[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 10 (Tuesday, January 17, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2626-2627]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-00728]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families

[OMB No. 0970-0391]


Proposed Information Collection Activity; 2024 National Survey of 
Early Care and Education

AGENCY: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration 
for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human 
Services.

ACTION: Request for public comments.

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SUMMARY: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U. S. 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is proposing a data 
collection activity as part of the 2024 National Survey of Early Care 
and Education to be conducted October 2023 through July 2024. The 
objective of the 2024 NSECE is to document the nation's use and 
availability of early care and education (ECE) services, building on 
the information collected in 2012 and

[[Page 2627]]

2019 to describe the ECE landscape in the U.S. The 2024 NSECE will 
collect information on families with children under age 13 years, on 
ECE providers that serve families with children from birth to 13 years 
in the U.S., and on the workforce providing these services.

DATES: Comments due within 60 days of publication. In compliance with 
the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, ACF is 
soliciting public comment on the specific aspects of the information 
collection described above.

ADDRESSES: You can obtain copies of the proposed collection of 
information and submit comments by emailing 
[email protected]. Identify all requests by the title of 
the information collection.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Description: The 2024 NSECE will consist of four coordinated 
nationally-representative surveys:
    1. a survey of households with at least one resident child under 
the age of 13 (Household Interview),
    2. a survey of individuals providing care for children under the 
age of 13 in a residential setting (Home-based Provider Interview) 
including individuals appearing on state and national lists of ECE 
providers (listed) and individuals not appearing on such lists 
(unlisted),
    3. a survey of center-based ECE providers offering care for 
children aged 5 years and under, not yet in kindergarten, in a non-
residential setting (Center-based Provider Interview), and
    4. a survey conducted with individuals employed in center-based ECE 
programs working directly with children in classrooms serving children 
age 5 years and under, not yet in kindergarten (Workforce Interview).
    The household, home-based provider, and center-based provider 
surveys will require a screener to determine eligibility for the 
specific survey.
    The 2024 NSECE data collection efforts will provide urgently needed 
information about the use and supply of ECE 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 household data will include 
characteristics of households with children under age 13, such as 
parental employment status and schedules, preferences and choices of 
non-parental care, and other key factors that affect their need for and 
access to ECE. The provider data will include home-based or center-
based ECE providers (e.g., private, non-profit, Head Start-funded, 
state or local Pre-K, or based in public schools) that do or do not 
participate in the child care subsidy program, and are or are not 
regulated, registered, or otherwise appear in state or national lists. 
Accurate data on families with young children and the availability and 
characteristics of ECE providers are essential to assess the current 
and changing landscape of ECE since the 2019 NSECE data collection, and 
to provide insights to advance policy and initiatives in the ECE field. 
The two previous rounds of NSECE, collected in 2012 and 2019, produced 
critical data about providers of ECE services, the ECE workforce, and 
families' needs and use of child care throughout the U.S. that remain 
unmatched by other data sources available.
    Respondents: Households with resident children under age 13, home-
based ECE providers serving children under age 13 (listed and 
unlisted), center-based ECE providers serving children aged 5 and under 
(not yet in kindergarten), and classroom-assigned instructional staff 
(workforce) members working with children aged 5 and under (not yet in 
kindergarten) in center-based ECE programs.

                                             Annual Burden Estimates
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                                                                    Number of
                                                  Number of       responses per     Avg. burden    Total/annual
                 Instrument                      respondents       respondent      per response     burden (in
                                                 (total over       (total over      (in hours)        hours)
                                               request period)   request period)
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Household screener (screening only).........            62,758                 1              .1           6,276
Household Questionnaire (no screener).......            10,000                 1               1          10,000
Home-based Provider Screener (screening                  2,064                 1             .03              62
 only, listed home-based providers).........
Home-based Provider Questionnaire including              4,360                 1             .67           2,921
 screener (listed home-based providers).....
Home-based Provider Questionnaire, including             1,158                 1             .33             382
 screener (unlisted home-based providers)...
Center-based Provider Screener (screening               10,050                 1              .1           1,005
 only)......................................
Center-based Provider Questionnaire,                     8,392                 1             .75           6,294
 including screener.........................
Workforce (Classroom Staff) Questionnaire...             7,418                 1             .33           2,448
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    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 29,388.
    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 of 1990 as 
amended by the CCDBG Act of 2014 (Pub. L. 113-186). Social Security Act 
418 as extended by the Continuing Appropriations Act of 2017 and the 
TANF Extension Act of 2019. Section 3507 of the PRA of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 
Chapter 35.

John M. Sweet Jr.,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2023-00728 Filed 1-13-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-23-P