[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 221 (Friday, November 17, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54346-54348]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-24901]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    Title: Variations in Implementation of Quality Interventions (VIQI) 
Project: Data Collection.
    OMB No.: New Collection.
    Description: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), 
Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) proposes to collect 
information as part of the Variations in Implementation of Quality 
Interventions (VIQI): Examining the Quality-Child Outcomes Relationship 
in Child Care and Early Education Project.
    The VIQI Project will inform policymakers, practitioners, and 
stakeholders about effective ways to support the quality and 
effectiveness of early care and education (ECE) centers for promoting 
young children's learning and development. In partnership with ECE 
centers across the United States that serve young children with diverse 
economic backgrounds, the VIQI Project aims to (1) identify dimensions 
of quality within ECE settings that are key levers for promoting 
children's outcomes; (2) inform what levels of quality are necessary to 
successfully support children's developmental gains; (3) identify 
drivers that facilitate and inhibit successful implementation of 
interventions aimed at strengthening quality; and (4) understand how 
these relations vary across different ECE settings, staff, and 
children. To achieve these aims, the VIQI Project will include a year-
long pilot study that will pilot up to three curricular and 
professional development models, followed by a year-long impact 
evaluation and process study that involve testing the effectiveness of 
two curricular and professional development models that aim to 
strengthen teacher practices, the quality of classroom processes, and 
children's outcomes. The study will include up to 189 community-based 
and Head Start ECE centers spread across seven different metropolitan 
areas in the United States.
    To test the effectiveness of the curricular and professional 
development models, the VIQI project will consist of a 3- or 4-group 
experimental design in the pilot study and a 3-group experimental 
design in the impact evaluation and the process study in which the 
initial quality and other characteristics of ECE centers are measured. 
The centers then will be stratified based upon select information 
collected--by setting type (e.g., Head Start and community-based ECE 
centers) and initial levels of quality--and randomly assigned to one of 
the intervention conditions where they will be offered curricular and 
professional development supports aimed at strengthening the quality of 
classroom and teacher practices, or to a business-as-usual comparison 
condition.
    In the pilot study, 24 centers in one metropolitan area will 
participate in the VIQI Project. Information about center and staff 
characteristics and classroom and teacher practices will be collected 
(1) to stratify and randomly assign centers; (2) to describe how the 
different interventions are implemented and are experienced by centers 
and teachers; and (3) to document the treatment differentials across 
research conditions. The information will then be used to adjust and to 
refine the research design and measures that will be used in the impact 
evaluation and process study.
    In the impact evaluation and process study, 165 centers in seven 
metropolitan areas will participate in the VIQI Project. Information 
about center and staff characteristics and classroom and teacher 
practices will be collected (1) to stratify and randomly assign 
centers; (2) to identify subgroups of interest; (3) to describe how the 
interventions are implemented and are experienced by centers and 
teachers; (4) to document the treatment differentials across research 
conditions; and (5) to assess the impacts of each of the interventions 
on different dimensions of quality and teacher practices when compared 
to a business-as-usual comparison condition for the impact evaluation 
sample and separately for subgroups of interest. In addition, 
information about the background characteristics of families and 
children being served in the centers will be collected, as well as 
measures of children's skills at the beginning and end of the year-long 
impact evaluation for a subset of children in these centers. This 
information will also be used (1) to define subgroups of interest 
defined by family and child characteristics, and (2) to assess the 
impacts of each of the interventions on children's skills for the full 
impact evaluation sample and separately for subgroups of interest. 
Lastly, the information on quality, teacher practices and children's 
skills will be used in a set of analyses that will rigorously examine 
the nature of the quality-to-child outcomes relationship by exploring 
the effects of different dimensions and thresholds (or levels) of 
quality on child outcomes for the full impact evaluation sample and 
separately for subgroups of interest.
    The data collection instruments for the VIQI Project include the 
following:
    (1) Instruments for Screening and Recruitment of ECE Centers will 
be used in the pilot study, impact evaluation, and process study to 
assess ECE centers' eligibility, to inform the sampling strategy, and 
to recruit ECE centers to participate in the VIQI Project;
    (2) Baseline Instruments for the Pilot Study, Impact Evaluation, 
and Process Study will be used to collect background information about 
centers, classrooms, center staff, and families and children being 
served in the centers. All of the instruments will be administered at 
the beginning of the pilot study, impact evaluation, and process study, 
with the exception of the baseline survey administered to parents of 
children enrolled in participating ECE centers and the protocol for

