CACFP Characteristics - Businesses

Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Sponsor and Provider Characteristics Study

A2.4 HS Provider Instrument 092314

CACFP Characteristics - Businesses

OMB: 0584-0601

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APPENDIX A2.4

HEAD START



Head Start Center Survey Instrument



IMPORTANT:


  • When completing this questionnaire, please think of the Head Start and/or Early Head Start site at the address listed in the cover letter that came with the questionnaire packet. Base your answers on your experiences with this site only.


  • Please consider BOTH Head Start AND Early Head Start classes when responding. If your site has only one type of program (i.e., EITHER Head Start OR Early Head Start), base your responses on the one type.


  • We may ask some questions for which you don’t have the answer. If that’s the case, please contact your sponsoring organization, someone else in your organization, or other appropriate person to get the information. Thanks in advance for doing so!



Your Head Start/Early Head Start Site’s Initial Participation in CACFP



1. In what year did your Head Start/Early Head Start site first begin participating in CACFP?


|___|___|___|___|


Don’t know



2. Thinking back on when you first applied to participate in CACFP, how long did it take from the time you first applied until your participation was approved?


Less than 7 days

1 week to 4 weeks

1 to 2 months

Longer than 2 months


Don’t know



General Background on Your Head Start/Early Head Start Site



3. Is the organization that administers your site a private not-for-profit organization or is it run by a public agency? (Check one box)


Private, not-for-profit

Public agency


Don’t know



4. How many total children is your Head Start/Early Head Start site licensed to serve?


Number of children |___|___|___|



5. Which of the following age groups does your Head Start/Early Head Start site serve? (Check all that apply)


0-12 months

1 and 2 years

3 through 5 years

Older than 5 years



6. Do you and/ or your staff refer any children in your care to other community services they may need?


Yes

Shape2 Shape1

GO TO QUESTION 7

No

Don’t know


6a. Which of the following services do you make referrals to? (Check all that apply)


The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for

Women, Infants and Children (WIC)

Health programs that provide medical, dental,

vision, hearing or speech screening

Therapeutic services such as speech therapy,

occupational therapy or other services for

children with special needs

Health insurance

Child welfare or family support services

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

or SNAP (previously referred to as the Food

Stamp Program)

Head Start/Early Head Start

Emergency food assistance programs (such as

food pantries, food banks, and soup kitchens)

Housing or shelter services

Other

(Please specify)


Don’t know



Your Head Start/Early Head Start Site Schedule



7. How many days of the week is your Head Start/Early Head Start site usually open?


Number of days |___|




8. Does your site have split (a.m./p.m.) Head Start/Early Head Start sessions?


Yes GO TO QUESTION 8a

No GO TO QUESTION 9


8a. Please fill out the table below for your site’s morning session only. What hours does your site usually provide care for children each day of the week? If your site does not provide morning session child care on a particular day of the week, please check “My site usually does not provide A.M. child care on that day.”


Day of the Week

Start time

(AM)

End time

(AM/PM)

My site usually does not provide A.M. child care on that day

Monday

|___|___| : |___|___| AM

|___|___| : |___|___| AM/PM

Tuesday

|___|___| : |___|___| AM

|___|___| : |___|___| AM/PM

Wednesday

|___|___| : |___|___| AM

|___|___| : |___|___| AM/PM

Thursday

|___|___| : |___|___| AM

|___|___| : |___|___| AM/PM

Friday

|___|___| : |___|___| AM

|___|___| : |___|___| AM/PM

Saturday

|___|___| : |___|___| AM

|___|___| : |___|___| AM/PM

Sunday

|___|___| : |___|___| AM

|___|___| : |___|___| AM/PM


8b. Please fill out the table below for your site’s afternoon session only. What hours does your site usually provide care for children each day of the week? If your site does not provide afternoon session child care on a particular day of the week, please check “My site usually does not provide P.M. child care on that day.”


Day of the Week

Start time

End time

My site usually does not provide P.M. child care on that day

Monday

|___|___| : |___|___| PM

|___|___| : |___|___| PM

Tuesday

|___|___| : |___|___| PM

|___|___| : |___|___| PM

Wednesday

|___|___| : |___|___| PM

|___|___| : |___|___| PM

Thursday

|___|___| : |___|___| PM

|___|___| : |___|___| PM

Friday

|___|___| : |___|___| PM

|___|___| : |___|___| PM

Saturday

|___|___| : |___|___| PM

|___|___| : |___|___| PM

Sunday

|___|___| : |___|___| PM

|___|___| : |___|___| PM


GO TO QUESTION 10




9. What hours does your Head Start/Early Head Start site usually provide care for children each day of the week? If your site does not provide child care on a particular day of the week, please check “My site usually does not provide child care on that day.”


