Household Survey Activities

Supporting Statement for OMB Clearance for the Study of Non-Response to the School Meals Application Verification Process

Appendix 29a

Household Survey Call Script (English)

Household SURVEY CALL SCRIPT

INTERVIEWER: Hello, my name is [FULL NAME] and I’m calling on behalf of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service’s School Meal Application Study. We recently sent [PARENT/GUARDIAN NAME] a letter that described the purpose of this study and said that we would be trying to reach this household by phone. I’d like to schedule an appointment with the parent or guardian of [STUDENT NAME] to interview (him/her) about (his/her) experiences with the meals program and application process at [SCHOOL NAME]. May I speak with (him/her)?

SPEAKING WITH PARENT/GUARDIAN FROM CONTACT SHEET 1 GO TO R1

ASKS ABOUT STUDY 2 GO TO R2

ASKS HOW WE GOT THEIR INFORMATION 3 GO TO R3

NOT AVAILABLE 4 ASK FOR TIME TO

CALLBACK AND RECORD

ON CONTACT SHEET

NAMED PERSON NOT CORRECT 5 GO TO R6

WRONG NUMBER 6 RECORD ON CONTACT

SHEET, GET NEW NUMBER IF POSSIBLE. IF NO NEW NUMBER AVAILABLE, CONTACT FIELD MANAGER FOR NEXT STEPS

LANGUAGE BARRIER 7 THANK CONTACT, RECORD ON

CONTACT SHEET

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 for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.

R1. SPEAKING WITH PARENT/GUARDIAN:

We are interviewing parents or guardians of children who attend a school in the [DISTRICT] district. Your family was randomly selected to participate in this study. If you decide to participate, you will receive a $25 Visa gift card in appreciation of your time.

This study is being sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture/Food and Nutrition Service, which is the same Department that runs the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. Your school district is aware of the study, and we have their permission to contact you. This study examines households’ experiences with the school meals application process. As part of the study, we will ask you to provide information about your household and income sources. To ensure the data we collect are as accurate as possible, it would be great if you could share income documentation, such as pay stubs or statements. Again, as a token of our appreciation for your time, you will receive a $25 Visa gift card upon completing the interview.

I’ll be in your area [TARGET WEEK DATES]. We would like to interview you in-person (at your home) on [TARGET DATE/TARGET TIME] at your home or some other convenient location. The interview will take about 45 minutes, and it may take you up to two hours to collect income documentation, such as pay stubs or statements, to prepare for the interview ahead of time. Will that work for you?

APPOINTMENT MADE 1 GO TO CONTACT INFO

DIDN’T RECEIVE LETTER 2 EXPLAIN SURVEY OVER

PHONE

NO LONGER HAS CUSTODY OF CHILD 3 GO TO R4

STUDENT RESIDES IN GROUP HOME 4 GO TO R4

CHILD NOW LIVES WITH ANOTHER PARENT/GUARDIAN 5 GO TO R4

CHILD NO LONGER/NEVER PARTICIPATED IN SCHOOL meals program 5 GO TO R5

CALLBACK REQUESTED 6 SCHEDULE CALLBACK,

RECORD ON CONTACT SHEET

LANGUAGE BARRIER 7 THANK CONTACT, RECORD ON

CONTACT SHEET

R2. ASKS ABOUT THE STUDY:

The Food and Nutrition Service is interested in learning about households’ experiences with the school meals program. In order to do this, we are interviewing some households in your child’s school district. We would like to talk to the parents or guardians of these students to find out about their experiences with the school meals application and verification process. We also ask that you help by providing information about your income sources and household characteristics. To ensure the data we collect are as accurate as possible, it would be great if you could share documentation during the interview to help verify income, such as pay stubs and statements. The interview usually takes about 45 minutes, plus an additional two hours to collect your income information beforehand, and we’ll give you a $25 Visa gift card when it is completed. All of your answers are private and won’t affect your child’s meal status or any other benefits you receive now or could receive in the future. The results of our study will not include any personal information that could be used to identify any of the respondents. Do you have any questions about the study? I’ll be in your area [TARGET WEEK DATES]. We would like to interview you on [DATE], preferably at [TIME]. Will that work for you?

R3. HOW WE GOT THEIR INFORMATION:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture/Food and Nutrition Service oversees the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program and periodically interviews households in participating schools for research purposes. Your child’s school district agreed to be part of this study and provided your contact information. The goal of the study is to better understand the school meals program application process and the income status of families who apply for meal benefits.

