May 4 -- The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is proposing a data collection activity as part of the 2024 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) to be conducted October 2023 through July 2024. The objective of the 2024 NSECE is to document the nation's use and availability of early care and education (ECE) services, building on the information collected in 2012 and 2019 to describe the ECE landscape in the U.S. The 2024 NSECE will collect information on families with children under age 13 years, on ECE providers that serve families with children from birth to 13 years in the U.S., and on the workforce providing these services. Comments due by June 5, 2023.
The 2024 NSECE will consist of four coordinated nationally-representative surveys:
1. a survey of households with at least one resident child under the age of 13 (Household Interview),
2. a survey of individuals providing care for children under the age of 13 in a residential setting (Home-based Provider Interview) including individuals appearing on state and national lists of ECE providers (listed) and individuals not appearing on such lists (unlisted),
3. a survey of center-based ECE providers offering care for children age 5 years and under, not yet in kindergarten, in a non-residential setting (Center-based Provider Interview), and
4. a survey conducted with individuals employed in center-based ECE programs working directly with children in classrooms serving children age 5 years and under, not yet in kindergarten (Workforce Interview).
The household, home-based provider, and center-based provider surveys will require a screener to determine eligibility for the specific survey.
The 2024 NSECE data collection efforts will provide urgently needed information about the use and supply of ECE available to families across all income levels, including providers serving low-income families of various racial, ethnic, language, and cultural backgrounds, in diverse geographic areas. The household data will include characteristics of households with children under age 13, such as parental employment status and schedules, preferences and choices of non-parental care, and other key factors that affect their need for and access to ECE. The provider data will include home-based or center-based ECE providers (e.g., private, non-profit, Head Start-funded, state or local Pre-K, or based in public schools) that do or do not participate in the child care subsidy program, and are or are not regulated, registered, or otherwise appear in state or national lists. Accurate data on families with young children and the availability and characteristics of ECE providers are essential to assess the current and changing landscape of ECE since the 2019 NSECE data collection, and to provide insights to advance policy and initiatives in the ECE field. The two previous rounds of NSECE, collected in 2012 and 2019, produced critical data about providers of ECE services, the ECE workforce, and families' needs and use of child care throughout the U.S. that remain unmatched by other data sources available.
Respondents: Households with resident children under age 13, home-based ECE providers serving children under age 13 (listed and unlisted), center-based ECE providers serving children age 5 and under (not yet in kindergarten), and classroom-assigned instructional staff (workforce) members working with children age 5 and under (not yet in kindergarten) in center-based ECE programs.
The NSECE 2024 will collect data in a manner that facilitates comparisons with data collected in the NSECE 2012 and 2019 and allows for examination of the changing landscape of child care and early education programs during that 12-year period. It also provides data to answer new research questions, including:
-- How have parental schedules, ECE costs, and parental preferences for types of care changed since 2012?
-- What are the characteristics of ECE providers and workers in 2024?
-- How do providers blend funding from different sources?
-- Which providers are willing and able to participate in the child care subsidy program?
-- How do parents seek help paying for ECE?
The NSECE 2024 is implemented through a contract with NORC at the University of Chicago, with partners from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, and Child Trends.
National Survey of Early Care and Education 2024:
https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/national-survey-early-care-and-education-2024
ACF submission to OMB:
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=202305-0970-005 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/2023-09455
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