Day of the Week

Start time

(AM/PM)

End time

(AM/PM)

My site usually does not provide child care on that day

Monday

|___|___| : |___|___| AM/PM

|___|___| : |___|___| AM/PM

Tuesday

|___|___| : |___|___| AM/PM

|___|___| : |___|___| AM/PM

Wednesday

|___|___| : |___|___| AM/PM

|___|___| : |___|___| AM/PM

Thursday

|___|___| : |___|___| AM/PM

|___|___| : |___|___| AM/PM

Friday

|___|___| : |___|___| AM/PM

|___|___| : |___|___| AM/PM

Saturday

|___|___| : |___|___| AM/PM

|___|___| : |___|___| AM/PM

Sunday

|___|___| : |___|___| AM/PM

|___|___| : |___|___| AM/PM



10. For all of Calendar Year 2014, how many weeks was your Head Start/Early Head Start site scheduled to be open?


Number of weeks |___|___|



Enrollment at Your Head Start/Early Head Start Site



11. In total, how many children are currently enrolled at your Head Start/Early Head Start site? If your site has split sessions, please combine the enrollment from all sessions.


Number of children |___|___|___|


11a. How many children are enrolled for less than 30 hours per week?


Number of children |___|___|___|


11b. How many children are enrolled for less than 5 days per week? If applicable, include children counted in Q11a, above.


Number of children |___|___|___|


11c. How many children are enrolled for one or more weekend days? If applicable, include children counted in Q11a and Q11b, above.


Site does not operate on weekends GO TO QUESTION 12


Number of children |___|___|




Average Daily Attendance at Your Head Start/Early Head Start Site



In answering the following set of questions, please think about actual child attendance during the past four weeks.


12. During the past four weeks, on a typical weekday how many enrolled children attended your Head Start/Early Head Start site?


Number of children |___|___|___|



13. During the past four weeks, on a typical weekend day how many enrolled children attended your Head Start/Early Head Start site?


Site does not operate on weekends GO TO QUESTION 14


Number of children |___|___|___|



14. Think about a typical week during the past four weeks. How many enrolled children attended your Head Start/Early Head Start site for 5 or more days?


Number of children |___|___|___|



15. Think about a typical week during the past four weeks. How many enrolled children attended your Head Start/Early Head Start site for less than 5 days?


Number of children |___|___|___|



Meal Service and Menus at Your Head Start/Early Head Start Site



Please answer the questions in this section about only the meals and menus at your child care site.


16. Which of the following meals does your Head Start/Early Head Start site serve on weekdays? (Check all that apply)


Breakfast

Morning snack

Lunch

Afternoon snack

Supper

Evening snack




17. Which of the following meals does your Head Start/Early Head Start site serve on weekends? (Check all that apply)


Site does not operate on weekends


Breakfast

Morning snack

Lunch

Afternoon snack

Supper

Evening snack



18. Please provide the total number of each type of meal and snack that were claimed for your Head Start/Early Head Start site for CACFP in October 2014.


Breakfast |___|___|___|___|___|

Morning snack |___|___|___|___|___|

Lunch |___|___|___|___|___|

Afternoon snack |___|___|___|___|___|

Supper |___|___|___|___|___|

Evening snack |___|___|___|___|___|



19. Please provide the total number of each type of meal and snack your Head Start/Early Head Start site served to the children in October 2014, but were not claimed for CACFP.


Breakfast |___|___|___|___|___|

Morning snack |___|___|___|___|___|

Lunch |___|___|___|___|___|

Afternoon snack |___|___|___|___|___|

Supper |___|___|___|___|___|

Evening snack |___|___|___|___|___|



20. Does your Head Start/Early Head Start site have any infants who receive breast milk while in your care? (Check one box)


We do not have any infants enrolled at our site


Yes

No




21. What are the sources of the menus used in your Head Start/Early Head Start site? (Check all that apply)


Head Start/Early Head Start staff

CACFP sponsor’s cycle menus

CACFP State Agency

A child care association

A commercial vendor

USDA CACFP website

Office of Head Start website

Other website

Other

(Please specify)


NOTE:


If you only checked one box in Q21, go to Q22. Otherwise, go to Q21a.


