Attachment A: Example Uses of Generic Clearance – Formative Data Collections for ACF Program Support
(OMB #0970-0531)
August 2025
Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation
Administration for Children and Families
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Mary Switzer Building
330 C St., SW
Washington, D.C. 20201
In July 2019, OMB approved the Administration for children and Families’ (ACF) request to for a new overarching generic information collection for formative data collections for support of ACF programs. The Formative Data Collections for ACF Program Support generic has proved very useful for program offices to collect formative information to support programs, such as information about what programs and grant recipients are doing in response to unexpected events, what needs programs or grant recipients may have so ACF can provide appropriate support, to gather feedback on performance measures for funding recipients, etc. This document provides a list of approved information collections during the previous three-year approval and examples of how the project has benefitted ACF programs or projects.
Example uses of the Formative Generic for ACF Program Support 2
Individual Requests Approved Since 2022 5
The National Technical Assistance Center for Preschool Development Grants B-5 Parent and Early Childhood Professional Partner Groups
In May 2024 the Office of Early Childhood Development (ECD) in ACF sought approval under the Formative Generic for ACF Program Support to collect information from parents/family members/guardians and early childhood care and education professionals to learn more about the early childhood program services and experiences of those who benefit from ACF funds. This information collection was necessary work to help ACF gain a better understanding of processes, needs, and potential improvements related to technical assistance and support to Preschool Development Grants Birth Through Five (PDG B-5) grantees at the state level who are working to improve B-5 early childhood coordination and collaboration. The focus of this particular data collection effort was to understand the lived experiences of those who access HHS and ACF birth through five (B-5) mental health supports. This area was recognized as a priority by the administration at that time and supported recent efforts to inform the public on the importance of social-emotional development and infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH).
ECD received approval to conduct several small group (10 -12 participants) listening sessions. The initial questions asked helped us choose group members who reflected the wide range of family and provider experiences with early childhood programs. Questions of family participants helped us understand their relationship to the children, where services were received, whether or not subsidies or other public funding helped enroll their child in a program. Likewise, questions of professionals identified the setting in which they worked, how many years they have been in the field, their current role, and what age group they work with most frequently. These sessions were critically important in informing efforts by federal leadership to advise grantees in enhancing state policies and procedures that result in improving the experiences of children and families in accessing early childhood mental health supports and services, as well as improving ECCE professionals’ experiences while working within those same programs and services. At the conclusion of each meeting, participants were asked to assess their level of participation and the effectiveness of the meeting, along with participant perception of respectful and supportive meeting facilitation, and the feedback received was all positive.
Information to Support Local Evaluations by Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP)
Grant Recipients
The Family and Youth Services Bureau administers grants to Personal Responsibility Education Innovative Strategies Program (PREIS) and Tribal Personal Responsibility Education Programs (Tribal PREP) grantees.
PREIS supports the development of innovative strategies to prevent teen pregnancy for high-risk, vulnerable, and culturally underrepresented youth populations.
Tribal PREP supports programming designed to reduce teen pregnancy and birth rates and the spread of STIs for American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth.
A requirement for both grants is to conduct rigorous evaluations of the funded programs.
ACF received approval for multiple requests under the Formative Generic for ACF Program Support to support grant recipients through targeted and relevant technical assistance.
PREP: Promising Youth Programs (PYP) – CONSORT templates
ACF received approval under this generic to collect information on PREIS and Tribal PREP grantees’ sample flow and characteristics. This information allowed the contractor to provide targeted evaluation support to the grantees pertaining to recruitment, data collection and plans for analysis. By having grantees submit this information regularly to ACF in the form of two approved templates, we were able to monitor sample and recruitment to ensure grantees were on track to enroll enough participants to have adequate power to conduct analyses intended. By collecting this information on an ongoing basis, grantees were able to complete the required final evaluation report template in a less burdensome way.
PREP Local Evaluation Support
The Formative Generic for ACF Program Support allowed us to provide all PREIS grantees with a standardized template to document their rigorous impact evaluation design plans. The information in the template guided technical assistance for grantees in designing their evaluations, ensuring that all evaluation designs met ACF’s Standards of Rigor required of program grantees. Information from the template has also allowed grantees to complete future templates (e.g., analysis plan template) more easily, as information was already documented as a part of their evaluation design.
