Cover Letters Recruitment Letters and Other Study Materials for Process Evaluation-

APPENDIX I. Cover Letters Recruitment Letters and Other Study Materials for Process Evaluation-SNAP-Ed I.doc

Models of SNAP-Education (ED)and Evaluation Study

Cover Letters Recruitment Letters and Other Study Materials for Process Evaluation-

OMB: 0584-0554

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Appendix I.

Cover Letters Recruitment Letters and
Other Study Materials for
Process Evaluation

Program Administrator Packets

To inform program staff and partners of the study, Altarum will use a similar protocol for each of the four demonstration projects. In order to initiate our data collection process with each program and to introduce the study to program- and partner-level staff, we will send the program administrators for each project a packet of information related to the study. This packet will include the materials listed in Table 1. Examples of some of these materials are provided in this section. The approximate timing of recruitment activities for the process evaluation is provided in Table 2 below. The table focuses primarily on pre-implementation interview initiation because the scheduling of the nutrition education observation and post-implementation discussions will take place during our initial onsite visits.

Table 1. Materials to be included in program administrator packet.

Materials To Be Included in Packet	Examples Provided in Appendix
Cover Letter to Program Administrator	One letter provided. This letter will be tailored where indicated and sent to program administrators from each site.
Data Collection Plan Summary	Four data collection plan summaries provided, one for each SNAP-Ed program.
Summary Project Report	Not provided; these will be developed once secondary data collection begins.
Draft Letter to Respondents	One letter provided. This letter will be tailored where indicated and sent by the program administrator to potential program and partner level respondents from each site.
Respondent Contact Information Form	Four forms provided, one for each SNAP-Ed program.

Table 2. Approximate timing of recruitment activities for the process evaluation.

Approximate Timing of Recruitment Activity	Specific Activity
12 weeks prior to onsite pre-implementation visits	Altarum sends program administrator packet to each program
10 weeks prior to onsite pre-implementation visits	Program administrators return the Respondent Contact Information Form and approve or suggest revisions to the Draft Letter to Respondents
9 weeks prior to onsite pre-implementation visits	Altarum populates the letters with respondent contact information, creates mailing labels, and sends the letter and labels to program administrators
8 weeks prior to onsite pre-implementation visits	Program administrators send letters to program staff and partners, including the respondents at intervention sites (schools and childcare centers)
6 weeks prior to onsite pre-implementation visits	Altarum sends site administrator follow-up packets to childcare administrators or school principals at the intervention sites
4 weeks prior to onsite pre-implementation visits	Altarum calls respondents at the subset of sites where on-site interviews will occur (Oklahoma, New York, Nevada) to schedule the pre-implementation on-site interviews and to talk with them about planned site visits during and after-implementation of the intervention for further process data collection
Timing will vary by site and intervention round in each site	Altarum conducts pre-implementation onsite visits for each program

Cover letter to Program Administrator

This letter will be tailored where indicated and sent to the program administrators of all four SNAP-Ed programs.

DATE

NAME
ADDRESS

CITY, STATE ZIP

Dear NAME:

We would like to take this opportunity to once again thank you for your cooperation as we move forward with the evaluation of your [NAME OF INTERVENTION] SNAP Education program. Enclosed is a packet of materials that will provide you with an overview and understanding of the plan we have designed for conducting a process evaluation of your SNAP Education program. This packet includes the following:

A summary data collection plan for your program, including the type and number of respondents that we would like to recruit and a timeline for the data collection. This is simply for your information and does not require a response.
A summary report on your program based on reviews of secondary data, such as reports and applications. This will be used to guide our interview process. This report is for your review and does not require a response. When we meet with you during our initial site visit, we will ask you to verify the accuracy of the information summarized in this report. However, please feel free to contact us before then if you having any pressing questions about or concerns with the report.
A letter for you to send to staff members who are potential respondents. This introduces the study and asks for their participation, ensuring confidentiality (except as required by law) and advising them that participation is optional. At this time, we would just like you to read the letter and notify us of any changes you would like to make. We will ask that you send the letters out by [INSERT DATE]. However, we will be providing more guidance on this as the time nears.
A contact information form for you to complete about potential staff respondents. We would greatly appreciate it if you could return this completed form to us by [INSERT DATE].

We hope that you find this information helpful. We would like to schedule a brief call for us to go over the contents of this packet and our process evaluation plan for [SITE NAME] with you; we will be following up with you by phone or e-mail to do so.

I am looking forward to working with you and will be in touch soon.

Sincerely,

NAME
TITLE

Data Collection Plan: Eagle Play Program (CNNS)

Below is a summary of the data collection plan for the process evaluation of the Eagle Play diabetes prevention program. This outlines the type and number of people to be recruited, what data collection methods will be used for each type of respondent, and when key events will be carried out. It is simply for your information; there is no need to respond. However, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact [INSERT NAME AND INFO].

Type and Number of Respondents to be Recruited

Type of Respondent	Number
Grantee-level administrator or planner	2
Evaluator	1
Direct educator	1
School principals	5
Parents	24 (approx.)

Corresponding Data Collection Methods

Type of Respondent	Data Collection Method
Type of Respondent	Pre-intervention Indepth Discussion	Post-intervention Indepth Discussion	Structured Group Interview
Grantee-level administrator or planner	X	X
Evaluator	X	X
Direct educator	X	X
School principals	X	X
Parents			X

Timeline for Data Collection

Given that this intervention will start and end at the same time for each of the six schools (March–May 2010) and the close geographic proximity of the schools, most of the primary data collection can occur during 1-week onsite visits prior to implementation (Feb 2010) and post-implementation (May 2010). We will also be conducting onsite nutrition education observation. We would like to observe nutrition education delivery in two or three classrooms.

Month	Event
January 2010	Pre-intervention indepth discussions with respondents listed above (expect parents)
April 2010	Observation of nutrition education
May 2010*	Post-intervention indepth discussions with respondents listed above; structured group interviews with parents of participants

*Within 1 week of final lesson

Data Collection Plan: All 4 Kids (University of Nevada)

Below is a summary of the data collection plan for the process evaluation of the All 4 Kids program. This outlines the type and number of people to be recruited, what data collection methods will be used for each type of respondent, and when key events will be carried out. It is simply for your information; there is no need to respond. However, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact [INSERT NAME AND INFO].

Type and Number of Respondents to be Recruited

Type of Respondent	Number
Grantee-level administrator or planner	4
Head Start directors	4
Direct educator	12
Head Start classroom teachers	18*
Parents	24 (approx.)

*Twelve teachers will be interviewed post-implementation; six teachers will complete questionnaires.

