CYFAR Supp Stmt A-2023

National Institute of Food and Agriculture

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Children, Youth, and Families at Risk (CYFAR) Year End Report

OMB No. 0524-0043

This is a substantial revision to the previous package because of an increased understanding of the complex nature and implementation of the information collection. This supporting statement provides an expanded description of the collection’s rationale, procedure, and burden calculations.

A. JUSTIFICATION

1. CIRCUMSTANCES MAKING COLLECTION OF INFORMATION NECESSARY

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) administers grants that support the Children, Youth, and Families at Risk (CYFAR) Sustainable Communities Project (SCP). Funding for this program is authorized under section 3(d) of the Smith-Lever Act (7 U.S.C. 341 et seq.), CYFAR funding supports community-based programs (also known as “extension programs”) which serve children, youth, and families in at-risk environments. CYFAR funds are intended to support the development of high quality, effective programs based on research.

Authorizing legislation requires NIFA to document and report on the impact and effectiveness of these programs. In order to meet these reporting requirements, NIFA created the CYFAR Year End Report. The questions included in this report are designed to evaluate the impact of CYFAR extension programs on recipient resiliency, life skills, and program quality. NIFA utilizes this information collection to evaluate the effectiveness of CYFAR programs. It is available on the NIFA CYFAR website and is provided in response to requests for information from Congress and other stakeholders.

The CYFAR surveys are distributed and analyzed by a specialist grantee under the Children, Youth, and Families at Risk Professional Development and Technical Assistance Program (PDTA). The PDTA grant is awarded competitively to one applicant, every four years, though the grantee must submit documentation in support of grant continuation on an annual basis. As part of grant objectives, the PDTA grantee has a variety of duties related to programming, evaluation, and technical assistance. Survey distribution and data analysis are required activities in the PDTA grant request for applications. The PDTA must develop the CYFAR Annual Report based on SCP outcomes, develop and maintain data collection for the CYFAR Annual Reporting System, create and maintain an updated reporting system, create or use an existing system of common measures (tools, surveys, instruments) to evaluate CYFAR national outcomes, and more. The CYFAR National Program Leader at NIFA works closely with the PDTA, who in turn works closely with the Sustainable Communities Project (SCP) grantees.

2. HOW, BY WHOM, AND PURPOSE FOR WHICH INFORMATION IS TO BE USED

The purpose of CYFAR SCP funding is to improve the quality and quantity of comprehensive community-based programs for at-risk children, youth, and families supported by the Cooperative Extension System. Collaboration across disciplines, program areas, and geographic lines, as well as a holistic approach that views the individual in the context of the family and community, are central to Sustainable Community Projects. CYFAR grants are awarded only to 1862, 1890, and 1994 Land Grant institutions through a competitive application process. Awards are made annually, for five year terms. There are up to 50 grantees at any given time.

CYFAR SCP grantees collect responses to the CYFAR questionnaires directly from participants in CYFAR-funded extension programs and from SCP program staff. SCP grantees compile the responses and submit them via a secure web portal found at https://suite.cyfar.org/. NIFA and the CYFAR PDTA review the data submitted by SCP grantees and provide feedback on the quality of the data, to ensure datasets are as complete and accurate as possible.

The data from the CYFAR SCP surveys are used in a variety of ways, due to the variety of surveys and their purposes. The more minor surveys are those conducted on CYFAR SCP grantee staff to evaluate the sustainability of the program beyond the term of the grant and to evaluate the effectiveness of the program coaches provided as part of the technical assistance of the CYFAR PDTA grantee. The sustainability survey data are used to foster discussions between the CYFAR PDTA coach and the SCPs while the coach survey data are used internally by the PDTA for program improvement.

