[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 24 (Tuesday, February 5, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1740-1741]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-00942]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Proposed Information Collection Activity; Assessing Models of 
Coordinated Services for Low-Income Children and Their Families (AMCS) 
(New Collection)

AGENCY: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation; Administration 
for Children and Families; HHS.

ACTION: Request for Public Comment.

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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 
study, Assessing Models of Coordinated Services for Low-Income Children 
and Their Families (AMCS).

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: 
    Description: Through AMCS, ACF seeks to learn more about how states 
and communities coordinate early care and education, family economic 
security, and/or other health and human services to most efficiently 
and effectively serve the needs of low-income children and their 
families. ACF aims to understand strategies used to support 
partnerships, including the federal barriers to agency collaboration. 
In support of achieving these goals, the study team will conduct site 
visits to six programs that offer coordinated services. The study team 
will gather information through interviews with program staff members, 
such as agency leaders or frontline staff, and focus groups with 
parents.
    Data collection activities will include up to six program site 
visits. Programs will be identified through a scan of publicly 
available information about programs, recommendations from 
stakeholders, and proposed telephone interviews (the information 
collection request for these interviews will be submitted under the 
generic clearance: Formative Data Collections for ACF Research, OMB 
#0970-0356). Once potential programs are identified, agency leaders 
will be invited to participate in the site visit. Site visits will 
include semi-structured interviews with up to 30 total staff at each 
site. Staff invited will include lead program and partner staff to 
include agency leaders (including program directors, executive 
directors, or CEOs), directors of programs within the site, frontline 
staff (including service navigators or coordinators), and focus groups 
with 8-10 parents at each site. Semi-structured interviews with program 
and partner staff will obtain in-depth information about the goals and 
objectives of programs, the services provided, how

[[Page 1741]]

the coordinated services are implemented, how staffing is managed, data 
use, and any facilitators and barriers to coordination. Focus groups 
with parents participating in the program will provide the opportunity 
to learn about how parents perceive the program, how it meets their 
needs, what benefits they gain from the program, and how they enroll, 
participate, and progress through the program.
    Respondents: Lead program and partner program staff members working 
in six programs across the United States that coordinate early care and 
education services with family economic security services and/or other 
health and human services, as well as parents receiving services from 
these programs. Staff respondents will be selected with the goal of 
having staff represent each level of the organization. Parents who have 
participated in the program for at least six months and who have 
received early childhood services and at least one other program 
service will be invited to participate in focus groups.

                                             Annual Burden Estimates
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                                                   Total/annual      Number of    Average burden
                   Instrument                        number of     responses per     hours per     Annual burden
                                                    respondents     respondent       response          hours
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Master Interview Protocol.......................             180               1               2             360
Parent Focus Group Protocol.....................              60               1               1              60
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    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 420.
    Comments: 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: 42 U.S.C. 9858(a)(5).

Mary B. Jones,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2019-00942 Filed 2-4-19; 8:45 am]
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