CACFP Characteristics - Businesses

APPENDIX A2.5

AT-RISK CENTERS

At-Risk Center Survey Instrument

IMPORTANT:

• When completing this questionnaire, please think ONLY of the site at the address listed in the cover letter that came with the questionnaire packet.

• Base your answers on your experiences with CACFP at this site only.

• 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!

General Background on Your Site

1. Is your organization private not-for-profit, for-profit, or is it a public agency, school, or school district? (Check one box)

Private, not-for-profit 

Private for-profit 

Public agency, school, or school district 

2. Which of the following best describes your organization? (Check one box)

Child care center 

Head Start center 

Public school 

Private school 

School food authority 

Housing authority facility/site 

Homeless center 

Parks and recreation facility 

Multi-purpose community center 

YMCA or YWCA 

Boys & Girls Club 

Salvation Army site 

United Way organization 

Faith-based organization 

21st Century Community Learning Center 

Police Athletic League 

Food bank 

Tribal organization 

Other 

(Please specify)

3. Is the site where you provide At-Risk meals and/or snacks licensed as a child care center?

Yes 

No 

4. Do children attending the afterschool program at your site enroll or is attendance on a “drop in” basis?

All children must enroll 

All children attend on a drop in basis 

Some children enroll and some attend on a

drop-in basis 

5. Which of the following age groups do you serve in your afterschool program?

0-12 months 

1 and 2 years 

3 through 5 years 

6 through 9 years 

10 through 12 years 

13 through 18 years 

6. What kinds of educational and enrichment programming does the afterschool component of your site offer to the children? (Check all that apply)

Recreation 

Nutrition education on healthy eating 

Education on growing healthy foods 

Good citizenship 

Anti-bullying 

Arts education 

Physical education 

General academic assistance 

Academic tutoring on specific subjects 

Other 

(Please specify)

History of Your Site’s CACFP Participation and

Experience at Initial Enrollment in At-Risk CACFP

7. In what year did your site first begin participating in any part of the CACFP?

|___|___|___|___|

Don’t know 

8. Have you ever claimed any afterschool snacks in the At-Risk CACFP?

We currently claim At-Risk afterschool snacks 

We claimed At-Risk afterschool snacks in the

past but not currently 

We have never claimed At-Risk afterschool

snacks   GO TO QUESTION 9

8a. In what year did your site start claiming afterschool snacks in the At-Risk CACFP?

|___|___|___|___|

Don’t know 

9. Have you ever claimed any afterschool meals in the At-Risk CACFP?

We currently claim At-Risk afterschool meals 

We claimed At-Risk afterschool meals in the

past but not currently 

We have never claimed At-Risk afterschool

meals   GO TO QUESTION 10

9a. In what year did your site start claiming afterschool meals in the At-Risk CACFP?

|___|___|___|___|

Don’t know 

Please answer the remainder of the questions in this section thinking back to when you first applied to participate in the At-Risk CACFP.

10. How did you first find out about the At-Risk CACFP? (Check one box)

In a local newspaper 

On the radio 

Posters, Flyers or brochures 

From an advocacy organization 

From a friend 

Someone contacted me from the State agency 

Someone contacted me from a CACFP

sponsoring organization 

From the organization that administers my site 

Social media 

Other 

(Please specify)

Don’t know 

11. The following is a list of possible reasons why organizations might want to participate in the At-Risk CACFP. Please rank the three reasons 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 reason your organization participates. (Rank 3)

Rank

Allows us to provide food to children who are at risk

of hunger |___|

Supports afterschool enrichment programming |___|

Less paperwork requirements than non-At-Risk CACFP |___|

Area eligibility instead of individual eligibility |___|

Does not require us to meet licensing requirements,

just health and safety requirements |___|

Higher reimbursement than non-At-Risk child care

CACFP |___|

Individual enrollment is not required |___|

Can serve older children in At-Risk CACFP than

in non-At-Risk child care CACFP |___|

Teaches me and my staff to plan and prepare

nutritious meals |___|

Helps children develop healthy eating habits |___|

Other |___|

(Please specify)

12. How difficult would you say it was for your site to apply and be determined eligible to claim At-Risk afterschool meals and snacks?

