[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 82 (Friday, April 30, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22969-22970]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-09052]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Proposed Information Collection Activity; Assessing the 
Implementation and Cost of High-Quality Early Care and Education: Field 
Test, OMB 0970-0499

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) at the U.S. 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seeks approval to collect 
new information to use in testing measures of the implementation and 
costs of high-quality early care and education as part of the project, 
Assessing the Implementation and Cost of High-Quality Early Care and 
Education (ECE-ICHQ). The study received approval for a field test to 
validate and improve the psychometric properties of these measures in 
November 2019. This request is to add a measure to the approved field 
test to help further assess the associations between measures of 
implementation, cost, and quality.

DATES: Comments due within 60 days of publication. In compliance with 
the requirements 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: ACF seeks approval to collect 
new information to use in testing measures of the implementation and 
costs of high-quality early care and education as part of the ECE-ICHQ 
project. The project's goal is to create a technically sound and 
feasible instrument that will provide consistent, systematic measures 
of the implementation and costs of education and care in center-based 
settings that serve children from birth to age 5. The resulting 
measures will inform research, policy, and practice by improving 
understanding of variations in what centers do to support quality, 
their associated costs, and how resources for ECE may be better aligned 
with expectations for quality. The study received approval for a field 
test to validate and improve the psychometric properties of these 
measures in November 2019. For all previously approved materials for 
this study, see https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAOMBHistory?ombControlNumber=0970-0499. This request is to add a 
measure to the approved field test to help further assess the 
associations between measures of implementation, cost, and quality. The 
field test and this additional measure will include only remote data 
collection.
    Respondents: Teachers and aids.

[[Page 22970]]



                                             Annual Burden Estimates
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                                                                  Number of
                                                 Number of      responses per
                                                respondents       respondent      Avg.  burden     Total/annual
                 Instrument                     (total over      (total over     per  response     burden  (in
                                                  request          request         (in hours)         hours)
                                                  period)          period)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Teaching staff survey.......................           1,120                1              .50              560
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 560.
    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: Sec.  658O(a)(5) as amended by the CCDBG Act of 2014 
Sec.  9

Mary B. Jones,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2021-09052 Filed 4-29-21; 8:45 am]
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