We are contacting parents of students who were randomly selected to participate in this study. Your child, [STUDENT NAME], was one of the children selected for the study and we would like to interview you about your experiences with the meals program and with the school meals application and verification process. All personal information is kept private and won’t affect your child’s meal status or any other benefits you receive now or could receive in the future.

R4. CHILD NO LONGER RESIDES WITH PARENT/GUARDIAN:

We’re interested in the opinions of the person responsible for [CHILD NAME] at the time your household applied for the 2017–2018 school meals program. We want to interview you even if [CHILD NAME] doesn’t currently live with you.

PERSON ON THE PHONE IS THE BEST PERSON 1 UPDATE CONTACT SHEET,

GO TO R1

SOMEONE ELSE 2 REQUEST CONTACT

INFORMATION, RECORD ON CONTACT SHEET. SCHEDULE. IF YOU CAN’T GET THE CONTACT INFO THEN CONTACT SUPERVISOR.

R5. CHILD NO LONGER IN SCHOOL MEALS PROGRAM/NEVER PARTICIPATED IN PROGRAM:

We want to speak with the person most knowledgeable about the process of applying for school meals. We would like to speak with this person whether or not the child participates in the school meals program. Are you the most knowledgeable person about this topic, or is there someone else we should contact?

RESPONDENT IS BEST PERSON 1 SCHEDULE INTERVIEW

SOMEONE ELSE 2 REQUEST CONTACT

INFORMATION, RECORD ON CONTACT SHEET. SCHEDULE

INTERVIEW WITH NEW PERSON

R6. NAMED PERSON ON CONTACT SHEET INCORRECT:

We’re interested in the opinions of the person responsible for [CHILD NAME] at the time your household applied for the 2017–2018 school meals program. Are you the best person to do this interview?

PERSON ON THE PHONE IS THE BEST PERSON 1 UPDATE CONTACT SHEET,

GO TO R1

SOMEONE ELSE 2 REQUEST CONTACT

INFORMATION, RECORD ON CONTACT SHEET. SCHEDULE. IF YOU CAN’T GET THE CONTACT INFO THEN CONTACT SUPERVISOR.

CONTACT INFO. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. Where should I meet you for the interview?

YOU SHOULD GET THE ADDRESS, APT #, STATE, CITY AND ZIP CODE

Address 1:

Address 2:

City, State, Zip Code:

Phone Number: | | | | - | | | | - | | | | |

Area Code Number

ASK FOR AN ALTERNATIVE CONTACT NUMBER:

Phone Number: | | | | - | | | | - | | | | |

Area Code Number

ASK FOR AN EMAIL ADDRESS:

Email:

END. Thank you! Before I hang up, do you have any other questions about the study? I will give you a call the day before your interview to remind you of our appointment time. If you need to contact me before our visit, my telephone number is: XXX-XXX-XXXX. Thanks so much for your time.

FOLLOW-UP CALL SCRIPT

INTERVIEWER: Hello, my name is [FULL NAME] and I’m calling on behalf of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s/Food and Nutrition Service’s School Meal Application Study. We recently set up an interview to discuss your households’ experiences with the school meals application process and program. I am calling to remind you that our interview is scheduled for [DATE] at [TIME], and I will meet you at your house at that time. The interview should take about 45 minutes. It may take up to two additional hours for you to gather information about your income in order to answer the interview questions. As a reminder, all of your answers are private and won’t affect your child’s meal status or any other benefits you receive now or could receive in the future. To thank you for your participation, we will give you a $25 Visa gift card upon completing the interview. Can you confirm your availability on [DATE] at [TIME]?

UPON CONFIRMATION: Thank you so much for your time, and I look forward to seeing you soon! If, for some reason, you need to contact me before our visit, my telephone number is: XXX-XXX-XXXX.

IF NOT AVAILABLE: Our interviewer will be in your area from [DATE] to [DATE]. Can we set up another time that week to conduct the interview? When would be best for you?

voice mail message SCRIPT

INTERVIEWER: Hello, my name is [FULL NAME] and I’m calling on behalf of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service’s School Meal Application Study. We are interviewing parents or guardians of children who attend school in the [DISTRICT] district. Your family was randomly selected to participate in this study.

Recently, we sent [PARENT/GUARDIAN] a letter about the study and I’d like to schedule an appointment with (him/her) to talk about (his/her) experiences with the school meals program and application process at [SCHOOL NAME].

Please contact me at XXX-XXX-XXXX.