Very difficult 

Somewhat difficult 

Not difficult at all   GO TO QUESTION 13

Don’t know 

12a. What factors posed barriers to your initial enrollment? (Check all that apply)

Area eligibility rules 

State and local health and safety requirements 

Program enrichment activities requirement 

Documenting licensing/registration status 

Documenting funding and staffing 

Meal pattern requirements 

Determining how to budget for meals 

Not enough cooking staff 

Limited food preparation space 

Limited food storage space 

No experience planning or preparing CACFP

meals 

No experience with food service contracts

(vended meals) 

Other 

(Please specify)

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please answer Question 13 if prior to claiming At-Risk CACFP meals your site provided only afterschool snacks. All other respondents should go to Question 14.

13. When you began participating in the At-Risk CACFP for afterschool meals, what were the three greatest challenges that you faced? (Check 3 boxes)

We experienced no challenges   GO TO QUESTION 14

Learning how to plan menus 

Determining how much food to purchase or

prepare 

Finding enough food storage space 

Storing foods at the correct temperature 

Finding food preparation space 

Planning a kitchen 

Meeting food sanitation requirements 

Hiring skilled food service workers 

Training staff to serve meals 

Meal clean up 

Budgeting meals 

Completing CACFP food service records 

Recordkeeping (other than food service

records) 

Training staff to assure our site’s compliance

with CACFP rules 

Other 

(Please specify)

Don’t know 

Your Site’s Schedule and At-Risk Afterschool Meal/Snack Service

14. In October 2014, to how many children did you serve CACFP At-Risk afterschool meals and/or snacks?

Total number of children served |___|___|___|

15. In October 2014, what was the total number of each type of afterschool meal and snack that your site claimed in the At-Risk CACFP?

At-Risk breakfast |___|___|___|___|___|

At-Risk lunch |___|___|___|___|___|

At-Risk supper |___|___|___|___|___|

At-Risk snack |___|___|___|___|___|

16. On weekdays when school is in session, which days and hours does your site usually operate after school care? If it is usually closed on a particular day of the week for after school hours, please check “My site is usually closed after school on that day.”

Day of the Week	Start time (AM/PM)	End time (AM/PM)	My site is usually closed after school 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	

17. On the weekdays you operate when school is in session, which of the following afterschool meals and snacks does your site usually claim in the At-Risk CACFP? (Check all that apply)

At-Risk lunch 

At-Risk supper 

At-Risk snack 

18. During the school year, does your site provide services to children on weekdays when school is not in session, such as during school vacations and/or teacher training days?

Yes 

No   GO TO QUESTION 19

18a. During the school year, on weekdays when school is not in session, what hours does your site provide services to children? (Circle AM or PM)

Start Time: |___|___| : |___|___| AM or PM

End Time: |___|___| : |___|___| AM or PM

18b. During the school year, on weekdays when school is not in session, which of the following afterschool meals and snacks does your site usually claim in the At-Risk CACFP? (Check all that apply)

At-Risk breakfast 

At-Risk lunch 

At-Risk supper 

At-Risk snack 

19. During the school year, does your site provide services to children on weekend days?

Yes 

No   GO TO QUESTION 20

19a. On weekends during the school year, which days and hours does your site provide services to children? If it is usually closed on Saturday or Sunday, please check “My site is usually closed on that day.”

Day of the Week	Start time (AM/PM)	End time (AM/PM)	My site is usually closed on that day
Saturday	|___|___| : |___|___| AM/PM	|___|___| : |___|___| AM/PM	
Sunday	|___|___| : |___|___| AM/PM	|___|___| : |___|___| AM/PM	

19b. On weekends during the school year, which of the following afterschool meals and snacks does your site usually claim in the At-Risk CACFP? (Check all that apply)

At-Risk breakfast 

At-Risk lunch 

At-Risk supper 

At-Risk snack 

20. Are all, some, or none of your At-Risk afterschool meals 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 At-Risk meals are provided to us by another

organization “ready to serve” 

Some At-Risk meals are provided to us “ready to serve”

and some meals are prepared on site 

No At-Risk meals are provided to us “ready to serve;”

all At-Risk meals are prepared at our site   GO TO QUESTION 21

20a. Where are most of the At-Risk afterschool 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)

Don’t know 

21. Do the At-Risk afterschool meals you serve usually include only cold foods, only hot foods, or both hot and cold foods?