Corresponding Data Collection Methods

Type of Respondent	Data Collection Method
Type of Respondent	Pre-intervention Indepth Discussion	Post-intervention Indepth Discussion	Post-intervention Mail Questionnaire	Structured Group Interview
Grantee-level administrator or planner	X	X
Head Start directors	X	X
Direct educator	X	X
Head Start classroom teachers		X	X
Parents				X

Timeline for Data Collection

Given that the intervention will start and end at the same time for each of the round one Head Start classrooms (March–May 2010), and the close proximity of the intervention sites will make onsite data collection very manageable. Thus, if the process evaluation is concentrated in four sites participating in Round 1 of the intervention, Altarum data collectors will easily be able to conduct data collection at all four sites during the same 1-week period. We will also be conducting onsite nutrition education observation in April 2010. We would like to observe nutrition education delivery in two or three classrooms.

Month	Event
January 2010	Pre-intervention indepth discussions with respondents listed above (except parents)
April 2010	Observation of nutrition education
May 2010*	Post-intervention indepth discussions with respondents listed above; structured group interviews with parents of participants; teacher questionnaires

*Within 1 week of final lesson

Data Collection Plan: Eat Well Play Hard in Child Care Settings (EWPHCCS) Program (New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH))

Below is a summary of the data collection plan for the process evaluation of the EWPHCCS program. This outlines the type and number of people to be recruited, what data collection methods will be used for each type of respondent, and when key events will be carried out. It is simply for your information; there is no need to respond. However, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact [INSERT NAME AND INFO].

Type and Number of Respondents to be Recruited

Type of Respondent	Number
Grantee-level administrator or planner	6
Subgrantee-level administrator (New York City)	1
Evaluator	1
Intervention Direct educator	6
Childcare center directors	3
Childcare center teachers	36
Parents	24 (approx.)

Corresponding Data Collection Methods

Type of Respondent	Data Collection Method
Type of Respondent	Pre-intervention Indepth Discussion	Post-intervention Indepth Discussion	Post-intervention Structured Group Interview	Post-intervention Mail Questionnaire
Grantee-level administrator or planner	X	X
Evaluator	X	X
Direct educator	X	X
Childcare directors	X	X
Childcare teachers: 3 centers		X
Childcare teachers: 9 centers				X
Parents			X

Timeline for Data Collection

This intervention evaluation will be conducted for 12 childcare centers throughout New York State from implementing the intervention from March through June 2010. This will include sites that implement in two rounds. Round 1 centers include those that have the intervention in their classrooms from March to April 2010. Round 2 centers includes those that have the intervention in their classrooms from May to June 2010. The process evaluation will collect data from the program administrators, planners, and trainers for the statewide intervention; data from all the educators who implement the intervention in the 12 childcare centers in the evaluation sample; data from all the childcare teachers in the intervention classrooms in those 12 centers; and more indepth information, including observations of nutrition education delivery on site at 3 of 12 centers in the sample. The timing for the grantee-level data collection is shown in the first table. The subsequent tables show the timeline for the center-level data collection in each of rounds 1 and 2.

Grantee- and Subgrantee-Level Data Collection

Month	Event
January 2010	Pre-intervention indepth discussions
August 2010*	Post-intervention indepth discussions

*Within 1 week of final lesson

Childcare Center-level Data Collection: Round 1

Month	Event
January 2010	Pre-intervention indepth discussions
March 2010	Observation of nutrition education at three centers
May 2010*	Post-intervention indepth discussions; mail questionnaires for childcare teachers; structured group interviews with parents of participants

*Within 1 week of final lesson

Childcare Center-Level Data Collection: Round 2

Month	Event
April 2010	Pre-intervention indepth discussions
May 2010	Observation of nutrition education at three centers
July 2010*	Post-intervention indepth discussions; mail questionnaires for childcare teachers; structured group interviews with parents of participants

*Within 1 week of final lesson

Data Collection Plan: About Eating Web-Based Intervention (Pennsylvania State University (PSU))

Below is a summary of the data collection plan for the process evaluation of the About Eating Web-based intervention. This outlines the type and number of people to be recruited, what data collection methods will be used for each type of respondent, and when key events will be carried out. It is simply for your information; there is no need to respond. However, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact [INSERT NAME AND INFO].

Type and Number of Respondents To Be Recruited

Type of Respondent	Number
Grantee-level administrator or planner	2
Recruiting staff	8
Web developers	2
Pilot participants	8
Intervention participants	8

Corresponding Data Collection Methods

Type of Respondent	Data Collection Method
Type of Respondent	Pre-intervention Indepth Discussion	Post-intervention Indepth Discussion	Post-intervention Brief Interview	Post-intervention E-mail Questionnaire
Grantee-level administrator	X	X
Recruiting staff		X
Web developers		X
Pilot participants				X
Intervention participants			X

Timeline for Data Collection

In order to identify problems that arose with the website during the pilot phase we will be administering an e-mail questionnaire to a sample of pilot participants at the completion of the pilot phase (approximately December 2009). We will also be conducting an indepth pre-implementation interview with the program administrator in February 2010 and post-implementation indepth interviews with the program administrator, web developers, and recruiters at the end of the study period (approximately July 2010). Because recruitment occurs throughout the study period and participants enter the study at varying times and complete the web modules on a rolling basis, the brief post-intervention interviews with intervention participants will be conducted throughout the duration of the PSU study. Data from the monitoring of “Web hits” on the About Eating site should be collected by PSU Web developers throughout the duration of the intervention.

Month	Event
December 2009	Post-intervention Web-based surveys with pilot participants
January 2010	Pre-intervention interviews with program administrator
July 2010	Post-intervention interviews with program administrator, recruiters, and Web developers
March–July 2010	Post-intervention interviews with intervention participants (rolling)*

*These interviews will be conducted with intervention participants anytime between March and July 2010 because PSU is permitting participant entry into the study on a rolling basis between February and June 2010. Interviews will be conducted after the Food & Nutrition Service’s (FNS) post-survey.

Draft Letter to Potential Respondents Other than School Principals and Center Directors (to be sent from program administrator)

The letter below is intended for staff of the [INSERT PROGRAM NAME] who will be recruited for the process evaluation. Please copy the letter onto your letterhead, make any necessary adjustments, and send by [INSERT DATE]. We will follow up with each potential respondent to further explain the specifics of data collection and to schedule a meeting time. If you have any questions or should need any other assistance, please contact [INSERT NAME AND INFO]. Thank you!

Dear [NAME],

I am writing to inform you that we are taking part in a study titled “Models of SNAP Education and Evaluation” that is being conducted in part by the Altarum Institute under contract to the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Specifically, Altarum is studying the process used to plan and implement the Eagle Play diabetes prevention program. The goal of the study is to understand what aspects of planning and implementing the program affect its success. This information can then be used to make improvements to the program and/or allow it to be replicated in other settings. (Please note: The issue of impact—that is, whether the program achieves its goal of positive behavior change around nutrition—is being measured elsewhere in the study.)