The bulk of the surveys conducted by the CYFAR SCP grantees are those comprised of questions for program participants to evaluate program quality as well as any impacts on participant resiliency and life skills. The data from the participant surveys is primarily aggregated into the CYFAR Year End Report, though there are other publications created from the data (e.g. CYFAR Youth Common Measures 2022 Report, CYFAR Return on Investment Study, and the many outcome reports shown on the USDA NIFA CYFAR page under “Program Specific Resources.”) The pre- and post- survey analysis style allows for a paired comparison of participant responses from before and after implementation of the CYFAR SCP programming. This means that researchers can determine things like “5% of projects resulted in participants’ growth in knowledge and interest around STEM subjects” and “65% of food- and nutrition-related projects specifically reported youths’ expanded knowledge about proper nutrition.”

The purpose of the CYFAR Year End Report is to collate the demographic and impact data from each community site in order to evaluate the impact of the programs on intended audiences. CYFAR grants represent a Federal financial investment and the data collected allows NIFA to gauge the benefits achieved from these investments. The CYFAR Year End Report tells the story of each of the CYFAR SCP grantees and is part of the information used to determine whether grantees have performed adequately in the past year to receive a continuation of funding. The most current report is the 2021 CYFAR Year End Report.

3. USE OF IMPROVED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES

All CYFAR data are collected electronically via an on-line reporting system. The electronic reporting and feedback system is designed to improve efficiency and ease of online reporting. The system automatically populates some fields, which reduces the total amount of time needed to complete the forms. All reports are approved at state and federal levels before the data are entered into the database.

4. EFFORTS TO IDENTIFY DUPLICATION

No duplication is involved. There is no similar information available which can be used or modified to meet the information needs of this program. The information requested is specific to the CYFAR program. NIFA has evaluated the forms included in this collection and has eliminated redundant and repetitive questions.

5. METHODS TO MINIMIZE BUDGET OF SMALL BUSINESSES OR ENTITIES

CYFAR programs do not impact any small businesses. The respondents do not include any small business, as small businesses are not eligible for CYFAR funding.

6. CONSEQUENCE IF INFORMATION COLLECTION WERE LESS FREQUENT

If NIFA were unable to collect these data, then the USDA CYFAR program would be unable to ensure program requirements are being met during the life of the Funding Agreement. NIFA would not be able to verify if CYFAR programs are reaching the at-risk, low-income audiences specified in the authorizing legislation. NIFA would also not be able to assess the impact of the CYFAR programs or the cost effectiveness of $8,395,000 annual funding in Fiscal Year 2023. The immediate need is to provide a means for satisfying accountability requirements – what is being done with the money provided. The long-term objective is to provide a means to enable the evaluation and assessment of the effectiveness of programs receiving federal funds and to fully satisfy requirements of recent performance and accountability legislation; i.e., GPRA, the FAIR Act, and AREERA. The collection occurs annually, and less frequent collection would hamper the validity of statistical analysis.

7. SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES FOR INFORMATION COLLECTION

□ Requiring respondents to report information to the agency more often than quarterly:

The agency does not require respondents to report information more often than quarterly.

□ Requiring respondents to prepare a written response to a collection of information in fewer than 30 days after receipt:

No respondents are required to respond in fewer than 30 days.

□ Requiring respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any document:

Respondents are not required to submit more than an original and two copies.

□ Requiring respondents to retain records, other than health, medical, government contract, grant-in-aid, or tax records for more than three years:

No respondents are required to retain records outside of normal business practice for grants.

□ In connection with a statistical survey, that is not designed to produce valid and reliable results that can be generalized to the universe of study:

This information collection does not include a statistical survey.

□ Requiring the use of a statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved by OMB:

This information collection does not require the use of statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved by OMB.

□ That includes a pledge of confidentiality that is not supported by authority established in statute or regulation, that is not supported by disclosure and data security policies that are consistent with the pledge, or which unnecessarily impedes sharing of data with other agencies for compatible confidential use:

This information collection does not require a pledge of confidentiality.

□ Requiring respondents to submit proprietary trade secret, or other confidential information unless the agency can demonstrate that it has instituted procedures to protect the information’s confidentiality to the extent permitted by law:

This information collection does not require respondents to submit proprietary trade secret, or other confidential information.

8. FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE

The notice of this currently approved information collection appeared in the Federal Register on Thursday, July 13, 2023, Vol. 88, No. 133 (88 FR 44776). There were no comments.

CONSULTATIONS WITH PERSONS OUTSIDE THE AGENCY

NIFA sought consultation outside the agency with the following individuals:

Dr. Mark Schure

Assistant Professor, Department of Health and Human Development

Montana State University
CYFAR SCP Principal Investigator (current)

Email: Mark.Schure@montana.edu

Dr. Rukeia Draw-Hood

Program Leader, 4-H Youth Development Cooperative Extension Program

Prairie View A&M University
CYFAR SCP Principal Investigator (current)

Email: rdraw-hood@pvamu.edu

Diana Urieta, MSW

Co-Developer, Senior Director, Extension Specialist of Juntos

North Carolina State University

CYFAR SCP Principal Investigator (until 8-31-23)

Email: dmurieta@ncsu.edu

Dr. Jeongeun Lee

Assistant Professor, Human Development and Family Studies

Iowa State University

CYFAR SCP Principal Investigator (current)

Email: jel@iastate.edu

Stakeholders provided information related to time needed to complete the collection and they made comments regarding the relevancy or clarity of some of the questions. Most of the stakeholders commented that the questions were clear and there were little to no problems responding. The few comments on the relevancy of the questions or the length of the survey will be evaluated alongside a review of the validity of the survey questions. The PDTA grantee is responsible for selecting and validating the survey questions. The PDTA periodically performs an analysis to determine if the questions are actually measuring the desired outcomes in the at-risk populations of CYFAR grantees. The frequency of this analysis is dependent upon amassing an adequate number of data points. The questions were initially selected for their validity and reliability in other published studies and populations, to the extent possible with available data.

9. DECISION TO PROVIDE ANY PAYMENT OR GIFT TO RESPONDENTS, OTHER THAN REMUNERATION OF CONTRACTORS OR GRANTEES

The agency does not provide payment or gifts to respondents, other than remuneration of contractors or grantees.

10. CONFIDENTIALITY PROVIDED TO RESPONDENTS

Survey data are entered into either Survey Builder database or into Qualtrics (web-based programs), dependent on the survey audience (program participants vs program staff, respectively). Surveys of program participants may be completed on paper and then entered into to the website by program staff or participants may access the website directly to answer survey questions. Surveys of program staff are performed directly in the website.

CYFAR collects de-identified quantitative survey data uploaded by grantees, meaning all data are stripped of personal information and coded with a unique identifier provided by the grantee. Neither NIFA nor the PDTA will be able to trace data back to specific individuals and will not be able to identify individual persons based on the data submitted. The unique identifier is generated as follows:

Data are stored in a secure location at the offices of the PDTA on a secure server. All data are sent and stored in CYFAR-specific website (CYFAR suite). These servers are protected by high-end firewall systems, and vulnerability scans are performed regularly. Complete penetration tests are performed yearly. All services have quick failover points with redundant hardware, and complete backups are performed nightly. All data at rest are encrypted, and data on deprecated hard drives are destroyed by U.S. DOD methods and delivered to a third-party data destruction service.

Privacy information collected as a part of this information collection is covered by the USDA/NIFA-1 Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Systems of Record Notice (SORN), 83 FR 10423, March 9, 2018.

11. QUESTIONS OF A SENSITIVE NATURE

The Children, Youth, and Families at Risk (CYFAR) program provides funds to grantees to develop and deliver educational programs to youth who are at risk for not meeting basic human needs (e.g., dealing with issues of homelessness, poverty, hunger). The goal of the program is to equip these youth with the skills they need to lead positive, productive, and contributing lives. CYFAR SCP grantees must survey their program participants to determine whether their programs are of high quality and effective in improving resiliency and life skills. Children, youth, teens, and adults are asked questions that may be considered sensitive because they relate to home life, family relationships, and food security. To select appropriate and valid measures of resiliency, life skills, and program quality, NIFA relies on the support of a unique Professional Development and Technical Assistance (PDTA) grantee to evaluate the success and effectiveness of the CYFAR program. The PDTA grant must be applied for every 4 years, which means that the survey may change as the PDTA grantee changes.

