2013-19805. Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Title: Evaluation of the Head Start Designation Renewal System

OMB No.: New Collection.

Description: In the fall of 2011, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) significantly expanded its accountability provisions with the implementation of the Head Start Designation Renewal System (DRS). The DRS is designed to identify which Head Start and Early Head Start grantees are providing high quality, comprehensive services to the children and families in their communities. Where they are not, grantees are denied automatic renewal of their grant and must apply for continuing funding through an open competition process. Determinations are based on seven conditions designed to measure service quality, program operational quality, and fiscal and internal integrity.

The ACF is proposing to conduct an evaluation of the DRS. The purpose of the evaluation is to understand if the DRS is working as intended, as a valid, reliable, and transparent method for identifying high-quality programs that can receive continuing five-year grants without competition and as a system that encourages overall program quality improvement. It also seeks to understand how the system is working, the circumstances in which it works more or less well, and the contextual, demographic, and program factors and program actions associated with how well the system is working. The study will employ a mixed-methods design that integrates and layers administrative and secondary data sources, observational measures, and interviews to develop a rich knowledge base about what the DRS accomplishes and how it does so.

Respondents: Head Start program directors; other program managers including grantee agency directors, center directors, and education services coordinators; Head Start teachers; and members of Head Start governing bodies and local policy councils.

Annual Burden Estimates

Instrument (appendix)	Total number of respondents	Annual number of respondents	Number of responses per respondent	Average burden hours per response	Annual burden hours
Quality Measures Follow Up Interview: Teachers	560	280	1	0.4	112
Quality Measures Follow Up Interview: Center Directors	300	150	1	1.85	278
Quality Measures Follow Up Interview: Program Directors	70	35	1	1.1	39
DRS Telephone Interview: Program Directors	35	18	1	1.25	23
DRS In-Depth Interview: Agency Directors	15	8	1	1	8
DRS In-Depth Interview: Program Directors	15	8	1	1.5	12
DRS In-Depth Interview: Policy Council/Governing Body	75	38	1	1.5	57
DRS In-Depth Interview: Program Managers	45	23	1	1.5	35
Competition In-Depth Interview: Agency and Program Directors	18	9	1	1.25	12
Competition In-Depth Interview: Policy Council/Governing Body	45	23	1	1.5	35
Competition In-Depth Interview: Program Managers	27	14	1	1.5	21
Competition Data Capture Sheet	500	250	1	0.15	38

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 670.

Additional Information: Copies of the proposed collection may be obtained by writing to the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, 370 L'Enfant Promenade SW., Washington, DC 20447, Attn: OPRE Reports Clearance Officer. All requests should be identified by the title of the information collection. Email address: [e-mail].

OMB Comment: OMB is required to make a decision concerning 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. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent directly to the following: Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project, Email: [e-mail], Attn: Desk Officer for the Administration for Children and Families.

Robert Sargis,

ACF Reports Clearance Officer.