21a. What is the primary source of the menus used in your Head Start/Early Head Start site? (Check one box)


Head Start/Early Head Start staff

CACFP sponsor’s cycle menus

CACFP State Agency

A child care association

A commercial vendor

USDA CACFP website

Office of Head Start website

Other website

Other

(Please specify)



22. Are all, some, or none of the meals you serve prepared by another organization (e.g., a food bank, commercial food service vendor, or CACFP sponsor) and provided to your site as “ready to serve?” (By “ready to serve” we mean you can serve the meal as it was prepared for you with only minimal work such as heating it up or cutting it into portion sizes.)


All meals are provided to us by another

organization “ready to serve”

Some meals are provided to us “ready to serve”

and some meals are prepared on site

No meals are provided to us “ready to serve;”

all meals are prepared at our site GO TO QUESTION 23



22a. Where are most of the meals you serve prepared? (Check one box)


At a central kitchen of my organization

or my CACFP sponsor

A local school that is not my sponsor

A commercial food service vendor

A local restaurant or delicatessen with

a catering permit

At a food bank or emergency kitchen

At a homeless shelter

At another community site

Other

(Please specify)



Languages Spoken at Your Head Start/Early Head Start Site



23. Do any children currently enrolled at your Head Start/Early Head Start site speak a language other than English?


Yes

Shape3 Shape4

GO TO QUESTION 24

No

Don’t know


23a. Does your site have at least one person on staff who can speak the same language that these children speak?


Yes

No


23b. What languages do you and your staff speak when talking with the children at your Head Start/Early Head Start site? (Check all that apply)


English

Spanish

Chinese

French/Haitian Creole

Tagalog

Vietnamese

Korean

German

Russian

Miao/Hmong

Arabic

Japanese

Other language

(Please specify)



23c. What is the main language you and your staff speak when talking with the children at your Head Start/Early Head Start site? (Check one box)


English

Spanish

Chinese

French/Haitian Creole

Tagalog

Vietnamese

Korean

German

Russian

Miao/Hmong

Arabic

Japanese

Other language

(Please specify)



Children with Special Dietary Needs



24. Do any children enrolled at your Head Start/Early Head Start site have special dietary needs?


Yes

Shape6 Shape5

GO TO QUESTION 25

No

Don’t know


24a. What policies does your child care site have to accommodate these children’s dietary needs? (Check all that apply)


We require them to bring in a note from their

medical provider documenting their special

dietary needs

We provide food substitutions for foods they

cannot eat

We modify the daily meal pattern as needed

We maintain a nut-free environment in our

child care program

We allow children with special dietary needs

to bring food from home

Other

(Please specify)




Staffing at Your Head Start/Early Head Start Site



As with the other sections of this survey, please answer the questions in this section only for your individual Head Start/Early Head Start site. This is the site located at the address on the cover letter that came with the questionnaire.


25. How many employees, including yourself, work at your Head Start/Early Head Start site? (Please count part-time and full-time staff equally.)


Total number of employees |___|___|___|



26. What is the usual number of children per adult at this Head Start/Early Head Start site at 10:00 a.m. on weekdays, for groups of 3 to 5 year olds?


Number of children per adult |___|___|



27. Is the number of children per adult different during weekends or evenings that your Head Start/Early Head Start site is in operation?


Shape7

This Head Start/Early Head Start site is not

Shape8

GO TO QUESTION 28

open weekends or evenings

No, it is not different during weekends or

evenings

Yes, it is different during weekends or evenings


27a. What is the usual number of children per adult for groups of 3 to 5 year olds served during weekends or evenings at this site?


Number of children per adult |___|___|



28. How many employees (counting part-time and full-time employees equally) at your Head Start/Early Head Start site work on any of the following food service tasks: menu planning, food purchasing, food storage, food preparation, and/or food safety?


Number of employees |___|___|___| IF = 0, GO TO QUESTION 29


28a. Among all of the employees who work on any of these food service tasks, how many have received training in food service as part of the mandatory annual CACFP training?


Number of employees |___|___|___|


28b. How many of these employees have received additional training in food service, that was not part of the mandatory annual CACFP training?

Number of employees |___|___|___|




Internet Use at Your Head Start/Early Head Start Site



29. Does your Head Start/Early Head Start site have on-site access to the Internet?


Yes

Shape10 Shape9

GO TO QUESTION 31

No

Don’t know



30. Does your Head Start/Early Head Start site usually submit CACFP meal claim forms on paper, electronically, or in both formats?