The survey questions for program quality, life skills, and resiliency (called “common measures”) are included in the supporting CYFAR website screenshots. The “resiliency” measures may be the most sensitive, but the PDTA and NIFA determined resiliency to be a critical measure of the effectiveness of the CYFAR program. Resiliency focuses on how people succeed despite challenges in their environments; programs that promote resiliency provide skills and supports that will help youth navigate and succeed when subjected to challenging circumstances. Life skills questions address how participants solve problems and interact with others. Program quality questions focus on whether the CYFAR-funded programming was of high quality (e.g. did participants feel that they were encouraged to be leaders).

CYFAR SCP grantees are required to obtain approval from their respective Institutional Review Board(s) to ensure the research is performed in an ethical and safe manner and that data privacy is maintained. While all SCP grantees must conduct the surveys, program participants are not required to respond to the questions in order to participate. The CYFAR PDTA grantee provides a number of resources and trainings on how to conduct program evaluation and surveys, including this website.

12. ESTIMATE OF BURDEN

This burden estimate accounts for what each grantee submits to NIFA. The estimate includes all collection and data entry activities the grantee performs to meet the NIFA requirement.

There are currently 50 CYFAR grantees. Each grantee is required to submit one year-end report each year which includes aggregated demographic and impact data on each of the community projects and to administer surveys and upload the data to the CYFAR website. The following table summarizes data based on user time logs from the CYFAR reporting website:

Collection Activity	Average Hours per Response	Number of Respondents	Total Annual Burden Hours
Annual Report	5.0	50	250
Generate Surveys	0.3		15
Implement Surveys	4.1		205
Upload Survey Data	1.5		75
Logic Model	1.5		75
Respondent Ed.	14.0		700
	26.4		1320

Respondents include not-for-profit land grant institutions only. Restated, this information shows:

Number of Respondents: 50

Frequency of Response: 1

Average Hours/Response: 26.4 hours

Total Annual Burden: 1,320 hours

TOTAL ANNUAL COST BURDEN TO RESPONDENTS OR RECORDKEEPERS.

The total annual cost for the respondent’s burden hours is estimated to be $76,681.31. Details on how this value was calculated are in the table below.

Respondent Employee Category	Percent of Burden Hours Performed	Total Annual Burden Hours per Respondent	Annual Burden Hours per Employee Category	Hourly Wage Rate*	Cost of Burden Hours
University Project Staff	51%	1320	673.2	$69.38	$46,706.62
County Extension Project Staff	15%		198	$58.25	$11,533.50
Community Project Staff	34%		448.8	$41.09	$18,441.19
*Hourly wage rate includes the cost of fringe benefits to respondents.					$76,681.31

13. CAPITAL/STARTUP COSTS

There are no capital or startup costs.

14. ANNUALIZED COST TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

Approximately $603 per year is needed to maintain and update the database and trouble shoot.

The total annual cost to the federal government is estimated to be $2,123. Details on how this value was calculated are in the table below to include cost benefit estimate.

	Grade	Hourly Rate	Hours	Cost
Database management - pre-report and reporting stages	GS-15	75.42	8	$603
Report review and approval	GS-4	18.56	25	$464
Report review and approval	GS-15	75.42	10	$754
Preparing charts/graphs & post-management of database	GS-15	75.42	4	$302
Total Annual Cost			47	$2123

*Dollar amounts derived from the 2023 Federal Pay Tables for Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS assuming each a step 5 annual salary for each GS level listed.

15. REASONS FOR CHANGE IN BURDEN

The total burden for this collection decreased by 15,102 hours (from 16,422 hours to 1,320 hours). This is a substantial change in the estimated burden of the collection and is due to three main reasons.

