[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 147 (Thursday, July 30, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45887-45888]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-16550]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Proposed Information Collection Activity; National Survey of 
Early Care and Education COVID-19 Follow-Up (OMB #0970-0391)

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

ACTION: Request for Public Comment.

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SUMMARY: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is proposing a two-wave 
data collection as part of the National Survey of Early Care and 
Education (NSECE) (OMB #0970-0391), which will be conducted October 
2020 through June 2021. The objective of the NSECE COVID-19 Follow-up 
is to document the nation's current supply of early care and education 
(ECE) services that is home-based providers, center-based providers, 
and the center-based provider workforce. In the context of the COVID-19 
pandemic, the NSECE COVID-19 Follow-up will deepen our understanding of 
the state of ECE supply and the ECE workforce following the initial 
period of crisis, including changes in supply or departures from and 
re-entries to the workforce.

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, ACF 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 emailing 
[email protected]. Alternatively, copies can also 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, emailed or written, should be identified by the title of the 
information collection.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Description: The NSECE COVID-19 Follow-up will collect information 
from center-based ECE providers of care to children birth through age 5 
(not yet in kindergarten), home-based ECE providers that serve children 
under age 13, as well as the ECE workforce providing these services. 
The proposed collection will consist of the following three coordinated 
nationally representative surveys:
    1. A two-wave survey of individuals who provided paid care for 
children under the age of 13 in a residential setting, as of 2019, and 
who participated in the 2019 NSECE (Home-based Provider Interview);
    2. a two-wave survey of providers of care to children ages 0 
through 5 years of age (not yet in kindergarten) in a non-residential 
setting (Center-based Provider Interview), as of 2019, and who 
participated in the 2019 NSECE; and
    3. a two-wave survey conducted with individuals employed in center-
based child care programs working directly with children in classrooms 
(Center-based Classroom Staff [Workforce] Interview), as of 2019, and 
who participated in the 2019 NSECE.
    The NSECE COVID-19 Follow-up will provide urgently needed 
information about the supply of child care and early education 
available to families across all income levels, including providers 
serving low-income families of various racial, ethnic, language, and 
cultural backgrounds, in diverse geographic areas. The study will also 
dramatically extend the available resources for understanding the 
national impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the country's ECE supply 
and workforce, including geographic variation therein. Accurate data on 
the availability and characteristics of ECE programs are essential to 
assess the current and changing landscape of child care and early 
education programs and understand the ability of the nation's supply 
and workforce to meet the needs of parents of young children in the 
post-pandemic economy, and will provide insights to advance policy and 
initiatives in the ECE field.
    Respondents: Home-based providers, as of 2019, serving children 
under 13 years of age (listed and unlisted paid)--regardless of their 
status serving children in 2020-2021; center-based child care 
providers, as of 2019, serving children ages 0 through 5 years of age 
(not yet in kindergarten)--regardless of their status serving children 
in 2020-2021; and classroom-assigned instructional staff members 
working with children ages 0 through 5 years of age (not yet in 
kindergarten) in center-based child care providers, as of 2019,

[[Page 45888]]

regardless of their employment status in 2020-2021.

                                             Annual Burden Estimates
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                                                                     Number of    Average burden
                   Instrument                      Annual number   responses per     hours per     Annual burden
                                                  of respondents    respondent       response          hours
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Home-based Provider Interview, Waves 1 and 2....           3,375             1.5             .33           1,671
Center-based Provider Interview, Waves 1 and 2..           5,850             1.5             .33           2,896
Center-based Classroom Staff (Workforce)                   3,533             1.5             .33           1,749
 Interview, Waves 1 and 2.......................
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    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 6,316.
    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: Child Care and Development Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 
9858 et seq.).

John M. Sweet Jr,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020-16550 Filed 7-29-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-23-P