Mini SS: Exploring the Relationship between the CA Paid Family Leave Program and the Well-Being of Low-Income Families

DOCUMENTATION FOR THE GENERIC CLEARANCE

FOR THE COLLECTION OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH & ASSESSMENT

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION:

[ ] INTERVIEWS

[ ] SMALL DISCUSSION GROUPS

[X] FOCUS GROUPS

[ ] QUESTIONNAIRES

[ ] OTHER

DESCRIPTION OF THIS SPECIFIC COLLECTION

1. Intended purpose

This exploratory project seeks to understand better how low-income parents that are eligible for the California Paid Family Leave (PFL) program perceive and experience the program, and explores their perspectives on and decisions about family leave, child care, work, and family health and wellbeing.

The goal of this project is to begin to understand better what low-income mothers know about and how they perceive paid family leave related to birth and bonding with an infant, and their perspectives on and experiences with the California program. It will also address their perspectives on and decisions about child care, labor force attachment, and family health and wellbeing.

2. Need for the collection

To our knowledge, while other federally funded research is examining paid family leave, this is the only research to explore specifically the perceptions and experiences of low-income parents and families near the time of childbirth. It fills a critical gap relevant to HHS by emphasizing the perspectives of low-income parents at a time when they are at particular risk of falling into poverty and mothers detach from the labor market at higher rates than other mothers (Laughlin 2011).

3. Planned use of the data

Information gathered through this exploratory data collection will inform our understanding of how low-income women view and interact with PFL programs, as part of the Exploring the Relationship between the CA Paid Family Leave Program and the Well-Being of Low-Income Families ASPE research project. California’s is the oldest and best-established program and therefore has potentially useful lessons to offer.

4. Date(s) and location(s)

We are seeking approval through this mechanism for data collection through four focus groups to be held in January and February 2016. Two will be held in the San Francisco area, and two will be held in the Los Angeles area.

5. Collection procedures

The data collection will be conducted through four focus groups held in two urban areas, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The focus groups will be conducted by research staff from Mission Analytics Group, Inc., with extensive experience conducting focus groups with low-income women. Mission Analytics has a contract with ASPE to conduct and report on this data collection.

6. Number of collections (e.g., focus groups, surveys, sessions)

There will be a total of four focus groups, two held in each of two California urban areas, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

7. Description of respondents/participants

Participants will be California PFL-eligible low-income mothers who worked before birth and were eligible for the PFL program. We will seek to include both PFL-eligible mothers who used the program, and those who did not use the program, and those with children young enough that they can recall the time near birth (with a child under a year). They will be ethnically diverse. One focus group will be conducted in Spanish with participants whose strongest language is Spanish. We are seeking a convenience sample of participants who meet the criteria to best inform the research aims.

8. Description of how results will be used

Contractor staff will pull out the main themes from the group discussion and provide a summary memo to the federal project staff. The Contractor will also provide audiotapes and transcripts to the federal project staff. The main themes and findings may contribute to our understanding of other PFL research.

9. Description of how results will or will not be disseminated and why or why not

Depending on the themes identified in the focus groups, and findings from other research, we expect that this work may inform emerging interest in paid family leave and other supports for low-income working parents at the time of, and following, childbirth. We expect the primary audiences for information related to this study will be federal and state staff who work in paid family leave programs and academic researchers.

AMOUNT OF ANY PROPOSED STIPEND OR INCENTIVE

We plan to provide to participants a $50 gift card to a popular local store such as Target as remuneration for their time and effort in coming to and participating in the focus groups. They are low-income mothers with young children, and some of these mothers will have hourly jobs. This amount is appropriate and effective, given the high cost of living in San Francisco and Los Angeles and the length of the focus group (a total of 90 minutes).

BURDEN HOUR COMPUTATION (Number of responses (X) estimated response or participation time in minutes (/60) = annual burden hours):

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
Potential PFL-eligible low-income mothers of young children: screener	80	10 min.	13.3 hours
PFL eligible low-income mothers of young children: anonymous demographics form	40	15 min.	10 hours
PFL eligible low-income mothers of young children: discussion	40	75 min.	50 hours
Total	80	100	73.3

BURDEN COST COMPUTATION¹

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Hourly Rate	Response Time	Total
Potential PFL-eligible low-income mothers of young children	80	$26.67	13.3 hours	$354.71
PFL eligible low-income mothers of young mothers	40	$26.67	60 hours	$1,600.20
Total	80		73.3	$1,954.91

OTHER SUPPORTING INFORMATION

REQUESTED APPROVAL DATE: January 4, 2016

NAME OF CONTACT PERSON: Pamela Winston, Social Science Analyst

TELEPHONE NUMBER: 202-401-6615

DEPARTMENT/OFFICE/BUREAU: HHS/ASPE

1 Estimates for hourly burden are calculated as 80 percent of the Department of Labor (DOL) Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 2014 mean hourly wage in the San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City Metropolitan Division ($33.34), retrieved from: http://www.bls.gov/regions/west/news-release/occupationalemploymentandwages_sanfrancisco.htm#. Based on these data and calculations, the mean hourly wage for participants would be $26.67. It also does not adjust for fact that some participants will not be in the labor market, taking the position that their time still has value.

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