Submit only paper claims GO TO QUESTION 31

Submit only electronic claims

Submit both paper and electronic claims


30a. Who developed the system your Head Start/Early Head Start site uses to electronically submit CACFP claims? (Check one box)


Private source

Shape11 Shape12

GO TO QUESTION 31

State CACFP Agency

CACFP Sponsoring organization


Don’t know


30b. What is the name of the system your Head Start/Early Head Start site uses for submitting CACFP claims electronically?


Minute Menu

Procare

CACFP.Net

Other

(Please specify)


Don’t know



Training and Assistance Provided by Your Sponsoring Organization



In this section, we are interested in the training and other assistance that your CACFP sponsoring organization provided to your Head Start/Early Head Start site during the past 12 months, as well as on what CACFP-related topics it would be helpful to receive more training or assistance.


31. During the past 12 months, did you and/or staff receive any training from your CACFP sponsor on CACFP issues?


Yes

No GO TO QUESTION 32



31a. During the past 12 months, what was the most common format that your CACFP sponsor used to provide this training? (Check one box)


Web-based

In-person group classes or workshops

Self-study

One-on-one

Other

(Please specify)


31b. During the past 12 months, on what topics have you and/or your staff received training from your CACFP sponsor? (Check all that apply)


CACFP meal requirements

CACFP recordkeeping requirements

Preparing and filing monthly reimbursement

claims

Head Start categorical eligibility guidelines

CACFP monitoring requirements

Defining serious deficiencies

Maintaining confidentiality

USDA civil rights requirements

Appeals process for serious deficiencies

Food purchasing

Menu planning

Food preparation

Food safety/food service operations

Nutrition

Physical activity in child care

Obesity prevention

Best practices in child care

Staff wellness

Parent relations

Recognizing abuse and neglect

Other

(Please specify)


31c. How satisfied are you with the training your child care site received from your CACFP sponsor?


Very satisfied

Satisfied

Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied

Dissatisfied

Very dissatisfied



32. During the past 12 months, have you received any technical assistance from your CACFP sponsor?


Yes

No GO TO QUESTION 33



32a. On what topics did you receive technical assistance from your CACFP sponsor? (Check all that apply)


Menu planning/sample menus

Food vendor contracts

Staff training

Budgeting

Computer support

Other topics

(Please specify)


32b. How satisfied are you with the technical assistance available from your CACFP sponsor?


Very satisfied

Satisfied

Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied

Dissatisfied

Very dissatisfied



33. Are there any food, nutrition, or CACFP-related topics on which you would like to receive more training or assistance?


Yes

No GO TO QUESTION 34


33a. On what topics would you like to receive more training or assistance from your CACFP sponsor? (Check all that apply)


CACFP meal requirements

CACFP recordkeeping requirements

Preparing and filing monthly reimbursement

claims

Head Start categorical eligibility guidelines

CACFP monitoring requirements

Defining serious deficiencies

Maintaining confidentiality

USDA civil rights requirements

Appeals process for serious deficiencies

Food purchasing

Food vendor contracts

Menu planning/sample menus

Food preparation

Food safety/food service operations

Budgeting

Computer support

Nutrition

Physical activity in child care

Obesity prevention

Best practices in child care

Staff wellness

Staff training

Parent relations

Recognizing abuse and neglect

Other

(Please specify)

Training Provided by Your Site to Your Staff



In the following questions, we’re interested in the CACFP-related training that your site may have provided to your Head Start/Early Head Start staff during the past 12 months.


34. During the past 12 months, did your Head Start/Early Head Start site provide any training to your staff on CACFP issues, such as meal patterns, and nutrition?


Yes

Shape14 Shape13

GO TO QUESTION 35

No

Don’t know


34a. During the past 12 months, how many training sessions were provided by your Head Start/Early Head Start site to your staff on CACFP issues?


Number of training sessions on

CACFP issues |___|___|


CACFP Monitoring Visits



35. During the past 12 months, how many times did your CACFP sponsor conduct a monitoring visit at your Head Start/Early Head Start site?