TANF Data Collaborative 2.0: Formative Data Collection to Inform Training and Technical Assistance
The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) awarded grants to six state and local TANF agencies to strengthen their data analytic capacities to support evidence-informed decision making, particularly as it relates to advancing the economic well-being of individuals and families currently receiving or eligible to receive TANF services. Participating agency teams are receiving intensive training and technical assistance as part of their grant award. In order to tailor the training and technical assistance to each agency, OPRE gathered input through focus groups and a survey from members of each agency team during an in-person convening. The information collection provided essential information on how to best design and deliver technical assistance by gathering data on each agency’s data capacity, interests, needs, and goals. The data was then analyzed by the technical assistance providers who were able to design coaching and technical assistance efforts to be maximally responsive to agencies’ goals and learning needs. The technical assistance provider has used the information collected to prioritize a series of webinar trainings, topics covered by coaches during 1-on-1 technical assistance sessions, and the contents of future toolkits.
Sexual Risk Avoidance Education Grantee COVID-19 Interviews
ACF learned through anecdotal reports that Sexual Risk Avoidance Education (SRAE) grant recipients made rapid adaptations to their workspace, staffing, and programming because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there had been no systematic collection of information about SRAE grant recipients’ adaptations to their workspace, workforce, and programming; youth engagement with programming; and potential youth needs resulting from the pandemic. In response, the Sexual Risk Avoidance Education National Evaluation (SRAENE) aimed to inform ACF about how the pandemic affected grantees’ programming and operations and how it would shape programming in the forthcoming 2021-22 program year. Information on pandemic-related changes was necessary for ACF to provide targeted training and technical assistance (T/TA) to SRAE grantees as they plan their future programming.
SRAENE conducted virtual, asynchronous interviews with a purposive sample of all Competitive SRAE and General Departmental SRAE grantees that are direct service providers (~150 grantees). The grant recipient organizations are located in most states, and therefore represent the experiences providing programming in different regions across the country, including varying experiences due to varying COVID-19 restrictions. The interview data revealed vital details on COVID-related changes in the workplace, including staff training, supervision, technology usage, and communication; program implementation, including the number of sites, youth enrollment, and youth engagement; and data collection and evaluation activities. ACF communicated lessons learned from these data with SRAE grant recipients and offered additional T/TA to support grantees as they navigated COVID-related challenges and implemented relevant changes as a result.
Children’s Bureau, Child Welfare Information Gateway Subscription Form
Child Welfare Information Gateway (CWIG) is the national information clearinghouse for the ACF Children’s Bureau (CB). CB received approval for a subscription profile form under the Formative Generic for ACF Program Support to collect information that enables individuals working in child welfare to share details about themselves and their professional interests. This allows CWIG to target messages to specific populations to meet information sharing needs of CB and ACF and allows subscribers to identify topics and subjects relevant to them so that they receive targeted resources to meet their needs. The generic clearance creates efficiencies in adjusting the form and updating it to reflect the evolving topics and priorities of the child welfare system to ensure communication and services are current and useful. It also facilitates efficiencies in the provision of CWIG services that match the needs of stakeholders.
Materials for requests are available here: https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAOMBHistory?ombControlNumber=0970-0531
GenIC Title |
# Respondents |
# Responses |
# Responses per Respondent |
Burden Estimate |
Hours |
"Research Ready Grantee" Intake Form |
320 |
320 |
1 |
.08 |
27 |
ACF Behavioral Health Survey |
500 |
500 |
1 |
0.146 |
73 |
ACF Data Request |
100 |
100 |
1 |
3 |
300 |
ACF Evidence Capacity Support |
121 |
121 |
1 |
0.67 |
80 |
