[Federal Register: February 3, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 23)]
[Notices]
[Page 5853-5854]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr03fe06-69]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request
Proposed Projects
Title: Follow-Up Study of Issues Affecting the Duration of Child
Care Subsidy Use.
OMB No.: New Collection.
Description: Child care subsidies provide an important benefit to
low-income working families, offering them increased access to forms of
child care that would otherwise be beyond their means. However, recent
research suggests that, for many families, this benefit may be short-
lived or unstable. There are many possible explanations for these
patterns, and the explanations may be different for different types of
families.
Recognizing that information about the reasons for short subsidy
duration would be helpful to States, the Child Care Bureau has funded
Abt Associates Inc. to conduct a two-State investigative study on the
duration and use of child care subsidies. This study will, in the short
term, provide States with information to shape or modify their child
care subsidy procedures. In addition, the study will generate
hypotheses that could be systematically tested in later research.
The study will examine the use of child care subsidies by 840
families in Illinois and 840 in Oregon. In each State, the sample will
be a representative sample of current Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families (TANF) families and non-TANF families--all of whom apply and
are approved for subsidies and who use them for at least one month.
Families will be contacted by telephone approximately nine months after
they began using subsidies and will be asked to participate in the
study. If they agree, a 45-minute telephone interview will
[[Page 5854]]
ensue immediately or will be scheduled. It is expected that, after the
nine months, over half of the families will no longer be using
subsidies. Patterns of subsidy use prior to and during the study period
will be tracked through State administrative data.
The parent telephone interview will include questions about
parents' employment, subsidy status and experience, child care usage,
and changes in household composition over the nine-month period.
Although the analyses will rely heavily on identification of trigger
events, the survey will include questions about other less tangible
considerations that may have influenced the duration of parents'
subsidy use. Telephone interviews will be conducted using Computer-
Assisted-Telephone Interviewing (CATI). Responses are voluntary and
confidential.
The study will also analyze State administrative data on all
families who are approved for subsidies during the recruitment period
for the study. This will allow the researchers to assess the
generalizability of the smaller sample of families recruited for the
study.
No existing data sources can provide all the information needed to
complete the Follow-Up Study of Issues Affecting the Duration of Child
Care Subsidy Use. These data will help the Child Care Bureau and States
to better understand reasons for short child care subsidy duration.
Annual Burden Estimates
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Average burden
Number of Number or hours per Total burden
Instrument respondents responses per response hours
respondent (hours)
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Illinois parent survey.......................... 840 1 .75 630
Oregon parent survey............................ 840 1 .75 630
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Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours:........ .............. .............. .............. 1,260
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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: infocollection@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 sue 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: January 30, 2006.
Robert Sargis,
Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 06-1011 Filed 2-2-06; 8:45am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-M