Only cold foods 

Only hot foods 

Both hot and cold foods 

Your Site’s Participation in Non-At-Risk CACFP

The next few questions ask specifically about the meals and snacks your site may claim in the non-At-Risk child care part of CACFP.

IMPORTANT NOTE: 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!

22. Do you claim any meals and/or snacks in non-At-Risk child care CACFP?

Yes 

No   GO TO QUESTION 27

23. On weekdays during the school year, which of the following meals and snacks does your site usually claim in non-At-Risk child care CACFP? (Check all that apply)

We don’t claim any non-At-Risk meals and

snacks on weekdays 

Breakfast 

Morning snack 

Lunch 

Afternoon snack 

Supper 

Evening Snack 

24. On weekends during the school year, which of the following meals and snacks does your site usually claim in non-At-Risk child care CACFP? (Check all that apply)

We don’t claim any non-At-Risk meals and

snacks on weekends 

Breakfast 

Morning snack 

Lunch 

Afternoon snack 

Supper 

Evening snack 

25. For which of the following age groups does your organization claim meals and/or snacks in non-At-Risk child care CACFP? (Check all that apply)

0-12 months 

1 and 2 years 

3 through 5 years 

6 through 9 years 

10 through 12 years 

26. Do you currently face any challenges participating in both the At-Risk and non-At-Risk child care CACFP?

Yes 

No   GO TO QUESTION 27

26a. What are the two biggest challenges your site faces participating in both the At-Risk and non-At-Risk child care CACFP? (Check up to 2 boxes)

Maintaining separate meal counts for both

parts of CACFP 

Maintaining two systems of eligibility 

Training staff on differences in recordkeeping

for both parts of CACFP 

Claiming under At-Risk and non-At-Risk parts

of CACFP during the school year and only

non-At-Risk child care CACFP during the

summer 

Budgeting when some meals are paid at the

free rate and others at a mix of free, reduced

and paid rates 

Other 

(Please specify)

Outreach

27. Does your organization conduct any outreach efforts to promote participation in your afterschool meals/snacks program?

Yes 

No   GO TO QUESTION 28

27a. What kinds of outreach methods has your organization used? (Check all that apply)

Press releases 

Flyers/brochures at local schools 

Flyers /brochures at local libraries 

Flyers/brochures at local stores 

Social media 

Other 

(Please specify)

28. Do other organizations conduct outreach to promote participation in your afterschool meals/snacks program?

Yes 

GO TO QUESTION 29

No 

Don’t know 

28a. What other organizations conduct outreach for your afterschool meals/snacks program?

My CACFP sponsor 

Advocacy organizations 

Local schools 

Religious organizations 

Food banks 

Local community organizations 

Other 

(Please specify)

29. Which of the outreach methods do you think have been the most effective in bringing children into your afterschool meals/snacks program? (Check all that apply)

No outreach has been conducted for our

afterschool meals/snacks program 

Press releases 

Distributing flyers/brochures at local schools 

Distributing flyers/brochures at local libraries 

Distributing flyers/brochures at local stores 

Outreach by advocacy organizations 

Outreach by local schools 

Outreach by religious organizations 

Other organizations that serve families in our

community 

Social media 

Other 

(Please specify)

Non-CACFP Supports for Meals and Snacks

30. Currently, does this site receive any non-CACFP food, funding, or in-kind supports to purchase, prepare or serve the meals and/or snacks you serve after school, on weekends, or during school holidays?

Yes 

No   GO TO QUESTION 31

30a. In what year did you start receiving this food, funding or in-kind supports to purchase, prepare or serve meals and snacks in your program?

|___|___|___|___|

Don’t know 

30b. From which non-CACFP sources do you currently receive food, funding or in-kind supports for these purposes? (Check all that apply)

From emergency food assistance programs

such as food banks, food pantries or soup

kitchens 

From funding for housing or shelter services 

From Head Start or Early Head Start

programming 

From charitable organizations 

From my organization’s operating budget 

From fundraising efforts specifically for food 

donations 

Fees charged to parents 

Other 

(Please specify)

Training and Support on At-Risk CACFP

In the following questions, we’re interested in the training and other assistance that your CACFP sponsor and/or State CACFP agency provided to you on the At-Risk CACFP during the past 12 months, as well as on what topics it would be helpful to receive more training or assistance.