ACF Privacy and Confidentiality Toolkit Case Studies |
33 |
33 |
1 |
1.24 |
41 |
Administration for Children and Families External Speaker Request Form |
60 |
60 |
1 |
0.5 |
30 |
Advancing Best Practices and Cultural Relevance of Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Programs for Indigenous Communities (I-HMRF) |
100 |
100 |
1 |
1.33 |
133 |
Center for States GovDelivery Subscription Form |
2,000 |
2,000 |
1 |
0.05 |
100 |
Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) 101: CCDF Fundamentals Pre/Post Self-Assessment |
100 |
100 |
1 |
0.33 |
33 |
Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Application for Intensive Consultation - Information Technology Strategic Roadmap Development |
87 |
87 |
1 |
0.195 |
17 |
Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Information Technology Environment Scan |
160 |
160 |
1 |
0.375 |
60 |
Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Information Technology Matters 1 |
51 |
51 |
1 |
1 |
51 |
Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Information Technology Matters 2 |
51 |
51 |
1 |
1 |
51 |
Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Information Technology Matters 3 |
51 |
51 |
1 |
1 |
51 |
Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Tribal Listening Sessions on Use of Information Technology |
150 |
150 |
1 |
1 |
150 |
Child Welfare Information Gateway Gov Delivery Subscription Profile Form |
1,000 |
1,000 |
1 |
0.05 |
50 |
Collection of Information for Local Evaluations as part of the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP): Promising Youth Programs (PYP) (PREP PYP Part 2 – Local Eval templates) |
30 |
30 |
1 |
25 |
750 |
Community Injects Related to Local Environmental Justice and Climate Change Impacts |
881 |
881 |
1 |
1.22 |
1,076 |
Court Improvement Program Court System Structures |
7,053 |
7,053 |
1 |
0.25 |
1,777 |
Data Collection to Inform a Curriculum Adaptation for the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP): Promising Youth Programs (PYP) Project |
204 |
204 |
1 |
0.588 |
120 |
Diaper Distribution Demonstration and Research Pilot (DDDRP) Administrative Data Infrastructure Survey |
35 |
35 |
1 |
0.51 |
18 |
Diaper Distribution Demonstration and Research Pilot Baseline Data Collection |
10,500 |
10,500 |
1 |
0.065 |
683 |
Family Economic Mobility (FEM) Training and Technical Assistance Feedback |
500 |
500 |
1 |
0.118 |
59 |
Feedback After the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation's 2024 Research and Evaluation Conference on Self-Sufficiency (RECS) |
174 |
174 |
1 |
0.345 |
60 |
Feedback from CLASS Video Pilot |
1,262 |
1,262 |
1 |
0.097 |
122 |
Feedback from Federal, State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Human Services Offices on Emergency Preparedness and Response |
1,103 |
1,103 |
1 |
1.5 |
1,655 |
Feedback on Materials for Father Involvement National Media Campaign |
594 |
594 |
1 |
0.24 |
143 |
Feedback on the HomVEE Criteria for Evidence-Based Early Childhood Home Visiting Models |
73 |
73 |
1 |
1 |
73 |
Fiscal Responsibility Act TANF Pilot Program Information Collection |
40 |
40 |
1 |
10 |
400 |
Fiscal Responsibility Act TANF Pilot Program Information Collection - 2025 |
25 |
25 |
1 |
10 |
250 |
Formative Data Collections for American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act Culturally Specific Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Supplemental Funding Survey |
145 |
145 |
1 |
1 |
145 |
Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Grantee Data Collection Plan Template (BUILD) |
113 |
113 |
1 |
6 |
678 |
HMRF Grantee Site Visits and Community Group Listening Sessions to Support Race Equity for Fatherhood, Relationship, and Marriage Programs to Empower Black Families (REFRAME) |
168 |
168 |
1 |
1.65 |
277 |
Human Trafficking Youth Prevention Education (HTYPE) Demonstration Grant Program Implementation Surveys |
11,539 |
11,539 |
1 |
0.23 |
2658 |
Humanitarian Response Operating Plan Listening Sessions |
485 |
485 |
1 |
1 |
485 |
Identification of Current Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) Services and Points of Contact Across the U.S. and U.S. Territories. |
271 |
271 |
1 |
0.587 |
159 |
Immigration Legal Service for Afghan Arrivals – Training Experience Survey and Topic-Based Knowledge Assessment |
120 |
120 |
1 |
0.642 |
77 |
Immigration Legal Services for Afghan Arrivals – Legal Service Provider Interest Form |
50 |
50 |
1 |
0.08 |
4 |
Immigration Legal Services for Afghan Arrivals – Technical Assistance Interest Form |
120 |
120 |
1 |
0.13 |
16 |
Information to Inform the Office of Child Care about Implementation of Child Care American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funds - Feb 2023 Update |
312 |
312 |
1 |
0.49 |
