2021-20573. Proposed Information Collection Activity; National Survey of Early Care and Education COVID-19 Follow-Up

AGENCY:

Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, HHS.

ACTION:

Request for public comment.

SUMMARY:

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), plans to request from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) an extension to complete data collection for a two-wave COVID-19 Follow-up data collection currently underway as part of the National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE). The objective of the NSECE COVID-19 Follow-up is to document the nation's current supply of early care and education services (that is, home-based providers, center-based providers, and the center-based provider workforce). There are no changes proposed.

DATES:

Comments due within 30 days of publication. OMB must make a decision about the collection of information between 30 and 60 days after publication of this document in the Federal Register . Therefore, a comment is best assured of having its full effect if OMB receives it within 30 days of publication.

ADDRESSES:

Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting “Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments” or by using the search function.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Description: In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NSECE COVID-19 Follow-up will deepen our understanding of the state of ECE supply and the ECE workforce following the initial period of crisis, including changes in supply or departures from and re-entries to the workforce. The NSECE COVID-19 Follow-up is collecting information from center-based ECE providers to children birth through age 5 years, not yet in kindergarten, home-based ECE providers that serve children under age 13, as well as the ECE workforce providing these services. The collection consists of three coordinated nationally representative surveys:

1. A two-wave survey of individuals who provided paid care for children under the age of 13 in a residential setting as of 2019 and participated in the 2019 NSECE (Home-based Provider Interview),

2. a two-wave survey of providers of care to children ages 0 through 5 years of age (not yet in kindergarten) in a non-residential setting (Center-based Provider Interview) as of 2019 and that participated in the 2019 NSECE, and

3. a two-wave survey conducted with individuals employed in center-based child care programs working directly with children in classrooms (Center-based Classroom Staff [Workforce] Interview) as of 2019 and who participated in the 2019 NSECE.

Respondents: Home-based providers as of 2019 serving children under 13 years (listed and unlisted paid)—regardless of their status serving children in 2020-2022, center-based child care providers as of 2019 serving children ages 0 through 5 years of age (not yet in kindergarten)—regardless of their status serving children in 2020-2022, and classroom-assigned instructional staff members working with children ages 0 through 5 years of age (not yet in kindergarten) in center-based child care providers as of 2019, regardless of their employment status in 2020-2022.

Annual Burden Estimates: This request is for an extension through spring 2022.

Instrument	Number of respondents (total over request period)	Number of responses per respondent (total over request period)	Avg. burden per response (in hours)	Total burden (in hours)
Home-based Provider Interview, Wave 2—In ECE during focal week	2,025	1	0.35	709
Home-based Provider Interview, Wave 2—Not in ECE during focal week	506	1	0.25	126
Center-based Provider Interview, Wave 2 spring or fall; in ECE during focal week	3,291	1	0.38	1,251
Center-based Provider Interview, Wave 2 spring or fall; not in ECE during focal week	1,097	1	0.22	241
Center-based Provider Fall 2021 Funding Receipt Supplement	1,255	1	0.20	251
Center-based Provider Interview Wave 2 fall; Centers completing in Wave 2 spring also	1,136	1	0.29	329
(Center-based) Workforce Interview—Wave 2; In ECE during Focal Week	1,775	1	0.37	657
(Center-based) Workforce Interview—Wave 2; Not in ECE during Focal Week	874	1	0.24	210

Estimated Total Burden Hours: 3,774.

Authority: Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 1990 as amended by the CCDBG Act of 2014 (Pub. L. 113-186).

Mary B. Jones,

ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.