Altarum will be sending you a follow-up letter shortly with more details about the study and then following up by phone to schedule an in-person interview. Your participation in the study is completely voluntary but would be greatly appreciated. Please know that anything you say in the interview is confidential except as required by law and your responses will not be attached to your name or other any other identifying information. Nothing that you say during the interview will affect your employment or be used against your employer in any way. The questions administered during this discussion have been approved by the Federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the OMB number for this survey is [#####].

If you have any comments or would like further information about our participation, please feel free to contact [INSERT GRANTEE CONTACT INFO].

We do hope you choose to participate in this valuable evaluation of our program.

Sincerely,

[INSERT NAME AND TITLE]

Draft Letter to School Principals and Childcare Center Directors

(to be sent from program administrator)

Dear [NAME],

I am writing to inform you that we are taking part in a study titled “Models of SNAP Education and Evaluation” that is being conducted by Altarum Institute and RTI International under contract with the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The study is an evaluation of the [INSERT PROGRAM NAME] currently or soon to be implemented in [NAME SCHOOLS/CENTERS]. Specifically, RTI will be measuring the behavior change of children/students who receive this nutrition education and Altarum will be studying the process used to plan and implement the [INSERT PROGRAM NAME] with the goal understanding what aspects of planning and implementing the program affect the program’s success. This information can then be used to make improvements to the program and/or allow it to be replicated in other settings.

The contractors (Altarum and RTI) will be sending you a follow-up letter shortly with more details about the study and then following up by phone to schedule an in-person interview. Your participation in the study is completely voluntary but would be greatly appreciated. Please know that anything you say in the interview is confidential except as required by law and your responses will not be attached to your name or other any other identifying information. Nothing that you say during the interview will affect your employment or be used against your employer in any way. The questions administered during this discussion have been approved by the Federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the OMB number for this survey is [#####].

If you have any comments or would like further information about our participation, please feel free to contact [INSERT GRANTEE CONTACT INFO].

We do hope you choose to participate in this valuable evaluation of our program.

Sincerely,

[INSERT NAME AND TITLE]

Potential Respondent Contact Information Form

Chickasaw Nation Eagle Play Program

We would like to collect some information about potential respondents for this evaluation. Please fill out the form below to the best of your ability, and return to [INSERT INFO] by [INSERT DATE]. We will follow up with them shortly to provide more information and schedule discussions. If you have an existing list that includes all of the following information, please feel free to send that along instead.

Feel free to call [NAME] at [NUMBER] with any questions. Thank you!

Respondent Type	#	Contact Information
Trainer or evaluator	1	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
Director educator	1	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
School principals	1	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
	2	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
	3	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
	4	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
	5	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:

Potential Respondent Contact Information Form

All 4 Kids

Feel free to call [NAME] at [NUMBER] with any questions. Thank you!

Respondent Type	#	Contact Information
Direct educators	1	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
	2	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
	3	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
	4	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
Head Start site directors	1	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
	2	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
	3	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
	4	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:

Respondent Type	#	Contact Information
Head Start classroom teachers	1	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
	2	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
	3	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
	4	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
	5	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
	6	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
	7	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
	8	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:

Potential Respondent Contact Information Form

EWPHCCS

Feel free to call [NAME] at [NUMBER] with any questions. Thank you!

Respondent Type	#	Contact Information
EWPHCCS trainers	3	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
Director educators (nutritionists who are teaching the intervention in the 18 childcare centers in the FNS evaluation sample)	12	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
Childcare administrators (in the three sites selected for onsite visits)	1	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
	2	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
	3	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:

Potential Respondent Contact Information Form

PSU About Eating Web-Based Intervention

Feel free to call [NAME] at [NUMBER] with any questions. Thank you!

Respondent Type	#	Contact Information
Web developers	1	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
	2	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
Recruiting staff	1	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
	2	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
	3	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
	4	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
	5	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
	6	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
	7	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:
	8	Name:
		Full Title:
		Daytime Phone Number:
		Work Address:

Follow-Up Letters to Potential Program- and Partner-Level Respondents

Once the program administrators send the introductory letters (provided in the previous section) to other staff, Altarum will send follow-up correspondence to each potential respondent. The following table shows which respondent types will receive these follow-up letters by SNAP-Ed program. Although the letters will be somewhat tailored for each respondent type, the purpose of these letters will be the same: to provide more detail about the study, let respondents know what we will need from them, and provide an opportunity for respondents to ask questions.

Respondent Type	OK	NV	NY	PA
Trainers*	√	√	√
Sub-program administrator**			√
Evaluation manager†	√	√	√	√
Nutrition educators	√	√	√
Web developer				√
Recruiters				√
School principals and childcare center administrators [ONLY where we will NOT be conducting onsite visits]		√	√

* In New York and Nevada, the trainers are at the State level; in Oklahoma, the trainer will be at the program level.

**In New York State, there is an intervention subadministrator housed at the New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene who oversees the administration of the intervention, including the staffing, design, and implementation of additional intervention components that are only available in childcare centers in New York City.

† In Oklahoma, the trainer is also the evaluation manager.

Follow-Up Letter

Program-Level Trainer and Evaluation Manager (CNNS)

DATE

NAME

ADDRESS
CITY, STATE ZIP

Dear [NAME]John:

As you may recall, you recently received a letter from [NAME] informing you of an upcoming evaluation of the [NAME OF INTERVENTION]. This is a federally funded evaluation of several innovative SNAP Education programs across the Nation; our portion of the study focuses specifically on the planning process for the program and key steps undertaken during its implementation. This provides insight into what makes the program successful and what, if necessary, may need to be changed; it also provides crucial information that would allow other programs to replicate what you have accomplished.

A large portion of our data collection will comprise a series of discussions with key staff members involved in the program, as well as parents of children who received education through the program. Since you are one of these key staff members, we would love the opportunity to speak with you in person about your experiences with the program, both in your role as an educator trainer and an evaluator of the program. In terms of training, we would like to discuss training format and process and potential challenges with implementation of the program. Regarding evaluation, we would like to have you review a summary of the program that we have prepared and to discuss with us the planning phase for the evaluation. Once the program has been implemented, we would like to follow up with you on results and recommended changes.

As [NAME] mentioned, your participation in this study is completely voluntary. If you choose not to participate, it will not affect your employment in any way. If you do choose to participate, your answers will be confidential except as required by law and no specific identifying information will be released in conjunction with your comments. The goal of this study is to understand the workings of the [NAME OF INTERVENTION] and possibly develop recommendations for improvement; therefore, any feedback that you have, positive or negative, is appreciated and encouraged.