153 |
Information to Inform the Office of Child Care about Implementation of Child Care American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funds for Tribal Lead Agencies – Exploration Stage |
265 |
265 |
1 |
1 |
265 |
Information to Inform the Office of Child Care about Implementation of Child Care American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funds for Tribal Lead Agencies in the Developing Stage |
265 |
265 |
1 |
1 |
265 |
Information to Inform the Office of Child Care about Implementation of Child Care American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funds for Tribal Lead Agencies in the Initial and Full Implementation Stages |
265 |
265 |
1 |
1 |
265 |
Information to Inform the Office of Child Care about Implementation of Child Care American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Supplemental Funds – Check-In Call Interview Questions |
624 |
624 |
1 |
0.167 |
104 |
Justification for the Collection of Information for Local Evaluations as part of the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP): Promising Youth Programs (PYP) - (PREIS and TPREP templates) |
84 |
84 |
1 |
5 |
420 |
Lookback Survey of Wilson Fish TANF Coordination Program Grant Recipients Over the Initial Project Period |
21 |
21 |
1 |
0.33 |
7 |
Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) Water Landscape and Equity Research |
580 |
580 |
1 |
0.5 |
290 |
Multi-Site Study of State-Tribal Collaboration in Home Visiting |
42 |
42 |
1 |
1.5 |
63 |
National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment (NCASE) Out-of-School Time Workforce Focus Groups |
108 |
108 |
1 |
1 |
108 |
National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) State Partners and Supplemental Data Survey |
52 |
52 |
1 |
0.327 |
17 |
Needs Assessment Survey for the National Center for Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning's (NCECDTL's) Training and Technical Assistance Offerings |
345 |
345 |
1 |
0.33 |
114 |
Next Generation of Enhanced Employment Strategies Project - MOMS Partnership |
1,404 |
1,404 |
1 |
0.182 |
255 |
OFA Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) |
666 |
666 |
1 |
0.167 |
111 |
Office of Child Care Technical Assistance Interest Form: Improving Child Care and Part C Integration or Disability Inclusion in Child Care |
56 |
56 |
1 |
0.5 |
28 |
Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services Formula Grantees Performance Progress Report (PPR) Listening Sessions |
460 |
460 |
1 |
1 |
460 |
Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services Outcome Measurement Listening Session |
30 |
30 |
1 |
1.5 |
45 |
Office of Head Start Program Information Report Data Quality Focus Groups |
48 |
48 |
1 |
1.5 |
72 |
Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) Unaccompanied Children (UC) Program Youth Engagement Focus Groups |
50 |
50 |
1 |
2 |
100 |
Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) Unaccompanied Children Bureau Policy Evaluation Focus Groups |
240 |
240 |
1 |
1.25 |
300 |
Office of Refugee Resettlement Unaccompanied Alien Children Bureau Care Provider Transportation Services Feedback Survey |
216 |
216 |
1 |
0.333 |
71 |
Office of Refugee Resettlement Unaccompanied Children Bureau Normalcy Integration Survey |
3,600 |
3,600 |
1 |
0.5 |
1800 |
Oklahoma Domestic Violence State Coalition Community Participant Listening Sessions |
300 |
300 |
1 |
1.58 |
475 |
Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) Resettlement State Refugee Coordinator (SRC) Monthly Report |
300 |
300 |
1 |
2 |
600 |
Formative Data Collections for American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act Supplemental Funding Program Support |
292 |
292 |
1 |
1 |
292 |
ORR - Resource Guides for Discretionary Grant Programs Division of Refugee Services (DRS) |
171 |
171 |
1 |
0.667 |
114 |
Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund (PEAF) Recipients Feedback Survey |
135 |
135 |
1 |
0.748 |
101 |
Pathways to Work Evidence Clearinghouse Feedback Sessions |
48 |
48 |
1 |
2 |
96 |
Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) Local Evaluation Support |
24 |
24 |
1 |
3.33 |
80 |
Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) Local Evaluation Support Instruments |
262 |
262 |
1 |
0.70 |
184 |
Public Access to Diaper Information |
14 |
1 |
0.071 |
7 |
7 |
Rapid-Cycle Learning Plan Template for Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Project Impact Grant Recipients |
48 |
48 |
1 |
1.33 |
64 |
Refugee Support Services Refugee Health Promotion Set-Aside Programs Assessment Guide |
85 |
85 |
1 |
1 |
85 |
Refugee Support Services Youth Mentoring Set-Aside Programs Assessment Guides |
215 |
215 |
1 |
0.614 |
132 |
