NonSub Change Request: SCOPE Center Director Survey and Survey Recruitment Materials

To: Jordan Cohen

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA)

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

From: Wendy DeCourcey and Tracy Carter Clopet

Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE)

Administration for Children and Families (ACF)

Date: September 7, 2021

Subject: Nonsubstantive Change Request – Study of Coaching Practices in Early Care and Education Settings (OMB #0970-0515)

This memo requests approval of nonsubstantive changes to the approved information collection, Study of Coaching Practices in Early Care and Education Settings (SCOPE) (OMB #0970- 0515).

Background

We received approval on July 12, 2021 for a reinstatement with changes to conduct follow up data collection with respondents to a previously approved data collection to effort. This descriptive study aims to examine the extent to which coaching, and professional development more broadly, have supported early care and education (ECE) settings in providing care for children and families as the COVID-19 pandemic has progressed. The information collection is using web-based surveys and qualitative interviews with ECE coaches, center directors, and family child care (FCC) providers. The sample frame is comprised of respondents to SCOPE web-based surveys in 2019 (OMB# 0970-0515).

We began to implement the web-based surveys upon receiving OMB approval. Some of the centers in the SCOPE sample have been closed for a summer break. We are requesting nonsubstantive changes to one study instrument and selected recruitment materials to account for the summer break, which will help center directors appropriately answer survey questions so they are not prematurely routed out of the survey and so they focus on the appropriate timeframe when responding. We would also like to send out a reminder postcard to all nonrespondents to increase responses.

Overview of Requested Changes

We are requesting nonsubstantive changes to the following materials (updated materials accompany this memo):

• Instrument 2 – Center Director Survey

  • We propose to add instructions to a subset of questions to help center directors account for summer break closures when responding.

• Appendix B1 Survey Recruitment Materials:

  • We propose to add wording that will alert center directors that there are special instructions about how to account for summer break closures when answering some of the survey questions. In the reminder call script, we also corrected routing instructions in a few spots for clarity. Updates were made to the following:

    • 2b1. SURVEY INVITATION EMAIL – 2019 RESPONDENT

    • 2b2. SURVEY INVITATION EMAIL – NEW RESPONDENT

    • 4. SURVEY REMINDER CALL (ALL RESPONDENTS) AND NEW CENTER DIRECTOR RECRUITMENT SCRIPT

    • Added a new reminder postcard to the survey recruitment materials (5. SCOPE REMINDER POSTCARD). This reminder postcard uses language similar to that found in the previously-approved reminder emails.

Time Sensitivities

The centers that were closed for the summer began opening at the end of August and we aim to send surveys to these centers as soon as possible.