Part A Updated 5.26.11

Tracking of Participants in the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project (EHSREP)

Supporting Statement Part A for OMB Approval

January 2010

A1. Necessity of Information Collection

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) requests a one year clearance from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for the Tracking of Participants in the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project. This request will take the form of a new OMB number, although it is related to work completed under expired OMB number 0970-0143.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) will conduct tracking of children/families who participated in the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project (EHSREP). The purpose of tracking these participants is to maintain up-to-date contact information for the children/families in the event that the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) determines that a future follow-up to the EHSREP will take place.

This information collection is necessary to prevent unacceptable attrition of the sample and maximize response rates if the decision is made to follow the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project (EHSREP) sample through high school.

A2. Purpose and Use of Information

The EHSREP is a longitudinal study designed to meet the requirement in the 1994 Head Start reauthorization (continued in the 1998 reauthorization) for a national evaluation of the new infant-toddler program. 3001 children and families in 17 sites were randomly assigned either to the program group (allowed to enroll in EHS), or to the control group (precluded from enrolling in EHS, although they could receive other services in the community). Child and family assessments were conducted when children were 14 months old, 24 months old, 36 months old, in the spring prior to kindergarten entry, and again in the spring of the sixth year of formal schooling (5^th grade for most children).

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) will use this updated contact information in any future EHSREP data collection. The purpose of tracking these participants is to maintain up-to-date contact information for the children/families in the event that the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) determines that a future follow-up to the EHSREP will take place.

If the decision is made to follow the sample through high school, it is important to maintain contact with the participants so that response rates at follow-up points will be maximized. The success that the contractor has in contacting the sample members will be taken into consideration in the decision whether to pursue further follow up. It is hoped that this strenuous effort in location and tracking will re-establish contact with participants who were not reached in the fifth grade data collection wave. Note that only those families who participated in at least one previous round of data collection will be contacted, N=2700. Telephone interviews will be conducted in order to update the respondent's location and contact information. This information will be collected from parents or guardians in the spring of 2011.

A3. Technological Collection Techniques

The survey vendor will collect the updated contact information via a mixed-mode data collection strategy that includes a mailed survey and an Internet survey followed by a telephone survey and in person interviews. Computer-Assisted-Telephone-Interviewing (CATI) will be used for participants who do not respond to requests to complete the mail survey or the Internet survey.

A4. Identifying Duplication

Participants’ contact information was last updated in 2007 for 55% of the sample, and earlier for the remaining 45% of the sample. There is no other effort to update this information at this time.

A5. Impact on Small Businesses

The participants are children and their parents or guardians. The data collection should not impact small businesses or any other small entities.

A6. Consequences of Less Frequent Data Collection

If the decision is made to follow the EHSREP sample through high school, it is important to maintain contact with the participants so that response rates at follow-up points will be maximized and will not further deteriorate. Less frequent collection of updated contact information may result in unacceptable sample attrition and lower response rates.

A7. Special Circumstances

None of the special circumstances described on OMB Form 83-I are applicable.

A8. Federal Register Notice

The first Federal Register notice was published in the Federal Register, Volume 75, Page 67376 on November 2, 2010. No public comments were received during the 60 days following that announcement.

A9. Respondent Payments

A respondent incentive of $10 will be given to participants who complete the contact information update survey. The purpose is to provide an incentive to participants to complete the survey.

A10. Assurance of Confidentiality

Individuals contacted as part of this data collection will be assured of the privacy of their replies to the fullest extent of the law under 42 U.S.C. 1306, 20 CFR 401 and 422, 5 U.S.C. 552 (Freedom of Information Act), 5 U.S.C. 552a (Privacy Act of 1974), and OMB Circular A-130.

A11. Sensitive Questions

The survey does not include any questions of a sensitive nature.

A12. Burden of Information Collected

Exhibit 1 shows the estimated annual burden hours for the respondents’ time to participate in this contact data collection. The estimated response time of .25 hours for a respondent to complete the survey is based on the length of the survey and the survey vendors experience with surveys of a similar length. As indicted below, the total burden hours are estimated to be 685 hours.

Exhibit 1. Annual Burden Estimated Hours

Instrument	Number of Respondents	Number of Responses per Respondent	Average Burden Hours of Response	Hours	Average Hourly Wage Rate*	Total Cost Burden
Tracking Survey	2,700	1	.25	675	$19.56	$13, 203
3rd Party Contacts	200	1	.05	10	$19.56	$196
Total				685		$13,399

*Based upon the average wages, “National Compensation Survey: Occupational Wages in the United States, May 2007,” U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

A13. Capital Costs

We have no capital costs.

A14. Cost to the Federal Government

The total cost for this data collection is $667,209.

A15. Program Changes or Adjustments

This is a new collection. The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) requests a one year clearance from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for the Tracking of Participants in the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project. This request will take the form of a new OMB number, although it is related to work completed under expired OMB number 0970-0143.

A16. Tabulation and Publication of Results

No publications are planned for this project. The data collection contractor will prepare for the government a summary of results, final response rate, and deliver a final data file containing final status of each case and an indicator of mode of completion.

A17. Display of OMB Expiration Date

The expiration date for OMB approval of this information collection will be displayed on the survey.

A18. Exceptions to the Certification Statement

There are no exceptions to the certification statement identified in item 19 of OMB Form 83-I associated with this data collection effort.

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