are not,
grantees are denied automatic renewal of their grant and must apply for
continuing funding through an open competition process. Determinations
are based on seven conditions designed to measure service quality,
program operational quality, and fiscal and internal integrity.
The ACF is proposing to conduct an evaluation of the DRS. The
purpose of the evaluation is to understand if the DRS is working as
intended, as a valid, reliable, and transparent method for identifying
high-quality programs that can receive continuing five-year grants
without competition and as a system that encourages overall program
quality improvement. It also seeks to understand how the system is
working, the circumstances in which it works more or less well, and the
contextual, demographic, and program factors and program actions
associated with how well the system is working. The study will employ a
mixed-methods design that integrates and layers administrative and
secondary data sources, observational measures, and interviews to
develop a rich knowledge base about what the DRS accomplishes and how
it does so.
Respondents: Head Start program directors; other program managers
including grantee agency directors, center directors, and education
services coordinators; Head Start teachers; and members of Head Start
governing bodies and local policy councils.
Annual Burden Estimates
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Number of Average burden
Instrument (appendix) Total number Annual number responses per hours per Annual burden
of respondents of respondents respondent response hours
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Quality Measures Follow Up 560 280 1 0.4 112
Interview: Teachers............
Quality Measures Follow Up 300 150 1 1.85 278
Interview: Center Directors....
Quality Measures Follow Up 70 35 1 1.1 39
Interview: Program Directors...
DRS Telephone Interview: Program 35 18 1 1.25 23
Directors......................
DRS In-Depth Interview: Agency 15 8 1 1 8
Directors......................
DRS In-Depth Interview: Program 15 8 1 1.5 12
Directors......................
DRS In-Depth Interview: Policy 75 38 1 1.5 57
Council/Governing Body.........
DRS In-Depth Interview: Program 45 23 1 1.5 35
Managers.......................
Competition In-Depth Interview: 18 9 1 1.25 12
Agency and Program Directors...
Competition In-Depth Interview: 45 23 1 1.5 35
Policy Council/Governing Body..
Competition In-Depth Interview: 27 14 1 1.5 21
Program Managers...............
Competition Data Capture Sheet.. 500 250 1 0.15 38
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Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 670.
Additional Information: Copies of the proposed collection may be
obtained 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. All
requests should be identified by the title of the information
collection. Email 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 recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent directly to the following: Office
of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project, Email: [email protected], Attn: Desk Officer for the Administration for
Children and Families.
Robert Sargis,
ACF Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2013-19805 Filed 8-14-13; 8:45 am]
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