We plan to be in your area for interviews the week of [ENTER DATES]. We will be in touch shortly by telephone to schedule a time to meet in person. If you should have any questions or comments in the meantime, please feel free to contact me at [ENTER PHONE AND E-MAIL]. I am looking forward to meeting you and hearing your feedback about the [NAME OF INTERVENTION] program.

Sincerely,

NAME

TITLE

Follow-Up Letter

Trainers (NYSDOH and University of Nevada)

DATE

NAME

ADDRESS
CITY, STATE ZIP

Dear [NAME]John:

As you may recall, you recently received a letter from [NAME] informing you of an upcoming evaluation of the [NAME OF INTERVENTION]. This is a federally funded evaluation of several innovative SNAP Education programs across the Nation; our portion of the study focuses specifically on the planning process for the program and key steps undertaken during its implementation. This type of evaluation provides insight into what makes the program successful and what, if necessary, may need to be changed; it also provides crucial information that would allow other programs to replicate what you have accomplished.

A large portion of our data collection will comprise a series of discussions with key staff members involved in the program, as well as parents of children who received education through the program. Since you are one of these key staff members, we would love the opportunity to speak with you in person about your experiences with the program. The topics that we would like to cover include background information on training format and process and potential challenges with implementation of the program. Once the program has been implemented, we would like to follow up with you on results and recommended changes.

Sincerely,

NAME

TITLE

Follow-Up Letter

Sub-Program Administrators (NYSDOH)

DATE

NAME

ADDRESS
CITY, STATE ZIP

Dear [NAME]John:

A large portion of our data collection will comprise a series of discussions with key staff members involved in the program, as well as parents of children who received education through the program. Since you are the administrator of the EWPHCCS Program in the largest contracting agency in New York State, we would like to speak with you about the design and implementation of the EWPHCCS in New York City. Before our visit, we would like to ask you to please send us copies of any supplemental materials you have developed and use in EWPHCCS in New York City’s childcare centers, including recruitment material and the Link-It lessons for childcare center teachers. The topics that we would like to cover during our meeting with you include (1) the rationale, design, staffing, and resources for the supplemental components of EWPHCCS that your agency provides to the New York City childcare centers; (2) information on their training and technical assistance that you provide for the EWPHCCS nutrition educators; and (3) any challenges that you have faced in program implementation and how you have tried to overcome them. Once the Food & Nutrition Service evaluation period for EWPHCCS is completed, we would like to follow-up with you to obtain your perceptions on program results and any factors that may have impacted the program’s results in New York City over the study period as well as any recommendations you may have for the program at the local or State level.

Sincerely,

NAME

TITLE

Follow-Up Letter

Evaluation Manager (NYSDOH and University of Nevada)

DATE

NAME

ADDRESS
CITY, STATE ZIP

Dear [NAME]John:

A large portion of our data collection will comprise a series of discussions with key staff members involved in the program, as well as parents of children who received education through the program. Since you are one of these key staff members, we would love the opportunity to speak with you in person about your experiences with the program. During our discussion we would like feedback on a summary report of the program that we have prepared and your insight in to the planning phase of the evaluation. Once the program has been implemented, we would like to follow up with you on results and recommended changes.

Sincerely,

NAME

TITLE

Follow-Up Letter

Nutrition Educators (CNNS, NYSDOH, and University of Nevada)

DATE

NAME

ADDRESS
CITY, STATE ZIP

Dear [NAME]John:

A large portion of our data collection will comprise a series of discussions with key staff members involved in the program, as well as parents of children who received education through the program. Since you are one of these key staff members, we would love the opportunity to speak with you in person about your experiences with the program. Topics that we would like to cover during our initial discussion include details on implementation of the program, factors that you expect will contribute to the success of the program, and potential barriers or challenges. Once the program has been implemented, we would like to follow up with you on results and recommended changes.

Sincerely,

NAME

TITLE

Follow-Up Letter

Web Developers (PSU)

DATE

NAME

ADDRESS
CITY, STATE ZIP

Dear [NAME]John:

As you may recall, you recently received a letter from [NAME] informing you of an upcoming evaluation of the About Eating Web-based intervention. This is a Federally-funded evaluation of several innovative SNAP Education programs across the Nation; our portion of the study focuses specifically on the planning process for the program and key steps undertaken during its implementation. This type of evaluation provides insight into what makes the program successful and what, if necessary, may need to be changed; it also provides crucial information that would allow other programs to replicate what you have accomplished.

A large portion of our data collection will comprise a series of discussions with key staff members involved in the development of the About Eating program, as well as participants who accessed the site. Since you are one of these key staff members, we would love the opportunity to speak with you in person about your experiences with the program. The topics that we would like to cover include the level of effort and cost of creating, implementing, and maintaining the program as well as potential challenges with implementation of the program.

As [NAME] mentioned, your participation in this study is completely voluntary. If you choose not to participate, it will not affect your employment in any way. If you do choose to participate, your answers will be confidential except as required by law and no specific identifying information will be released in conjunction with your comments. The goal of this study is to understand the workings of the About Eating program and possibly develop recommendations for improvement; therefore, any feedback that you have, positive or negative, is appreciated and encouraged.

Sincerely,

NAME

TITLE

Follow-Up Letter

Recruiters (PSU)

DATE

NAME

ADDRESS
CITY, STATE ZIP

Dear [NAME]John:

A large portion of our data collection will comprise a series of discussions with key staff members involved in the development and implementation of the About Eating program, as well as participants who accessed the site. Since you are one of these key staff members, we would love the opportunity to speak with you in person about your experiences with the program. The topics that we would like to cover include the level of effort and methods used to recruit participants into the program, the challenges faced with regards to recruitment, and any lessons learned throughout the recruitment process.

As [NAME] mentioned, your participation in this study is completely voluntary. If you choose not to participate, it will not affect your employment in any way. If you do choose to participate, your answers will be confidential except as required by law and no specific identifying information will be released in conjunction with your comments. The goal of this study is to understand the workings of the About Eating program and possibly develop recommendations for improvement; therefore, any feedback that you have, positive or negative, is appreciated and encouraged.

Sincerely,

NAME

TITLE

Follow-Up Letter

Childcare Center Administrators Involved with All 4 Kids Intervention

[only where we will NOT be conducting onsite process evaluation visits]

DATE

NAME

ADDRESS
CITY, STATE ZIP

Dear [NAME]John:

As you may recall, you recently received a letter from [NAME] informing you of an upcoming evaluation of the All 4 Kids Program. This is a federally funded evaluation of several innovative SNAP Education programs across the Nation, which is being conducted in two parts: (1) an evaluation of the impact of the program on positive nutrition behaviors among participants, conducted by RTI International; and (2) a process evaluation focusing on the planning process for the program and key steps undertaken during its implementation, conducted by Altarum Institute. This information will provide insight into what positive behavior changes are a result of the program; what aspects of the program contributed to those changes; and what aspects of the program, if necessary, may need to be changed. It also provides crucial information that would allow other programs to replicate what you have accomplished.

