82 FR 37454 - Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 153 (August 10, 2017)

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 153 (Thursday, August 10, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37454-37456]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-16854]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

    Title: Variations in Implementation of Quality Interventions (VIQI) 
Project: Data Collection.
    OMB No.: New Collection.
    Description: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), 
Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) proposes to collect 
information as part of the Variations in Implementation of Quality 
Interventions (VIQI): Examining the Quality-Child Outcomes Relationship 
in Child Care and Early Education Project.
    The VIQI Project will inform policymakers, practitioners, and 
stakeholders about effective ways to support the quality and 
effectiveness of early care and education (ECE) centers for promoting 
young children's learning and development. In partnership with ECE 
centers across the United States that serve young children with diverse 
economic backgrounds, the VIQI Project aims to (1) identify dimensions 
of quality within ECE settings that are key levers for promoting 
children's outcomes; (2) inform what levels of quality are necessary to 
successfully support children's developmental gains; (3) identify 
drivers that facilitate and inhibit successful implementation of 
interventions aimed at strengthening quality; and (4) understand how 
these relations vary across different ECE settings, staff, and 
children. To achieve these aims, the VIQI Project will include a year-
long pilot study that will pilot up to three curricular and 
professional development models, followed by a year-long impact 
evaluation and process study that involve testing the effectiveness of 
two curricular and professional development models that aim to 
strengthen teacher practices, the quality of classroom processes, and 
children's outcomes. The study will include up to 189 community-based 
and Head Start ECE centers spread across seven different metropolitan 
areas in the United States.
    To test the effectiveness of the curricular and professional 
development models, the VIQI project will consist of a 3- or 4-group 
experimental design in the pilot study and a 3-group experimental 
design in the impact evaluation and the process study in which the 
initial quality and other characteristics of ECE centers are measured. 
The centers then will be stratified based upon select information 
collected--by setting type (e.g., Head Start and community-based ECE 
centers) and initial levels of quality--and randomly assigned to one of 
the intervention conditions where they will be offered curricular and 
professional development supports aimed at strengthening the quality of 
classroom and teacher practices, or to a business-as-usual comparison 
condition.
    In the pilot study, 24 centers in one metropolitan area will 
participate in the VIQI Project. Information about center and staff 
characteristics and classroom and teacher practices will be collected 
(1) to stratify and randomly assign centers; (2) to describe how the 
different interventions are implemented and are experienced by centers 
and teachers; and (3) to document the treatment differentials across 
research conditions. The information will then be used to adjust and to 
refine the research design and measures that will be used in the impact 
evaluation and process study.
    In the impact evaluation and process study, 165 centers in seven 
metropolitan areas will participate in the VIQI Project. Information 
about center and staff characteristics and classroom and teacher 
practices will be collected (1) to stratify and randomly assign 
centers; (2) to identify subgroups of interest; (3) to describe how the 
interventions are implemented and are experienced by

[[Page 37455]]

centers and teachers; (4) to document the treatment differentials 
across research conditions; and (5) to assess the impacts of each of 
the interventions on different dimensions of quality and teacher 
practices when compared to a business-as-usual comparison condition for 
the impact evaluation sample and separately for subgroups of interest. 
In addition, information about the background characteristics of 
families and children being served in the centers will be collected, as 
well as measures of children's skills at the beginning and end of the 
year-long impact evaluation for a subset of children in these centers. 
This information will also be used (1) to define subgroups of interest 
defined by family and child characteristics, and (2) to assess the 
impacts of each of the interventions on children's skills for the full 
impact evaluation sample and separately for subgroups of interest. 
Lastly, the information on quality, teacher practices and children's 
skills will be used in a set of analyses that will rigorously examine 
the nature of the quality-to-child outcomes relationship by exploring 
the effects of different dimensions and thresholds (or levels) of 
quality on child outcomes for the full impact evaluation sample and 
separately for subgroups of interest.
    The data collection instruments for the VIQI Project include the 
following:
    (1) Instruments for Screening and Recruitment of ECE Centers will 
be used in the pilot study, impact evaluation, and process study to 
assess ECE centers' eligibility, to inform the sampling strategy, and 
to recruit ECE centers to participate in the VIQI Project;
    (2) Baseline Instruments for the Pilot Study, Impact Evaluation, 
and Process Study will be used to collect background information about 
centers, classrooms, center staff, and families and children being 
served in the centers. All of the instruments will be administered at 
the beginning of the pilot study, impact evaluation, and process study, 
with the exception of the baseline survey administered to parents of 
children enrolled in participating ECE centers and the protocol for 
baseline assessments of children's skills at the beginning of the 
impact evaluation and process study;
    (3) Follow-Up Instruments for the Pilot Study, Impact Evaluation, 
and Process Study will be used to inform how centers, classrooms, 
teachers, and children changed and to assess the impacts of each of the 
interventions over the course of the pilot study, impact evaluation, 
and process study. All of the instruments will be administered at the 
end of the pilot study, impact evaluation, and process study, with the 
exception of the protocol for follow-up assessments of children's 
skills at the end of the impact evaluation and process study; and,
    (4) Fidelity of Implementation Instruments for Pilot Study and 
Process Study will be used to document how the curricular and 
professional development models are delivered and experienced by staff, 
to document treatment differentials across research conditions, and to 
provide context for interpreting the findings of the impact evaluation.
    Respondents: The target population of the VIQI Project will include 
staff members working in Head Start grantee and community-based child 
care oversight agencies, staff members working in 189 ECE centers in 
seven metropolitan areas across the United States, and parents and 
children being served in these centers.