Times during last 12 months |___|___| IF = 0, GO TO QUESTION 41



36. How many of these monitoring visits were announced before the visit?


Number of monitoring visits

announced before the visit |___|___|


Don’t know



37. During the past 12 months, approximately how many minutes, on average, did a CACFP monitoring visit last?


Minutes per visit |___|___|



38. During the past 12 months, which of the following enrollment-related topics were reviewed during a CACFP monitoring visit at your Head Start/Early Head Start site? (Check all that apply)


Child care license is current

Health and safety guidelines followed

A current enrollment record exists for each

child present

The number of children in attendance is less

than or equal to licensed capacity

Food allergies are documented

Other

(Please specify)

39. During the past 12 months, which of the following claiming and menu-related topics were reviewed during the CACFP monitoring visits? (Check all that apply)


Existence and accuracy of daily attendance

records

Number of meals claimed compared to

licensed capacity

Recording of daily meal counts and menus

5-day reconciliation

Menus for each mail claimed, including infant

meals

Completion of menu production records with

quantities

Compliance of infant menus with CACFP meal

pattern requirements

Food receipts support the menu

Other

(Please specify)



40. During the past 12 months, which of the following meal-related topics were observed and/or reviewed during the CACFP monitoring visits? (Check all that apply)


Observed meal meets CACFP meal pattern

requirements

Appropriate type of milk is served to children

Drinking water is available throughout the day

Meals served match the menu

Time of day meals and snacks are served is

appropriate

Type of meal service (family style vs. plated)

Safe food handling practices observed

Food allergies are accommodated

Other

(Please specify)






Your Satisfaction with Your CACFP Sponsor



41. Please rate your level of satisfaction with your CACFP sponsoring organization on the following factors: (Circle one number for each factor)


Factor

Very

Satisfied

Satisfied

Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied

Dissatisfied

Very Dissatisfied

Don’t Know

Not Applicable

a. Availability of someone to help when needed

1

2

3

4

5

-8

-9

b. Turnaround time for payment of our claims

1

2

3

4

5

-8

-9

c. Review of the Head Start/ Early Head Start site

1

2

3

4

5

-8

-9

d. CACFP sponsor’s use of technology

1

2

3

4

5

-8

-9

e. Support of the Head Start/ Early Head Start site’s use of technology for the CACFP

1

2

3

4

5

-8

-9



Your Perceptions of the CACFP



42. How does the money from CACFP reimbursements change the way your site provides services? (Check all that apply)


We can care for more children

We can serve more snacks or meals to

children we serve

We can serve higher quality meals

We can improve the non-food parts of our

program

We can lower the fees we charge for our

program

Other

(Please specify)



43. The following is a list of possible benefits of the CACFP. Please rank the three benefits you consider to be most important, with “1” being the most important, “2” being the second most important, and “3” being the third most important. (Rank 3)


Rank

CACFP provides nutritious meals to children |___|

CACFP teaches me and my staff to plan and

prepare nutritious meals |___|

CACFP feeds children who would otherwise

have limited access to nutritious food |___|

CACFP helps children develop healthy eating

habits |___|

CACFP helps parents learn the importance of

healthy eating |___|

CACFP helps child care programs stay in

business |___|

CACFP is an important part of the social

safety net for children and families |___|



44. Overall, how would you rate your Head Start/Early Head Start’s site’s level of burden to meet CACFP requirements? Think of burden as the amount of time and effort put into meeting the requirements.


Shape15

Very low burden

Low burden GO TO QUESTION 45

Neither high nor low

High burden

Very high burden


44a. What aspects of the CACFP requirements are burdensome for your Head Start/Early Head Start site?






Suggestions for Improving CACFP



45. Do you have any suggestions for improving the program support and oversight provided by your CACFP sponsoring organization?


Yes

No GO TO QUESTION 46



45a. Which of the following suggestions do you have for improving the program support and oversight provided by your CACFP sponsoring organization? (Check all that apply)


Offer better feedback during monitoring visits

Provide more timely feedback on results of

monitoring visits

Provide clearer information about follow-up

actions I need to take after a monitoring visit

Provide clearer information about what

constitutes a serious deficiency

Provide clearer information about the appeals

process for serious deficiency notices

Provide better training on CACFP rules and

responsibilities

Process reimbursements for claims in a more

timely fashion

Focus monitoring visits on teaching not just

enforcement

Make monitoring visits less invasive

Other

(Please specify)__________________________



46. Based on your experience, do you think any other areas of the CACFP need to be improved?


Yes

No Thank you!


46a. What suggestions do you have for improving CACFP?






Thank you for completing the questionnaire. Please return it in the enclosed postage-paid envelope to:


CACFP Sponsor and Provider Study

Westat

1600 Research Blvd.

Rm. _____

Rockville, MD 20850



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