Appendix B12 Center (SCCC & HSC) Notification Letter

APPENDIX B12. CENTER (SCCC & HSC) NOTIFICATION LETTER

OMB Number: 0584-XXXX

Expiration Date: XX/XX/XXXX

<DATE>

<CHILD CARE CENTER DIRECTOR NAME>, <TITLE>

<CHILD CARE CENTER NAME>

<ADDRESS>

Dear <CHILD CARE CENTER DIRECTOR NAME>:

By now, you probably have been informed by your State Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Director or Sponsoring agency that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has contracted with Westat, Inc., and its partnering organizations, Kokopelli Associates LLC and Windwalker Corporation, to conduct the Erroneous Payments in Child Care Centers Study (EPICCS). EPICCS was mandated by Congress to help FNS comply with the requirements of the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Improvement Act (IPERIA) of 2012.

The goal of the study is to estimate erroneous payments in the CACFP. This data will be used to improve the program by maximizing the efficiency of meal tracking and reporting within the program to help ensure the integrity, refinement, and continuity of the CACFP. Enclosed is a fact sheet/FAQ that provides additional information. We have also enclosed letters of letters of endorsement from the CACFP organizations.

<CENTER NAME> is one of 450 CACFP centers across the country that has been randomly selected for participation in the Study. EPICCS will collect data on the breakfast and lunch meal programs provided by your center. A data collector will be making one or more visits (at scheduled times) to your center. You will be asked to provide information about your center, meal preparation and serving, meal count and claiming procedures, and the children you serve. Data collection will include the following during the time periods indicated:

• September – October 2016

  • A pre-visit phone interview

• October 2016 – July 2017

  • Review and abstraction of income eligibility applications on three separate visits (at the site where the records are maintained)

  • In-person household survey with a small number of randomly selected households enrolled at your center

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-XXXX. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 15 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data sources, gather and maintain the data needed, and complete and review the collection of information.

• October 2016 – April 2017

  • Center Data Collection:

    • Review and abstraction of center enrollment and attendance information

    • Review and abstraction of meal counting and claiming records

    • Observation of meal preparation and serving

The household survey component of EPICCS, called the National Assessment of Meal Eligibility and Services (NAMES) study, will ask questions to parents or guardians regarding their child’s participation in meal services, including their perceptions, satisfaction, and eligibility for meal benefits. The survey will also include questions about their income and household size. We will contact the sampled households separately to invite them to participate. Enclosed is a copy of the NAMES study brochure for your reference.

Your participation in EPICCS complies with the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 requirements and is a crucial step to ensure a nationally representative sample and scientifically valid findings. The results of this study will help inform future legislation and regulations for the child care center component of the CACFP.

We assure you that all information provided by your center will be used for research purposes only and kept private to the extent provided by law. Your participation will not affect meal reimbursements or meal program benefits for any participating state agency, sponsoring organization, child care center, or household.

A member of the research team will be contacting you soon to discuss the study and answer any of your questions. If you have more immediate questions, please contact us at the toll-free number 1-855-272-0058 or [email protected].

Thank you for your help and cooperation.

Sincerely,

<ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE>

Roline Milfort, Ph.D., PMP

EPICCS Project Director

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