[[Page 54347]]

baseline assessments of children's skills at the beginning of the 
impact evaluation and process study;
    (3) Follow-Up Instruments for the Pilot Study, Impact Evaluation, 
and Process Study will be used to inform how centers, classrooms, 
teachers, and children changed and to assess the impacts of each of the 
interventions over the course of the pilot study, impact evaluation, 
and process study. All of the instruments will be administered at the 
end of the pilot study, impact evaluation, and process study, with the 
exception of the protocol for follow-up assessments of children's 
skills at the end of the impact evaluation and process study; and,
    (4) Fidelity of Implementation Instruments for Pilot Study and 
Process Study will be used to document how the curricular and 
professional development models are delivered and experienced by staff, 
to document treatment differentials across research conditions, and to 
provide context for interpreting the findings of the impact evaluation.
    Respondents: The target population of the VIQI Project will include 
staff members working in Head Start grantee and community-based child 
care oversight agencies, staff members working in 189 ECE centers in 
seven metropolitan areas across the United States, and parents and 
children being served in these centers.

                                             Annual Burden Estimates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   Total  number  Annual  number     Number of        Average
           Instrument                   of              of         responses per   burden hours   Annual  burden
                                    respondents     respondents     respondent     per response        hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            Instruments for Screening and Recruitment of ECE Centers
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Landscaping protocol with                    100              33               1            1.50              50
 Stakeholder Agencies (staff
 burden in Head Start (HS)
 grantee and community-based
 child care agencies)...........
Screening protocol for phone                 110              37               1               2              74
 calls (staff burden in HS
 grantees and community-based
 child care agencies)...........
Screening protocol for phone                 280              93               1            1.20             112
 calls (HS and community-based
 child care center staff burden)
Protocol for in-person visits                488             163               1            1.50             245
 for screening and recruitment
 activities (staff burden in HS
 grantees and community-based
 child care agencies)...........
Protocol for in-person visits                760             253               1            1.20             304
 for screening and recruitment
 activities (HS and community-
 based child care center staff
 burden)........................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 Baseline Instruments for the Pilot Study, Impact Evaluation, and Process Study
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Baseline administrator survey...             236              79               1            0.60              47
Baseline coach survey...........             223              74               1            0.60              44
Baseline teacher/assistant                 1,358             453               1            0.60             272
 teacher survey.................
Baseline parent/guardian                   8,568           2,856               1            0.20             571
 information form in Impact
 Evaluation only................
Baseline classroom observation               543             181               1            0.30              54
 protocol (teacher burden)......
Baseline protocol for child                1,980             660               1            0.50             330
 assessments in Impact
 Evaluation only (child burden).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   Follow-Up Instruments for Pilot Study, Impact Evaluation, and Process Study
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Follow-up administrator survey..             189              63               1            0.50              32
Follow-up coach survey..........             178              59               1            0.50              30
Follow-up teacher/assistant                1,086             362               1            0.75             272
 teacher survey.................
Teacher reports to questions                 543             181               1            0.67             121
 about children in classroom
 (administered as part of the
 follow-up teacher survey)......
Follow-up classroom observation              543             181               2            0.30             109
 protocol (teacher burden)......
Follow-up protocol for child               1,980             660               1               1             660
 assessments in Impact
 Evaluation only (child burden).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Fidelity of Implementation Instruments for Pilot Study and Process Study
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coach log.......................             117              39              55            0.25             536
Teacher/assistant teacher log...           1,086             362              36            0.25            3258
Implementation fidelity                       72              24               1            0.30               7
 observation protocol (teacher
 burden)........................
Interview/Focus group protocol               322             107               1             1.5             161
 (administrator, teacher/
 assistant teacher and coach
 burden)........................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 7,289.
    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, 330 C Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20201, 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

[[Page 54348]]

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.

Mary Jones,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2017-24901 Filed 11-16-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4184-23-P