First, an evaluation of the information collection website as compared to the previous burden estimate indicates that in the previous request for approval, NIFA did not appropriately update the burden estimate to reflect changes to the collection to bring it online. The previous approval was allowed to expire in July of 2019, when the agency was experiencing much upheaval due to a move from Washington D.C. to Kansas City. When approval to reinstate the collection was applied for, it was early in 2020 and the agency had lost over 80% of staff, including staff members with primary responsibility over information collection requests. The revised burden estimate in this request has corrected that mistake and more accurately reflects the burden for this collection, as explained in the next paragraph.

The second reason for the change is that since 2019-20, NIFA has improved its ability to accurately estimate the time needed to complete the collection. The CYFAR suite website can capture timestamp data calculations for all participant data entered. This has allowed NIFA to more accurately estimate the time it takes for each activity (e.g. survey creation, taking the survey, completing the annual report, etc.). This has allowed NIFA to estimate participant burden more accurately.

Third, the revised survey and reporting will be more streamlined. NIFA proposes integrating new CYFAR Common Measures (survey questions) into the online CYFAR Suite Survey Builder application. The new questions will serve to consolidate participant audiences (reducing number of groups from five to three), unify measures across all programs, and link pre- and post-test survey data for reduced administrative burden. The CYFAR Suite will also improve automatic reporting by summarizing data. The CYFAR Annual Report in the CYFAR Suite will allow for pre-populated standard reporting categories (e.g. project description, geographical type) and provide an outline of required content to ease the burden of data entry.

16. TABULATION, ANALYSIS AND PUBLICATION PLANS

Data from all funded CYFAR projects are submitted into the secure CYFAR suite website https://suite.cyfar.org/ by CYFAR SCP grantees (respondents), reviewed, and approved by the CYFAR PDTA grantee and NIFA.

The data from the CYFAR SCP surveys are used in a variety of ways, due to the variety of surveys and their purposes. The more minor surveys are those conducted on CYFAR SCP grantee staff to evaluate the sustainability of the program beyond the term of the grant and to evaluate the effectiveness of the program coaches provided as part of the technical assistance of the CYFAR PDTA grantee. The sustainability survey data are used to foster discussions between the CYFAR PDTA coach and the SCPs while the coach survey data are used internally by the PDTA for program improvement. These are qualitative reviews.

The bulk of the surveys conducted by the CYFAR SCP grantees are those comprised of questions for program participants to evaluate program quality as well as any impacts on participant resiliency and life skills. The data from the participant surveys is primarily aggregated into the CYFAR Year End Report, though there are other publications created from the data (e.g. CYFAR Youth Common Measures 2022 Report, CYFAR Return on Investment Study, and the many outcome reports shown on the USDA NIFA CYFAR page under “Program Specific Resources.”) The pre- and post- survey analysis style allows for a paired comparison of participant responses from before and after implementation of the CYFAR SCP programming. This style of comparison allows for changes in any of the measures to be attributed to the CYFAR programming.

The purpose of the CYFAR Year End Report, the main output of the data, is to collect the demographic and impact data from each community site in order to evaluate the impact of the programs on intended audiences. CYFAR grants represent a Federal financial investment and the data collected allows NIFA to gauge the benefits achieved from these investments. The CYFAR Year End Report provides key information on the demographics of program participants and tells the story of each of the CYFAR SCP grantees. The most current report is the 2021 CYFAR Year End Report.

Individual CYFAR SCP grantees may also analyze and publish the evaluation data in peer-reviewed journals. Grantees may collect more data than that which is required by NIFA and the CYFAR PDTA. Any scholarly publications produced by grantees must be made publicly available in PubAg.

17. SEEKING APPROVAL TO NOT DISPLAY OMB APPROVAL ON FORMS

NIFA plans to display the expiration date for OMB approval.

18. EXCEPTION(S) TO THE CERTIFICATION STATEMENT (19) ON OMB 83-1

None.

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