31. During the past 12 months, did you and/or your staff receive training from your CACFP sponsor and/or State Agency on any topics specific to At-Risk CACFP?

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 

One-on-one 

Other 

(Please specify)

31b. During the past 12 months, on which of the following At-Risk CACFP-related topics have you and/or your staff received training from your CACFP sponsor and/or State Agency? (Check all that apply)

Requirements specific to At-Risk CACFP 

CACFP meal requirements 

CACFP recordkeeping requirements 

Preparing and filing monthly reimbursement

claims 

At-Risk area eligibility 

Coordination of recordkeeping between your

non-At-Risk and At-Risk CACFP 

CACFP monitoring requirements 

Health and safety standards 

Serious deficiencies 

Maintaining confidentiality 

USDA civil rights requirements 

Food purchasing 

Menu planning 

Food preparation 

Food safety/food service operations 

Nutrition 

Physical activity 

Obesity prevention 

Best practices in after school programs 

Staff wellness 

Parent relations 

Recognizing abuse and neglect 

Other 

(Please specify)

31c. How satisfied are you with the training your site received from your CACFP sponsor and/or State Agency on the At-Risk CACFP?

Very satisfied 

Satisfied 

Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied 

Dissatisfied 

Very dissatisfied 

32. During the past 12 months, have you received any technical assistance regarding At-Risk CACFP from your CACFP sponsor and/or State CACFP Agency?

Yes 

No   GO TO QUESTION 33

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

Menu planning/sample menus 

Food vendor contracts 

Staff training 

Budgeting 

Computer support 

Other 

(Please specify)

32b. How satisfied are you with the technical assistance available from your CACFP sponsor specific to At-Risk CACFP?

Very satisfied 

Satisfied 

Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied 

Dissatisfied 

Very dissatisfied 

33. Has your CACFP sponsor or State agency provided you any tools or materials that have helped you to meet the requirements of the At-Risk CACFP?

Yes 

No   GO TO QUESTION 34

33a. Please briefly describe these tools or materials.

Summer Programming

34. During Summer 2014, was your afterschool site open for any programming for children?

Yes 

No   GO TO QUESTION 38

35. During Summer 2014, on a typical day approximately how many children attended your site?

Number of children |___|___|___|

36. Is your afterschool program site in an area with a 12- month school year?

Yes 

No   GO TO QUESTION 37

36a. During Summer 2014, did you claim any meals and/or snacks from the At-Risk CACFP?

Yes 

No 

37. During Summer 2014, did you operate as a site for the Summer Food Service Program?

Yes   GO TO QUESTION 39

No 

37a. What are the two main factors that prevented you from being a Summer Food Service Program site? (Check up to 2 boxes)

State agency approval 

Challenges in obtaining licensing or health and

safety approval 

Staffing limitations 

Lack of transportation for the children 

Lack of sufficient programming space 

There are one or more Summer Food Service

sites in the area 

Have never considered participating in the

Summer Food Service Program 

The Summer Food Service Program and

CACFP program operate out of two different

agencies in my State 

Other 

(Please specify)

Just not interested in participating   GO TO QUESTION 39

Don’t know 

38. Would you like to be a site for the Summer Food Service Program?

Yes 

No   GO TO QUESTION 39

38a. What kind of information and/or help would you need to consider becoming a site for the Summer Food Service Program?

Suggestions for Improving At-Risk CACFP

39. Do you need more training or tools to help you implement At-Risk CACFP?

Yes 

GO TO QUESTION 40

No 

Don’t know 

39a. On which of the following topics does your site need more training or tools to help you implement At-Risk CACFP?

How to plan menus/sample menus 

Food purchasing 

Food storage 

Preparing healthy, child-friendly meals 

Contracting for vended meals 

Food service budgeting 

Other 

(Please specify)

40. Based on your experience, do you think any other areas of At-Risk CACFP need to be improved?

Yes 

No   Thank you!

40a. What suggestions do you have for improving At-Risk 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

A2.5-0