We would like to take this opportunity to briefly describe the evaluation activities that will be taking place in your schools and ask for your assistance with a couple of things. First, to evaluate the impact of the All 4 Kids Program, we will work with staff from the University of Nevada to schedule 45-minute interview time slots to conduct pre-surveys being administered jointly by the University of Nevada and our study team. Someone from the University of Nevada will contact you about helping us with this process. As part of the pre-surveys, we plan to collect participants’ telephone number and mailing address so that we can send them a survey to complete after the intervention is complete.

Second, because of the indepth nature of the process evaluation data collection effort, we cannot study every site that is implementing the All 4 Kids Program. For this reason, we have randomly selected centers to be evaluated in person and your center was not selected. However, we would like to survey a number of your classroom teachers via a mail questionnaire. We will be following up with you shortly to explain the details of this data collection effort and your anticipated level of involvement (not much).

As [NAME] mentioned, your participation in this study is completely voluntary. If you choose not to participate, it will not affect your employment in any way. We will be in touch shortly by telephone to discuss this information in more detail. If you should have any questions or comments in the meantime, please feel free to contact me at [ENTER PHONE AND E-MAIL].

Sincerely,

NAME

TITLE

Follow-Up Letter

Childcare Center Administrators Involved with EWPHCCS Intervention

[only where we will NOT be conducting onsite process evaluation visits]

DATE

NAME

ADDRESS
CITY, STATE ZIP

Dear [NAME]John:

As you may recall, you recently received a letter from [NAME] informing you of an upcoming evaluation of the Eat Well Play Hard in Child Care Settings nutrition education program (EWPHCCS). This is a federally funded evaluation of several innovative SNAP Education programs across the Nation, which is being conducted in two parts: (1) an evaluation of the impact of the program on positive nutrition behaviors among participants, conducted by RTI International; and (2) a process evaluation focusing on the planning process for the program and key steps undertaken during its implementation, conducted by Altarum Institute. This information will provide insight into what positive behavior changes are a result of the program; what aspects of the program contributed to those changes; and what aspects of the program, if necessary, may need to be changed. It also provides crucial information that would allow other programs to replicate what you have accomplished.

We would like to take this opportunity to briefly describe the evaluation activities that will be taking place in your schools and ask for your assistance with a couple of things. First, to evaluate the impact of the EWPHCCS Program, we will mail pre- and post-surveys to parents/caregivers of children participating in the study. We will ask teachers to send home with each child a consent form for parents/caregivers to complete. On the consent form, parents/caregivers will indicate whether they are willing to participate and, if so, provide their contact information. Whether or not they agree to participate in the study, parents/caregivers will be instructed to return the form in a sealed envelope to their children’s teacher. Teachers will be asked to track the sealed envelopes and distribute a token (e.g., a friendship bracelet) to each child who returns an envelope. We would like for you to designate someone to collect the sealed envelopes each day and send them to us via Federal Express (using preprinted labels and postage-paid packets provided by us). To acknowledge [NAME OF CENTER]’s assistance with this process, we will provide your center with $125. For helping us with the study, we will also provide each classroom teacher with a cash incentive based on the percentage of students who return an envelope (up to $25) and an additional $50 to the center coordinator. Someone from the study team will contact you by phone in the next few weeks to discuss identifying the coordinator for your center.

Second, because of the indepth nature of the process evaluation data collection effort, we cannot study every site that is implementing the EWPHCCS nutrition education program. For this reason, we have randomly selected centers to be evaluated in person and your center was not selected. However, we would like to survey a number of your classroom teachers via a mail questionnaire. We will be following up with you shortly to explain the details of this data collection effort and your anticipated level of involvement (not much).

Sincerely,

NAME

TITLE

Childcare Center

Administrator Packets

A sample of childcare centers involved in the NYSDOH and the University of Nevada SNAP-Ed interventions will be included in our onsite process evaluation data collection efforts. The Childcare Center Administrators at these sites will receive the following packet of materials around the same time that the other respondent types are receiving follow-up letters. The approximate timing of teacher recruitment activities are provided in Table 3 below.

Overview of the Impact and Process Evaluation Design
Teacher Contact Information Form
Draft Letter to Teachers Being Interviewed
Draft Letter to Teachers Receiving Questionnaire

Table 3. Timeline for Primary Data Collection Recruitment Activities with Classroom Teachers by Specific Recruitment Activity

Anticipated Timing of Recruitment Activity	Specific Activity
6 weeks prior to onsite visit	Childcare center administrators (Nevada, New York) return Teacher Contact Information Form to Altarum
1 month prior to onsite post-implementation visits	Altarum populates the letters with classroom teacher contact information, creates mailing labels, and sends the letters and labels to center administrators for distribution
3 weeks prior to onsite post-implementation visits	Altarum follows up with teachers to schedule interviews during onsite visits or sends teacher questionnaires
Timing will vary by site and intervention round in each site	Altarum conducts post-implementation onsite visits for each program

Follow-Up Letter

School Principals Involved with the CNNS Intervention

DATE

NAME

ADDRESS
CITY, STATE ZIP

Dear [NAME]John:

As you may recall, you recently received a letter from [NAME] informing you of an upcoming evaluation of the Eagle Adventure Program. This is a federally funded evaluation of several innovative SNAP Education programs across the Nation, which is being conducted in two parts: (1) an evaluation of the impact of the program on positive nutrition behaviors among participants, conducted by RTI International; and (2) a process evaluation focusing on the planning process for the program and key steps undertaken during its implementation, conducted by Altarum Institute. This information will provide insight into what positive behavior changes are a result of the program; what aspects of the program contributed to those changes; and what aspects of the program, if necessary, may need to be changed. It also provides crucial information that would allow other programs to replicate what you have accomplished.