Runaway and Homeless Youth Learning Agenda Support |
430 |
434 |
1.01 |
0.772 |
335 |
Runaway and Homeless Youth Prevention Demonstration Program Prevention Plan Template |
11 |
11 |
1 |
8 |
88 |
Runaway and Homeless Youth Training and Technical Assistance Center (RHYTTAC) National Needs Assessment |
440 |
440 |
1 |
0.25 |
110 |
Runaway and Homeless Youth Training, Technical Assistance, and Capacity Building Center (RHYTTAC) National Needs Assessment - 2025 |
235 |
235 |
1 |
0.5 |
118 |
SAVES Center Data Collection for Program Improvement |
1,464 |
1,464 |
1 |
0.003 |
4 |
Services for Survivors of Torture Medical Care Survey |
35 |
35 |
1 |
0.657 |
23 |
Sexual Risk Avoidance Education National Evaluation Program Components Impact Study: Proof of Concept Pilot Phase |
792 |
792 |
1 |
0.424 |
336 |
Standard Evaluation Survey for the National Center for Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning's (NCECDTL's) Training and Technical Assistance Offerings |
1,500 |
1,500 |
1 |
0.13 |
195 |
Strategies To Respond to Intimate Violence Effectively (STRIVE) |
356 |
392 |
1.1 |
0.446 |
175 |
Strengthening the Implementation of Marriage and Relationship Programs (SIMR) |
1,320 |
1,320 |
1 |
1.44 |
1895 |
Strengthening the Implementation of Marriage and Relationship Programs (SIMR) - Analysis Plan Template |
60 |
60 |
1 |
6 |
360 |
Strengthening the Implementation of Responsible Fatherhood Programs (SIRF) |
851 |
851 |
1 |
3.71 |
3157 |
Supporting Coordinated Benefits Delivery to Foster Whole Family Approaches |
576 |
576 |
1 |
0.514 |
296 |
Supporting Family Economic Well-Being through Home Visiting (HomeEc) Formative Evaluation |
876 |
876 |
1 |
0.253 |
222 |
Survey for Staff Supporting Infants and Toddlers for the National Center for Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning's (NCECDTL's) Training and Technical Assistance Offerings |
600 |
600 |
1 |
0.33 |
198 |
Survey on Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Practices for Collecting and Monitoring Outreach and Recruitment Data |
500 |
500 |
1 |
0.25 |
125 |
Survey on Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Practices for Collecting and Monitoring Outreach and Recruitment Data |
500 |
500 |
1 |
0.25 |
125 |
Survey on Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Information Technology (IT) Solutions |
51 |
51 |
1 |
2 |
102 |
Survey on Tribal Homelessness and Housing Support for Communities that Utilize Tribal TANF |
100 |
100 |
1 |
0.33 |
33 |
TANF and Child Support Moving Forward: Further Incorporating Family Input |
176 |
176 |
1 |
1.31 |
230 |
TANF and Child Support Moving Forward: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic |
93 |
93 |
1 |
0.925 |
86 |
TANF Data Collaborative (TDC) 2.0 – Formative Data Collection |
60 |
60 |
1 |
0.667 |
40 |
TANF Pilot Convenings |
200 |
200 |
1 |
1.5 |
300 |
The Adulthood Preparation Subjects (APSs) Study of Dosage and Cultural Relevance |
104 |
104 |
1 |
1.29 |
135 |
The National Technical Assistance Center for Preschool Development Grants B-5 Parent and Early Childhood Professional Partner Groups |
150 |
150 |
1 |
1.04 |
156 |
Title IV-E Tribal-State Agreement Evaluation |
40 |
40 |
1 |
0.175 |
7 |
Tribal Early Learning Initiative Statement of Interest – FY26 Cohort |
45 |
45 |
1 |
2 |
90 |
Tribal Early Learning Initiative (TELI) Statement of Interest |
45 |
45 |
1 |
2 |
90 |
Tribal Home Visiting Continuous Quality Improvement Collaboratives |
138 |
138 |
1 |
1 |
138 |
Tribal Home Visiting Program Information Collection for Revision to Community Needs Readiness Assessment (CNRA) |
15 |
15 |
1 |
1.53 |
23 |
Tribal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (TMIECHV) Grantee Technical Assistance (TA) Needs Assessment |
38 |
38 |
1 |
1 |
38 |
Tribal TANF Institutional Review Board (IRB) Outreach |
76 |
76 |
1 |
1.17 |
89 |
U.S. Virgin Islands Domestic Violence Territory Coalition Community Participant Listening Sessions |
400 |
400 |
1 |
1.69 |
675 |
Unaccompanied Alien Children Office of the Ombuds Report of a Concern |
600 |
600 |
1 |
0.5 |
300 |
Unaccompanied Children Program Care Providers Education Services Survey |
169 |
169 |
1 |
0.503 |
85 |
United for Ukraine |
800 |
800 |
1 |
0.17 |
136 |
Usability Testing of Resources to Support the Identification and Care of Children with Prenatal Substance or Alcohol Exposure in the Child Welfare System |
21 |
21 |
1 |
17.86 |
375 |
Youth Empowerment Information, Data Collection, and Exploration on Avoidance of Sex (IDEAS) – Case Study of Parent Reflections |
240 |
240 |
1 |
0.613 |
147 |
Totals/Averages: |
66,103 |
65,810 |
- |
Avg: 1.65 |
31,512 |
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Molly |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2025-09-19 |