[Federal Register: February 14, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 29)]
[Notices]
[Page 7507-7508]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14fe05-59]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request
Title: Head Start National Training and Technical Assistance System
Quality Assurance Study.
OMB No: New collection.
Description: The Head Start National Training and Technical
Assistance Quality Assurance Study is being undertaken to document and
provide feedback on the work of the newly designed Head Start Training
and Technical Assistance (T/TA) system. The Head Start Bureau awarded
this contract to Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., and its
subcontractor, Xtria LLC, in October 2004.
Providing training and technical assistance has long been a crucial
component of the national-regional Head Start system. Through the new
T/TA system, however, the Head Start Bureau has placed greater emphasis
on quality and consistency of T/TA service delivery. Under the new T/TA
system, the Head Start Bureau's T/TA Branch annually sets national
priorities. Regional Office T/TA liaisons oversee the system's 12
contracts, awarded in December 2003, which include locally based
content experts in the areas of disabilities, early literacy, child
development, fiscal administration and management, health, and family
and community partnerships. These content experts support locally based
TA specialists (TAS), who work with a caseload of 10 to 12 programs to
develop T/TA training plans based on each grantee's self-assessment and
the results from the Program Review Instrument for Systems Monitoring
(PRISM) process. National contractors provide training and other
resources according to priorities determined by the Head Start Bureau
and in line with Administration initiatives. Programs can also use
their special T/TA grant funds and, when necessary, additional funds
from their basic Head Start grant funds to hire consultants or attend
training events.
In addition, through Higher Education Grants, universities provide
coursework to meet Head Start staff's credentialing needs in
partnership with Head Start programs. The Higher Education grantees
(HEGs) are organized into three consortia, representing Historically
Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities and
Hispanic/Latino-serving institutions.
For the regional Head Start system, the Quality Assurance Study
will assess (1) each Head Start region's implementation and structure
of the new system, (2) regional T/TA strategies and services provided
to grantees, (3) grantees' progress in assessing T/TA needs and
identifying appropriate ways to meet those needs, (4) grantees' annual
T/TA plans, and (5) grantees' perceptions about the system's impact on
program quality and child outcomes. The study also will analyze whether
the HEGs meet their goal of increasing the early childhood credentials
of Head Start staff and teachers. In 2005, the study will collect
information about the delivery of T/TA services to Head Start and Early
Head Start programs through site visits to 48 representative programs
(about 4 per region) and site visits to 15 HEGs (5 of each of the 3
types of HEGs). In 2006, the study will visit 36 of the 48
representative Head Start and Early Head Start programs to learn about
changes in the T/TA system. All data collection activities have been
designed to minimize the burden on respondents by minimizing the time
required to respond. Participation in the study is voluntary.
The research will provide the Head Start Bureau and the
Administration for Children and Families with information about
exemplary practices as well as areas in the T/TA system that could be
improved.
Respondents: Early Head Start and Head Start directors,
coordinators, specialists, center administrators, teachers and home
visitors; locally based TA specialists; university-based HEG project
directors, university faculty, Head Start program administrators, and
Head Start program staff and teachers.
Estimated Response Burden for Respondents for the Head Start T/TA Quality Assurance Study
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Number of Average burden
Instrument Number of responses per per response Total burden
respondents respondent (hours) (hours)
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Program Site Visit Protocols (2005)
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Director........................................ 48 1 1.5 72
Coordinator/Specialist (group).................. 144 1 1.25 180
Center Administrator (group).................... 288 1 1.25 360
Teacher/Home Visitor (group).................... 480 1 1.25 600
Locally Based TA Specialist..................... 48 1 1.5 72
Program Reviews a............................... 48 1 .5 24
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HEG Site Visit Protocols (2005)
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HEG Project Director/Coordinator................ 15 1 1.5 22.5
HEG Staff/Faculty (group)....................... 45 1 1 45
HS Director..................................... 30 1 1 30
HS Staff (group)................................ 60 1 1 60
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Total for 2005.............................. .............. .............. .............. 1,465.5
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Grantee Site Visit Protocols (2006)
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Director........................................ 36 1 1.5 54
Coordinator/Specialist (group).................. 108 1 1.25 135
[[Page 7508]]
Center Administrator (group).................... 216 1 1.25 270
Teacher/Home Visitor (group).................... 360 1 1.25 450
Locally Based TA Specialist..................... 36 1 1.5 54
Program Reviews a............................... 36 1 .5 18
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Total for 2006.............................. .............. .............. .............. 981
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Total for 2005 and 2006................. .............. .............. .............. 2,446.5
Estimated Average Burden Hours.................. .............. .............. .............. 1,223.25
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a These reviews will be conducted with the locally based TA specialists.
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
Administration, Office of Information Services, 370 L'Enfant Promenade,
SW., Washington, DC 20447, Attn: ACF Reports Clearance Officer. E-mail
address: grjohnson@acf.hhs.gov. 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.
Dated: February 4, 2005.
Robert Sargis,
Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 05-2744 Filed 2-11-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-M