This evaluation of the Eagle Adventure Program is multifaceted and comprises several methods of data collection. For the impact portion of the evaluation, RTI will be mailing pre- and post-surveys to parents/caregivers of children participating in the study. We will ask teachers to send home with each child a consent form for parents/caregivers to complete. On the consent form, parents/caregivers will indicate whether they are willing to participate and, if so, provide their contact information. Whether or not they agree to participate in the study, parents/caregivers will be instructed to return the form in a sealed envelope to their children’s teacher. Teachers will be asked to track the sealed envelopes and distribute a token (e.g., a friendship bracelet) to each child who returns an envelope. We would like for you to designate someone to collect the sealed envelopes so a project team member can collect them daily. To acknowledge [NAME OF SCHOOL]’s assistance with this process, we will provide your school with $200. For helping us with the study, we will also provide each classroom teacher with a cash incentive based on the percentage of students who return an envelope (up to $25) and an additional $50 to the school coordinator. Someone from the study team will contact you by phone in the next few weeks to discuss identifying the coordinator for your school

The process portion of the evaluation comprises interviews with school administrators and educators, focus groups with parents of children who received the education, and observation of nutrition education on site. We would like to coordinate with you on these data collection efforts. First, we would like to schedule a call to provide further details on the data collection plan; at that time, we could also set up a time to interview you regarding your experiences with the program thus far. We will also need your permission to observe nutrition education classes and will likely need assistance or guidance with recruiting parents (more details will be provided during our initial phone meeting). Finally, we will need contact information for the educators in your school who are involved in Eagle Adventure Program. A form for that purpose is attached; please fill out this form and return by [DATE].

We also just want you to know that, as [NAME] mentioned, participation in this study is completely voluntary. If any individual chooses not to participate, it will not affect their employment or received services in any way. If an individual does choose to participate, answers will be confidential except as required by law and no specific identifying information will be released in conjunction with their comments. The goal of this study is to understand the workings of the Eagle Adventure Program, and possibly develop recommendations for improvement; therefore, any feedback, whether positive or negative, is appreciated and encouraged.

We plan to be in your area for interviews the week of [ENTER DATES]. We will be in touch shortly schedule a preliminary phone meeting to provide more details and answer any questions you might have. If you should have any questions or comments in the meantime, please feel free to contact me at [ENTER PHONE AND E-MAIL]. I am looking forward to meeting you and hearing your feedback about the Eagle Adventure Program.

Sincerely,

NAME

TITLE

ATTACHMENTS:

Educator contact information

Letter?

Follow-Up Letter

Childcare Center Administrators Involved with All 4 Kids Intervention

DATE

NAME

ADDRESS
CITY, STATE ZIP

Dear [NAME]John:

This evaluation of the All 4 Kids Program is multifaceted and comprises several methods of data collection. For the impact portion of the evaluation, RTI will work with staff from the University of Nevada to schedule 45-minute interview time slots to conduct pre-surveys being administered jointly by the University of Nevada and our study team. Someone from the University of Nevada will contact you about helping us with this process. As part of the pre-surveys, we plan to collect participants’ telephone number and mailing address so that we can send them a survey to complete after the intervention is complete.

The process portion of the evaluation comprises interviews with school administrators and educators, focus groups with parents of children who received the education, and observation of nutrition education on site. We would like to coordinate with you on these data collection efforts. First, we would like to schedule a call to provide further details on the data collection plan; at that time, we could also set up a time to interview you regarding your experiences with the program thus far. We will also need your permission to observe nutrition education classes and will likely need assistance or guidance with recruiting parents (more details will be provided during our initial phone meeting). Finally, we will need contact information for the educators in your school who are involved in All 4 Kids Program. A form for that purpose is attached; please fill out this form and return by [DATE].

We also just want you to know that, as [NAME] mentioned, participation in this study is completely voluntary. If any individual chooses not to participate, it will not affect their employment or received services in any way. If an individual does choose to participate, answers will be confidential except as required by law and no specific identifying information will be released in conjunction with their comments. The goal of this study is to understand the workings of the All 4 Kids Program, and possibly develop recommendations for improvement; therefore, any feedback, whether positive or negative, is appreciated and encouraged.

Sincerely,

NAME

TITLE

ATTACHMENTS:

Educator contact information

Letter?

Follow-Up Letter

Childcare Center Administrators Involved with EWPHCCS Intervention

DATE

NAME

ADDRESS
CITY, STATE ZIP

Dear [NAME]John:

As you may recall, you recently received a letter from [NAME] informing you of an upcoming evaluation of the Eat Well Play Hard in Child Care Settings (EWPHCCS) program. This is a federally funded evaluation of several innovative SNAP Education programs across the Nation, which is being conducted in two parts: (1) an evaluation of the impact of the program on positive nutrition behaviors among participants, conducted by RTI International; and (2) a process evaluation focusing on the planning process for the program and key steps undertaken during its implementation, conducted by Altarum Institute. This information will provide insight into what positive behavior changes are a result of the program; what aspects of the program contributed to those changes; and what aspects of the program, if necessary, may need to be changed. It also provides crucial information that would allow other programs to replicate what you have accomplished.

This evaluation of the EWPHCCS Program is multifaceted and comprises several methods of data collection. For the impact portion of the evaluation, RTI will be mailing pre- and post-surveys to parents/caregivers of children participating in the study. We will ask teachers to send home with each child a consent form for parents/caregivers to complete. On the consent form, parents/caregivers will indicate whether they are willing to participate and, if so, provide their contact information. Whether or not they agree to participate in the study, parents/caregivers will be instructed to return the form in a sealed envelope to their children’s teacher. Teachers will be asked to track the sealed envelopes and distribute a token (e.g., a friendship bracelet) to each child who returns an envelope. We would like for you to designate someone to collect the sealed envelopes each day and send them to us via Federal Express (using preprinted labels and postage-paid packets provided by us). To acknowledge [NAME OF CENTER]’s assistance with this process, we will provide your center with $125. For helping us with the study, we will also provide each classroom teacher with a cash incentive based on the percentage of students who return an envelope (up to $25) and an additional $50 to the center coordinator. Someone from the study team will contact you by phone in the next few weeks to discuss identifying the coordinator for your center.

The process portion of the evaluation comprises interviews with school administrators and educators, focus groups with parents of children who received the education, and observation of nutrition education on site. We would like to coordinate with you on these data collection efforts. First, we would like to schedule a call to provide further details on the data collection plan; at that time, we could also set up a time to interview you regarding your experiences with the program thus far. We will also need your permission to observe nutrition education classes and will likely need assistance or guidance with recruiting parents (more details will be provided during our initial phone meeting). Finally, we will need contact information for the educators in your school who are involved in EWPHCCS. A form for that purpose is attached; please fill out this form and return by [DATE].

We also just want you to know that, as [NAME] mentioned, participation in this study is completely voluntary. If any individual chooses not to participate, it will not affect their employment or received services in any way. If an individual does choose to participate, answers will be confidential except as required by law and no specific identifying information will be released in conjunction with their comments. The goal of this study is to understand the workings of the EWPHCCS, and possibly develop recommendations for improvement; therefore, any feedback, whether positive or negative, is appreciated and encouraged.

