SSA - Formative Program Support GenIC - July 2021 Head Start Survey

July 2021 Head Start Survey – Transitioning to In-Person Service Delivery

Formative Data Collections for Program Support

0970-0531

Supporting Statement

Part A

July 2021

Submitted By:

Office of Head Start

Administration for Children and Families

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

4^th Floor, Mary E. Switzer Building

330 C Street, SW

Washington, D.C. 20201

A1. Necessity for the Data Collection

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Office of Head Start (OHS) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seeks approval for a Head Start periodic survey on Head Start grantee’s experiences transitioning back to in-person service delivery including program supports for families accessing benefits. This proposed information collection meets the following goals of ACF’s generic clearance for formative data collections for program support (0970-0531):

• Delivery of targeted assistance related to program implementation and grantee processes, and the development and refinement of communication systems.

• Planning for provision of programmatic or evaluation-related training and technical assistance (TTA).

Background

This request is part of an effort to collect time-sensitive information from 150 Head Start grantees on a periodic basis, at the most frequent on a quarterly basis. No survey will be identical as the information is only relevant for a short period of time; therefore this current generic information collection (GenIC) request only covers the survey to be administered on July 2021.

Periodic surveys are proposed to collect more time-sensitive data, data that is not part of normal program operations and only relevant for a short period of time, but that is also necessary to collect to improve time-sensitive targeted guidance and supports provided to Head Start grantees. The sample of respondents will constantly change to minimize burden on any single respondent. This means that the next survey (currently planned for next quarter) will contain a different set of questions and sent to a different set of respondents. The goal is to only select any individual respondent once every two years through this sampling method. Individual GenICs will be submitted for each survey.

Current Request

This current GenIC is for a survey to be administered in July 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in many Head Start Grantees transitioning to virtual service delivery. The proposed survey would collect information on barriers to returning to in-person program services. This information is only relevant while programs transition from virtual to in-person service delivery, making the collection of this information necessary at this time to inform OHS support of grantees.

Legal or Administrative Requirements that Necessitate the Collection

There are no legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection. ACF is undertaking the collection at the discretion of the agency.

A2. Purpose of Survey and Data Collection Procedures

Overview of Purpose and Approach

The purpose of the quarterly data collection is to collect timely information from grantees to improve program guidance and assistance, including TTA. Responses to the periodic survey included in this submission will help OHS to understand barriers in transitioning from virtual to in-person service delivery and program efforts to supporting families accessing time-sensitive benefits. OHS will use the information received to help inform guidance provided to grantees as part of the Head Start Forward campaign and the OHS Investing into Families initiatives which includes a collection of webinars, issuing guidance on programmatic areas, and the development of resources to support grantees during the upcoming program year as they transition to in-person services. This information could also inform where regional offices focus efforts in supporting grantees as they transition to in-person services.

Data Collection Effort and Questions

This GenIC includes one survey: July 2021 Head Start Survey – Transitioning to In-Person Service Delivery. The survey requests basic information about the respondents’ agency, barriers to providing in-person services, and program supports for families to access certain benefits.

Design

This survey will be administered to a random sample of 200 grantees for a total of 150 respondents. Grantees will be sent a link to a web-based survey and asked to complete the survey within two weeks. The survey link will be sent through the correspondence functionality of the Head Start Enterprise System (HSES). Grantees are familiar with this system and have received requests to respond to data collections through this feature in the past. If necessary, a follow-up notice will be sent to increase the response rate. Grantees that have questions about the survey are able to contact their regional office.

The next periodic survey requested for approval (possibly next quarter) will contain a different set of questions and sent to a different set of respondents. The goal is for each respondent to only be selected to respond to the periodic survey once every two years through this sampling method.

A3. Improved Information Technology to Reduce Burden

OHS will leverage the Head Start Enterprise System (HSES) which grantees are already familiar with and use regularly. This system will be used to send a link to a web-based survey.

A4. Efforts to Identify Duplication

None of this information is available from another source, especially considering that the information collected is time-sensitive and not part of regular operations. As such, no duplicate responses of existing information collections are expected.

A5. Involvement of Small Organizations

Not applicable. No impact to small organizations expected.

A6. Consequences of Less Frequent Data Collection

Not applicable. This information will only be collected once from this set of respondents.

A7. Special Circumstances

There are no special circumstances for the proposed data collection efforts.

A8. Federal Register Notice and Consultation

Federal Register Notice and Comments

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations at 5 CFR Part 1320 (60 FR 44978, August 29, 1995), ACF published a notice in the Federal Register announcing the agency’s intention to request an OMB review of the overarching generic clearance for formative information collection. This notice was published on October 13, 2020, Volume 85, Number 198 page 64480, and provided a sixty-day period for public comment. During the notice and comment periods, no substantive comments were received.

Consultation with Experts Outside of the Study

Not applicable as this is not a research study.

A9. Incentives for Respondents

No incentives for respondents are proposed for this information collection.

A10. Privacy of Respondents

Information collected will be kept private to the extent permitted by law. Respondents will be informed of all planned uses of data, that their participation is voluntary, and that their information will be kept private to the extent permitted by law.

A11. Sensitive Questions

There are no sensitive questions in this data collection.

A12. Estimation of Information Collection Burden

Total Burden Requested Under this Information Collection

Instrument	Number of Respondents	Number of Responses Per Respondent	Average Burden Hours Per Response	Annual Burden Hours	Average Hourly Wage	Total Annual Cost
July 2021 Head Start Survey – Transitioning to In-Person Service Delivery	150	1	0.167	25	$47.26	$1,181.50
Estimated Annual Burden Total				25

Total Annual Cost

The total annual cost is estimated at $1,181.50. This is based on median hourly wage of preschool education administrators from BLS job code 11-9031 (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes119031.htm, May 2020) at $23.63 per hours for 25 total hours. The hourly rate is multiplied by two to account for fringe benefits and overhead. The estimate of annualized cost to respondents for hour burden is $47.26 times 25 or $1,181.50.

A13. Cost Burden to Respondents or Record Keepers

There are no additional costs to respondents.

A14. Estimate of Cost to the Federal Government

The total cost for the data collection activities under this current request will be $1,000.Federal staff costs are estimated to be about 10 hours of the time of a Program Specialist (GS-14) to oversee the activities of this data collection including analysis and reporting for internal use.

A15. Change in Burden

This is for an individual information collection under the umbrella formative generic clearance for program support (0970-0531).

A16. Plan and Time Schedule for Information Collection, Tabulation and Publication

The data is only intended for internal use only and no publications are expected as a result of this data collection.

A17. Reasons Not to Display OMB Expiration Date

All instruments will display the expiration date for OMB approval.

A18. Exceptions to Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions

No exceptions are necessary for this information collection.

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