Appendix C2.1 Notiication to Regional Offices

C2.1 NOTIFICATION TO REGIONAL OFFICES

This page has been left blank for double-sided copying.

OMB Control Number: 0584-XXXX

Expiration Date: XX/XX/XXXX

Dear [FNS Regional Office Liaison],

As you know, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is conducting the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study-II (SNMCS-II) for school year 2019–2020. FNS has contracted with Mathematica Policy Research for this project. The national study will (1) describe the food and nutritional quality of school meals and afterschool snacks, (2) update information on the school food environment and food service policies and practices, (3) estimate the cost to produce school meals and snacks, and (4) collect information about student participation, satisfaction, and dietary intake. Having updated information about the school meals programs will help States, SFAs, and schools better serve students. (IF WESTERN OR MID-ATLANTIC REGIONAL OFFICE: SNMCS-II will additionally include an outlying areas cost study that will estimate the cost of producing reimbursable meals in [FILL AK/HI/GU/PR/USVI]).

Your office’s support for the previous SNMCS has been important to its success. We hope that you can provide the same assistance and support for this study. The attached spreadsheet identifies, by State, the SFAs in your region that are included in the national sample. We would appreciate it if you could contact State Child Nutrition (CN) Directors to describe the study, inform them that SFAs within their States have been selected, and encourage their support of the study in these SFAs. You can also let CN Directors know that they will be contacted by a representative from Mathematica in the coming weeks who will provide them with additional information about the study and directly enlist their support. I have attached a copy of the study overview with this email (IF WESTERN OR MID-ATLANTIC REGIONAL OFFICE:, as well the study objectives and overview for the outlying areas cost study).

Thank you in advance for your assistance with this important study. If you have questions about the study, feel free to contact me at [PHONE] or [EMAIL].

Sincerely,

FNS Signatory

FNS/U.S. Department of Agriculture

Attachments: Selected States; Study Objectives (Groups 1, 2 & 3), [IF WESTERN OR MID-ATLANTIC REGIONAL OFFICE: Study Objectives and Overview for outlying areas cost study]