July 21 -- The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services, invites comments to OMB by August 20, 2022 regarding Head Start Connects: A Study of Family Support Services, which would collect information about how Head Start programs coordinate family support services. Information will be collected from Head Start staff members via surveys and focus groups.
The Head Start Connects project aims to generate knowledge about the processes through which Head Start programs coordinate the provision of family support services that are responsive to families’ specific needs. Coordination encompasses many processes, including:
assessing the needs of communities and families
establishing partnerships with service providers
building in-house capacity for service provision
linking families to appropriate services and providers based on identified needs
tracking service uptake
continually assessing the responsiveness of the provided services
reassessing outstanding service needs
Under this contract, MDRC and its partners - the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago (NORC) and MEF Associates — will conduct a literature review, develop of a theory of change model, consult with experts, and design and execute a small set of case studies and a large-scale descriptive study on the processes related to coordinating and tailoring family support services in Head Start.
The purposes of the data collection for Head Start Connects are to build knowledge about how Head Start programs (Head Start or Early Head Start grantees, delegate agencies, and staff) coordinate family support services for parents/guardians; the characteristics of Head Start programs and staff members involved in family support services coordination; the job characteristics, work activities, and well-being of Head Start family support services staff members; and how Head Start programs can improve coordination of family support services.
The data collection will build on information collected previously through case studies at six Head Start sites (OMB #0970-0538). Proposed data collection activities include three components. First, a web-based survey of a nationally-representative sample of program directors will collect program information, including contact information for family and community partnerships managers and for family support services staff members needed for other data collection components.
Second, an in-depth web-based survey of family and community partnerships managers identified by program directors will collect information about Head Start programs' structures and services for providing supports to parents and families; and the demographic characteristics, experiences, job characteristics, and well-being of managers who supervise family support services staff members.
Third, three data collection activities will gather information from family support services staff members. First, an in-depth web-based survey, will gather information about the structures and services that Head Start programs have for providing supports to parents and families; how family support services staff members reach out to and engage families in family support services; how family support services staff members work with families; and the demographic characteristics, experiences, job characteristics, and well-being of staff members who provide family support services. Second, brief web-based daily snapshot surveys will supplement the in-depth survey and will collect additional information about specific daily work activities and well-being, providing more fine-grained detail about workdays of family support services staff members. Third, focus groups will be conducted with a sample of family support services staff to collect information about innovations and ideas for improving how Head Start programs coordinate and individualize family support services.
Respondents: Head Start program directors, Head Start family and community partnerships managers, and Head Start family support services staff members.
Head Start Connects: Individualizing and Connecting Families to Comprehensive Family Support Services:
https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/head-start-connects-individualizing-and-connecting-families-comprehensive-family
Submission to OMB:
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=202207-0970-009 Click on IC List for questionnaire, View Supporting Statement for technical documentation. Submit comments through this site.
FR notice inviting public comment:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2022-15562
For AEA members wishing to submit comments, "A Primer on How to Respond to Calls for Comment on Federal Data Collections" is available at
https://www.aeaweb.org/content/file?id=5806