[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 165 (Friday, August 24, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42894-42895]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-18333]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Proposed Information Collection Activity

AGENCY: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation; ACF; HHS.

ACTION: Request for public comment.

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    Title: Head Start Child and Family Experiences Survey (FACES) (OMB 
#0970-0151).
SUMMARY: The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE), 
Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS), is proposing to collect data for a new 
round of the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES).

DATES: Comments due within 60 days of publication. 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.

ADDRESSES: 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, 330 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20201, Attn: OPRE Reports 
Clearance Officer. Email address: [email protected]. All 
requests should be identified by the title of the information 
collection.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  Similar to FACES 2014-2018, in 2019, two 
parallel studies will commence. FACES 2019 focuses on Head Start 
Regions I through X (which are geographically based); AI/AN (American 
Indian and Alaska Native) FACES 2019 focuses on Region XI (which funds 
Head Start programs that serve federally recognized American Indian and 
Alaska Native tribes). Both studies will provide data on a set of key 
indicators for Head Start programs. In fall 2019 and spring 2020, FACES 
will assess the school readiness skills of 2,400 Head Start children in 
Regions I-X (FACES 2019) and 800 children in Region XI (AI/AN FACES 
2019), survey their parents, and ask their Head Start teachers to rate 
children's social and emotional skills. This sample will be drawn from 
60 programs in Regions I-X and 22 programs in Region XI. In spring 
2020, classroom observations of sampled programs will occur. In Regions 
I-X, the number of programs will increase from the 60 that are used to 
collect data on children's school readiness outcomes to 180 for the 
purpose of conducting observations in 720 Head Start classrooms. In 
Region XI, the program sample will remain at 22, and approximately 80 
Head Start classroom observations will take place. Program director, 
center director, and teacher surveys will also be conducted in spring 
2020 in Regions I-XI. In spring 2022, program level data collection 
will be repeated in Regions I-X only. FACES 2019 also features a ``Core 
Plus'' design, with the above activities reflecting the Core data, with 
the potential of ``Plus'' studies to inform emerging programmatic 
questions. If any Plus studies are conducted, they will be conducted 
within the Core sample and will be included in a future Federal 
Register notice.
    Previous Federal Register notices provided the opportunity for 
public comment on the proposed Head Start program recruitment and 
center selection process (FR 82, pg. 48819 10/20/2017; FR 83, pg. 7480 
02/21/2018). This notice describes the planned data collection 
activities for the FACES 2019 and AI/AN FACES 2019 data collection. 
Data collection activities include classroom and child sampling 
information collection, direct child assessments, parent surveys, 
teacher child reports, and staff surveys.
    Sampling of children and classrooms for FACES starts with site 
visits to 157 Head Start centers (120 for FACES 2019 and 37 for AI/AN 
FACES 2019) in fall 2019. Field enrollment specialists (FES) will 
request a list of all Head Start-funded classrooms from Head Start 
staffNext, for each selected classroom, the FES will request enrollment 
information for each child enrolled. Data collection will then start 
with site visits in fall 2019 to 82 Head Start programs (60 for FACES 
2019 and 22 for AI/AN FACES 2019) to directly assess the school 
readiness skills of 3,200 children (2,400 for FACES 2019 and 800 for 
AI/AN FACES 2019) sampled for FACES and whose parents agree to 
participate. Parents of sampled children will complete surveys on the 
Web or by telephone about their children and family background. Head 
Start teachers will rate each sampled child (approximately 10 children 
per classroom) using the Web or paper- and pencil forms. These 
activities will occur a second time in spring 2020. When the FACES 2019 
program sample size increases to 180 programs in the spring, the 
methods of data collection for this phase will feature classroom 
sampling and site visitors conducting observations of the quality of 
classrooms. Head Start program directors, center directors, and 
teachers will complete surveys about themselves and the services and 
instruction at Head Start. The purpose of the FACES data collection is 
to support the 2007 reauthorization of the Head Start program (Pub. L. 
110-134), which calls for periodic assessments of Head Start's quality 
and effectiveness.
    Respondents: Head Start children, parents of Head Start children, 
and Head Start teachers and Head Start staff.

[[Page 42895]]



                                             Annual Burden Estimates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     Number of    Average burden
           Instrument              Total number    Annual number   responses per     hours per     Annual burden
                                  of respondents  of respondents    respondent       response          hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FACES 2019 Classroom sampling                360             120               1            0.17              20
 form from Head Start staff.....
FACES 2019 Child roster form                 120              40               1            0.33              13
 from Head Start staff..........
FACES 2019 Parent consent form..           2,400             800               1            0.17             136
FACES 2019 Head Start parent               2,400             800               2            0.42             672
 survey.........................
FACES 2019 Head Start child                2,400             800               2            0.75           1,200
 assessment.....................
FACES 2019 Head Start teacher                240              80              20            0.17             272
 child report...................
FACES 2019 Head Start teacher                720             240               1            0.50             120
 survey.........................
FACES 2019 Head Start program                180              60               1            0.50              30
 director survey................
FACES 2019 Head Start center                 360             120               1            0.50              60
 director survey................
AI/AN FACES 2019 Classroom                    37              13               1            0.17               2
 sampling form from Head Start
 staff..........................
AI/AN FACES 2019 Child roster                 37              13               1            0.33               4
 form from Head Start staff.....
AI/AN FACES 2019 Parent consent              800             267               1            0.17              45
 form...........................
AI/AN FACES 2019 Head Start                  800             267               2            0.50             267
 parent survey..................
AI/AN FACES 2019 Head Start                  800             267               2            0.75             401
 child assessment...............
AI/AN FACES 2019 Head Start                   80              27              20            0.17              92
 teacher child report...........
AI/AN FACES 2019 Head Start                   80              27               1            0.58              16
 teacher survey.................
AI/AN FACES 2019 Head Start                   22               8               1            0.33               3
 program director survey........
AI/AN FACES 2019 Head Start                   37              13               1            0.33               4
 center director survey.........
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 3,357.
    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.

(Authority: Section 640(a)(2)(D) and section 649 of the Improving 
Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007)

Emily B. Jabbour,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2018-18333 Filed 8-23-18; 8:45 am]
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