Sincerely,

NAME

TITLE

ATTACHMENTS:

Educator contact information

Letter?

Teacher Contact Information Form

[NAME OF INTERVENTION]

We would like to collect some information about the teachers in your school or center who are involved in the [NAME OF INTERVENTION] SNAP Education program. We will use this information to select a sample of teachers with whom we will conduct interviews or to whom we will administer questionnaires. Please fill out the form below to the best of your ability, and return to [INSERT INFO] by [INSERT DATE]. We will follow up with them shortly to provide more information and schedule discussions.

Feel free to call [NAME] at [NUMBER] with any questions. Thank you!

Respondent Type	Contact Information
Teacher #1	Name:
	Classroom # / Grade:
	Daytime Phone Number:
	E-mail address:
Teacher #2	Name:
	Classroom # / Grade:
	Daytime Phone Number:
	E-mail address:
Teacher #3	Name:
	Classroom # / Grade:
	Daytime Phone Number:
	E-mail address:
Teacher #4	Name:
	Classroom # / Grade:
	Daytime Phone Number:
	E-mail address:
Teacher #5	Name:
	Classroom # / Grade:
	Daytime Phone Number:
	E-mail address:
Teacher #6	Name:
	Classroom # / Grade:
	Daytime Phone Number:
	E-mail address:
Teacher #7	Name:
	Classroom # / Grade:
	Daytime Phone Number:
	E-mail address:

Draft Letter to Teachers Being Interviewed

The letter below is intended for educators involved with the [NAME OF INTERVENTION] who are in schools receiving an onsite visit from us. Please copy the letter onto your letterhead, make any necessary adjustments, and send by [INSERT DATE]. We will follow up with each potential respondent to further explain the specifics of data collection and to schedule a meeting time. If you have any questions or should need any other assistance, please contact [INSERT NAME AND INFO]. Thank you!

Dear [NAME],

I am writing to inform you that we are taking part in a study titled “Models of SNAP Education and Evaluation” that is being conducted in part by the Altarum Institute under contract to the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Specifically, Altarum is studying the process used to plan and implement the [NAME OF INTERVENTION]. The goal of the study is to understand what aspects of planning and implementing the program affect its success. This information can then be used to make improvements to the program and/or allow it to be replicated in other settings. (Please note: The issue of impact—that is, whether the program achieves its goal of positive behavior change around nutrition—is being measured elsewhere in the study.)

Altarum staff would like to hear your opinions on several aspects of the [NAME OF INTERVENTION] program, and will be contacting you to set up a discussion time. Your participation in the study is completely voluntary but would be greatly appreciated. Please know that anything you say in the interview is confidential except as required by law and your responses will not be attached to your name or other any other identifying information. Nothing that you say during the interview will affect your employment or be used against your employer in any way. The questions used in this survey have been approved by the Federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the OMB number for this survey is [#####].

Someone from Altarum will be contacting you soon to further explain the study and the type of questions that you might expect and to set up a time for an interview, if you should choose to participate. They may also request permission to observe a nutrition education session in your classroom (more information will be provided when you are contacted). In the meantime, should you have any questions about the study, please contact [INSERT INFO] from Altarum. If you have any comments or would like further information about our participation, please feel free to contact [INSERT ADMIN INFO].

We do hope you choose to participate in this valuable evaluation of our program.

Sincerely,

[INSERT NAME AND TITLE]

Draft Letter to Teachers Receiving Questionnaires

Dear [NAME],

I am writing to inform you that we are taking part in a study titled “Models of SNAP Education and Evaluation” that is being conducted in part by the Altarum Institute under contract to the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Specifically, Altarum is studying the process used to plan and implement the [NAME OF INTERVENTION]. The goal of the study is to understand what aspects of planning and implementing the program affect its success. This information can then be used to make improvements to the program and/or allow it to be replicated in other settings. (Please note: The issue of impact—that is, whether the program achieves its goal of positive behavior change around nutrition—is being measured elsewhere in the study.)

Altarum staff would like to get feedback from educators participating in the [NAME OF INTERVENTION] program. Since they cannot visit every site that is involved in this program, sites are being randomly selected for visits. Your site has not been chosen for a visit; however, your feedback is very important to their study. Therefore, you will be receiving a questionnaire from them through the mail, and I would encourage you to complete it. I would like you to know, though, that your participation in the study is completely voluntary. If you should choose to complete the questionnaire, everything you write is confidential except as required by law and your responses will not be attached to your name or other any other identifying information. Nothing that you write will affect your employment or be used against your employer in any way. The questions used in this survey have been approved by the Federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the OMB number for this survey is [#####].

We do hope you choose to participate in this valuable evaluation of our program.

Sincerely,

[INSERT NAME AND TITLE]

Recruiting Materials for Structured Group Interviews

In preparation for structured group interview recruitment efforts, Altarum created the English and Spanish documents described below. Again, the structured group interviews will be used to collect information about parents’ perspectives of the CNNS, the University of Nevada, and NYSDOH SNAP-Ed interventions as part of the process evaluation data collection effort. The approximate timeline for participant recruitment is provided in Table 4 below.

A letter to be sent to classroom teachers that describes the purpose of the structured group interviews and asks that they encourage parents.
Parent recruitment letters to be tailored for each program and printed on Altarum Institute letterhead.
Recruitment fliers to be posted at the intervention site.
Recruitment post cards to be tailored for each program (not provided here because these were developed in a PDF format).
Parent consent forms to be provided at the time of structured group interview.
A toll-free telephone number for participants to call with questions and to register. A telephone script will be used for recruitment and reminder phone calls.

Table 4. Timeline for Recruitment Activities Related to Structured Group Interviews with Parents in Oklahoma, Nevada, and New York

Anticipated Timing of Recruitment Activity	Specific Activity
4 weeks prior to group interview	Altarum Institute will mail the recruitment materials to the contact site person (who will be identified during communication with the center administrators or school principals)
3 weeks prior to group interview	The site contact person will place recruitment letters in “parent pockets” or “cubbies” in the classroom
2 weeks prior to group interview	Recruitment fliers will be posted in areas of the intervention site where parents congregate
1 week prior to group interview	The site contact person will place recruitment letters or confirmation letters for those already registered in “parent pockets” or “cubbies” in the classroom
One day before the group interview	The site contact person will place confirmation postcards in registered parents “parent pockets” or “cubbies” in the classroom and persons who agree to participate will receive a reminder call

Letter to Classroom Teachers

[INSERT DATE]

Dear Classroom teacher:

Altarum Institute is organizing group discussions to hear parents’ thoughts about nutrition education at [INSERT INTERVENTION SITE]. The parents’ opinions are very important. For participating in the 1 ½- to 2-hour group discussion, parents will receive a $50 gift certificate to a local grocery store.