                                             Annual Burden Estimates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                  Annual  number     Number of        Average
           Instrument              Total number         of         responses per   burden  hours   Annual burden
                                  of respondents    respondents     respondent     per  response       hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            Instruments for Screening and Recruitment of ECE Centers
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Landscaping protocol with                    100              33               1            1.50              50
 Stakeholder Agencies (staff
 burden in Head Start (HS)
 grantee and community-based
 child care agencies)...........
Screening protocol for phone                 110              37               1               2              74
 calls (staff burden in HS
 grantees and community-based
 child care agencies)...........
Screening protocol for phone                 280              93               1            1.20             112
 calls (HS and community-based
 child care center staff burden)
Protocol for in-person visits                488             163               1            1.50             245
 for screening and recruitment
 activities (staff burden in HS
 grantees and community-based
 child care agencies)...........
Protocol for in-person visits                760             253               1            1.20             304
 for screening and recruitment
 activities (HS and community-
 based child care center staff
 burden)........................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 Baseline Instruments for the Pilot Study, Impact Evaluation, and Process Study
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Baseline administrator survey...             236              79               1            0.60              47
Baseline coach survey...........             223              74               1            0.60              44
Baseline teacher/assistant                  1358             453               1            0.60             272
 teacher survey.................
Baseline parent/guardian                   8,568           2,856               1            0.20             571
 information form in Impact
 Evaluation only................
Baseline classroom observation               543             181               1            0.30              54
 protocol (teacher burden)......
Baseline protocol for child                 1980             660               1            0.50             330
 assessments in Impact
 Evaluation only (child burden).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   Follow-Up Instruments for Pilot Study, Impact Evaluation, and Process Study
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Follow-up administrator survey..             189              63               1            0.50              32
Follow-up coach survey..........             178              59               1            0.50              30
Follow-up teacher/assistant                 1086             362               1            0.75             272
 teacher survey.................
Teacher reports to questions                 543             181               1            0.67             121
 about children in classroom
 (administered as part of the
 follow-up teacher survey)......

[[Page 37456]]

 
Follow-up classroom observation              543             181               2            0.30             109
 protocol (teacher burden)......
Follow-up protocol for child                1980             660               1               1             660
 assessments in Impact
 Evaluation only (child burden).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Fidelity of Implementation Instruments for Pilot Study and Process Study
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coach Log.......................             117              39              55            0.25             536
Teacher/assistant teacher Log...            1086             362              36            0.25            3258
Implementation fidelity                       72              24               1            0.30               7
 observation protocol (teacher
 burden)........................
Interview/Focus group protocol               322             107               1             1.5             161
 (administrator, teacher/
 assistant teacher and coach
 burden)........................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 7,289.
    In compliance with the requirements of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Administration for Children and 
Families is soliciting public comment on the specific aspects of the 
information collection described above. Copies of the proposed 
collection of information can be obtained and comments may be forwarded 
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. Email address: 
[email protected]. All requests should be identified by 
the title of the information collection.
    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.

Mary Jones,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2017-16854 Filed 8-9-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4184-23-P