[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 197 (Thursday, October 10, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 82245-82246]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-23479]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Proposed Information Collection Activity; Financing for Early 
Care and Education: Quality and Access for All-Case Studies (New 
Collection)

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) at the U.S. 
Department of Health and Human Services seeks approval to collect 
information to deepen our understanding of Head Start programs' funding 
approaches, as well as how the use of multiple funding sources within a 
single Head Start program may be associated with the delivery of Head 
Start's comprehensive services and early care and education (ECE) 
funding landscapes within states. Interviews will be conducted with 
Head Start staff, as well as state and local/regional staff 
knowledgeable about and/or directly responsible for ECE financial 
decision making and/or funding source administration. Existing 
documents from Head Start programs and ECE agencies will also be 
reviewed to further contextualize interview data.

[[Page 82246]]


DATES: Comments due December 9, 2024. 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: You can obtain copies of the proposed collection of 
information and submit comments by emailing 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#baf5eae8ffd3d4dcd5d9d5d6d6dfd9ced3d5d4fadbd9dc94d2d2c994ddd5cc"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b4fbe4e6f1dddad2dbd7dbd8d8d1d7c0dddbdaf4d5d7d29adcdcc79ad3dbc2">[email protected]</span></a>. Identify all requests by the title of 
the information collection.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Description: The proposed data collection builds upon prior survey 
work (Office of Management and Budget (OMB) #0970-0623) and seeks to 
better understand Head Start programs' use of multiple funding sources 
to support high-quality programming, as well as the state and local/
regional policy contexts that influence their decision making. The data 
collection effort will consist of two studies: Study 1 will focus on 
coordination, or lack thereof, between the state level and the Head 
Start program level; Study 2 will focus on coordination, or lack 
thereof, between the local level (region/county, city/municipality) and 
the Head Start program level. To capture the diversity of state ECE 
funding landscapes, both studies will examine coordination within: (A) 
states that combine ECE funding sources at the state level and (B) 
states that do not combine ECE funding sources at the state level.
    Studies 1 and 2 will both include semi-structured interviews with 
staff within Head Start programs and state government agencies, and 
Study 2 will also include interviews with staff within local/regional 
coordinating entities (LCEs). The interviews will probe on approaches 
to using multiple funding sources at state, local/regional, and Head 
Start program levels, including how Head Start programs use multiple 
funding sources to support high-quality programming, how Head Start 
program funding approaches are shaped by system-level approaches and 
structures, and the implications of using multiple funding sources for 
access, quality, and equity in ECE programming. Because of slight 
differences in the ECE funding landscape across states that do and do 
not combine funding at the state level, different interview protocols 
have been created within each study for state agency staff in states 
that do combine funding at the state level and staff in states that do 
not combine funding at the state level. Similarly, separate protocols 
were created for use in Head Start programs that do or do not use 
multiple funding sources. There is a single interview protocol for 
staff of LCEs with statutorily defined ECE financing authority.
    Interviewers will also request and collect existing policy and/or 
budget-related documentation that may further contextualize respondent 
accounts and perspectives.
    The resulting insights will inform ACF about the implementation of 
different funding models supporting Head Start programs, the 
facilitators that support and challenges that deter the use of multiple 
funding sources, and potential associations with program quality.
    Respondents: Head Start program staff, State ECE staff, local/
regional coordinating entity staff.

                                             Annual Burden Estimates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                        Number of
                                     Number of        responses per    Average  burden     Total        Annual
           Instrument               respondents         respondent      per  response   burden  (in  burden  (in
                                    (total over        (total over        (in hours)       hours)       hours)
                                  request period)    request period)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Final Recruitment Script--Head                  86                  1               .5           43         21.5
 Start Staff...................
Final Recruitment Script--Local/                42                  1               .5           21         10.5
 Regional Staff................
Final Recruitment Script--State                 56                  1               .5           28           14
 ECE Agency Staff..............
Study 1--Head Start Program                     16                  1              1.5           24           12
 Staff Interview Guide--
 programs that use multiple
 funding sources...............
Study 1--Head Start Program                     16                  1              1.5           24           12
 Staff Interview Guide--
 programs that do not use
 multiple funding sources......
Study 1--State ECE Agency Staff                  6                  1              1.5            9          4.5
 Interview Guide--states that
 combine funding at the state
 level.........................
Study 1--State ECE Agency Staff                  6                  1              1.5            9          4.5
 Interview Guide--states that
 do not combine funding at the
 state level...................
Study 2--Head Start Program                     16                  1              1.5           24           12
 Staff Interview Guide--
 programs that use multiple
 funding sources and are in
 states that have LCEs.........
Study 2--Head Start Program                     16                  1              1.5           24           12
 Staff Interview Guide programs
 that do not use multiple
 funding sources and are in
 states that have LCEs.........
Study 2--Local Coordinating                     24                  1              1.5           36           18
 Entity Staff Interview Guide
 for states with LCEs..........
Study 2--State ECE Agency Staff                 12                  1              1.5           18            9
 Interview Guide--states that
 combine funding at the state
 level and have LCEs...........
Study 2--State ECE Agency Staff                 12                  1              1.5           18            9
 Interview Guide--states that
 do not combine funds at the
 state level and have LCEs.....
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 139 hours.
    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. 9835; 42 U.S.C. 9844.

Mary C. Jones,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024-23479 Filed 10-9-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-22-P


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