The group is scheduled to be held in [INSERT INTERVENTION SITE]. We hope that you can encourage parents to participate. Below are some details about the group so that you have some background.

What will the group discussion be like?

The group discussion will have 8–10 participants and a group moderator.
Refreshments will be served.
Childcare will be provided.
The discussion will be confidential except as required by law, but the discussion will be tape recorded for use by the moderators only.
The group moderator will explain the purpose of the group at the beginning and the topics that will be discussed during the group.
The moderator will then ask the group different questions about their experiences with the nutrition education program.

Please encourage parents to call [INSERT 1-800#] to register for the group or ask any questions about the group.

Thank you for your help,

[INSERT STAFF MEMBER NAME]

Parent Recruitment Letter (English)

[INSERT DATE]

Dear Parent or Guardian:

Altarum Institute is organizing group discussions to hear your thoughts about nutrition education at [INSERT INTERVENTION SITE]. Your opinions are really important to us and we hope you can make time to attend the discussion. For participating in the 1 ½- to 2-hour group discussion you will receive a $50 gift certificate to a local grocery store.

The group is scheduled to be held in [INSERT LOCATION AND TIME], so if you are available at that time, please register for the group by calling this toll-free number: [INSERT 1-800#]. Ask for [INSERT STAFF MEMBER NAME] or leave a message on the answering machine with your name, a good time to reach you, and the number at which you can be reached.

Childcare and snacks will be provided.

We want to hear about your experiences with your child’s nutrition education at daycare. All the information you provide is completely confidential except as required by law and your name will not be shared with any outside organizations or your daycare provider.

This is a great way to earn some money and to give your valuable opinion. Please call to ask any questions [INSERT PHONE NUMBER AND TIMES TO CALL] and register today!!

Sincerely,

[INSERT STAFF MEMBER NAME]

Parent Recruitment Letter (Spanish)

[INSERT DATE]

Estimado padre o guardia legal:

El Instituto de Altarum está organizando discusiones de grupo para escuchar sus pensamientos sobre la educación nutriciónal en [sitio de la intervención]. Sus opiniones son realmente importantes para nosotros y nos gustaría mucho si usted puede venir al discusión. Por su participación en la discusión de una hora y media usted recibirá un vale por $50 a un tienda local.

El grupo estará en [localización y tiempo]. Si usted puede venir llama a este número gratis [1-800#] para colocarse en el grupo. Pregunte por [nombre del personal] o deje un mensaje en el contestador automático con su nombre, cuando sea un buen tiempo para contactarle, y en que número usted puede ser localizado.

Ofreceremos el cuidado de niños y algunos bocadillos.

Queremos escuchar sus experiencias y opinions con la educación nutriciónal de su niño. Toda la información que usted nos provea es totalmente confidencial y su nombre no será compartido con ninguna organización.

Esto es una buena manera de de dar su opinion y también recibir un poco de ayuda monetaria. ¡Llame por favor para hacer cualquier pregunta [número y los tiempos de llamar] y para colocarse hoy!!

Sinceramente,

[INSERT STAFF MEMBER NAME]

Recruitment Flier (English)

P arents, Please Tell Us What You Think!

When: [Insert date and time]

Where: [Insert location and room]

Why?: We want to hear your ideas about the [insert name of program] nutrition program

To sign up for this group, call:

[1-800#]

F or participating, we will give you a $50 gift card for your time.

Snacks will be served. Childcare will be provided.

Recruitment Flier (Spanish)

¡Padres y madres, queremos saber lo que ustedes piensan!

Cuando: [Inserte la fecha, tiempo y

duración]

Donde: [Inserte la localización y el

sitio]

¿Por Qué?: Queremos oír sus ideas sobre la educación de nutrición

Para inscriberse en este grupo, llama:

[Inserte 1-800#]

P or participar, usted recibirá $50 por tu tiempo.

Fruta y queso serán servidos. Se ofrecera el cuidado de niños.

Parent Consent Form (English)

Nutrition Education Evaluation

Consent to Participate in Focus Group

You are being asked to participate in a group discussion for the nutrition education study conducted by Altarum Institute. Your participation is important to this childcare center and will help the agency improve the nutrition education that all children receive.

All of your answers and the information you provide will be kept confidential except as required by law. Your name will never be included in any reports, and none of your answers will be linked to you in any way.

You do not have to participate in this discussion group. Even if you agree to participate now, you may stop participating AT ANY TIME or refuse to answer ANY QUESTION.

Your participation will not change the care or benefits you or your child receives from this child care center now or ever. You will be paid $50 even if you decide to stop participating in the focus group.

If you have any questions about this research study, you may call the study’s director, Vivian Gabor at (202) 828-5100.

Thank you.

Vivian Gabor

Study Director

I agree to take part in this discussion group and to be audio recorded. I have read the above group discussion description. Anything I did not understand was explained to me by the focus group facilitator and my questions were answered to my satisfaction.

I acknowledge that I have received a personal copy of this consent form.

______________________________________________________________________

Signature Date

Parent Consent Form (Spanish)

Evaluación de la Educación de Nutrición

Consentimiento de participación en el grupo de conversación

Se le ofrece participar en un grupo de conversación para el estudio de la educación de nutrición. Su participación es importante para esta organización y ayudará a la agencia a mejorar la enseñanza de nutrición que todos los niños reciben.

Todas respuestas y información que ofreces se mantendrá en confidencia. Nunca se incluirá su nombre en ningún reporte y sus respuestas no serán relacionadas de ninguna manera a usted.

No tiene la obligación de participar en este grupo de conversación y si decide participar, tiene la libertad de dejar de hacerlo EN CUALQUIER MOMENTO o de negarse a responder CUALQUIERA DE LAS PREGUNTAS.

Su participación no cambiará la atención o beneficios que usted o sus hijos reciben o recibirán en un futuro. Te pagamos $50 para participar aun que decidas dejar de participar en el grupo de conversación.

Si tiene preguntas acerca de este estudio de investigación, puede llamar a Gloria Aponte Clarke al (207) 772-1410. Gloria habla español.

Muchas gracias.

Vivian Gabor

Directora de proyecto

Estoy de acuerdo en participar en este grupo de conversación y que sea grabado. He leído la descripción del objetivo de este grupo de conversación. Algo que no entendí, me lo ha explicado el líder del conversación y mis preguntas fueron contestadas a mi satisfacción.

Confirmo que he recibido copia de este formulario para mi uso personal.

_____________________________________________________________________

Firma Fecha

File Type	application/msword
Author	Stacy Gleason
Last Modified By	hwilson
File Modified	2009-09-03
File Created	2009-09-03