Appendix B-3 Study Notification E-Letter from FNS to State CN Directors

APPENDIX B-3. STUDY NOTIFICATION E-LETTER FROM FNS TO STATE CN DIRECTORS

OMB Control Number: 0584-XXXX

Expiration Date: XX/XX/20XX

Dear State Child Nutrition Director,

I am writing to inform you about an upcoming study of the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and to request your participation and support. We appreciate the time it takes you to respond to these requests, and greatly value your willingness to share your expertise and encourage selected sponsors in your State to participate.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is sponsoring the SFSP Integrity Study to better understand how the SFSP operates at the State and local levels. The study will help us learn more about common SFSP integrity challenges and identify resources, training, and technical assistance that State agencies would find most useful in administering and monitoring the program.

FNS has contracted with Westat to conduct the following data collection activities for this study:

(1) an online survey of all State Child Nutrition (CN) Directors;

(2) follow-up telephone interviews with 18 State CN Directors;

(3) telephone interviews with 48 SFSP sponsors; and

(4) telephone interviews with 48 SFSP sites.

Upon approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Westat will send you an email with a link to the online survey. The survey will take approximately 20 minutes, and we encourage you to complete it as soon as possible. To accommodate your schedule, the survey link will be open for approximately six weeks.

If your State agency is one of the 18 State agencies selected for follow-up, Westat will also request your participation in a 90-minute telephone interview, which is expected to take place shortly after the web survey closes in Spring 2020. In addition, the study team may ask for your assistance in contacting up to three selected sponsors, to encourage their participation in one-time, 45-minute telephone interviews.

Your individual participation in this study is voluntary, and all information you share in the survey and the telephone interview (if relevant) will be kept private under the Privacy Act to the extent provided by law.

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is conducting this study to obtain information about the administration and oversight of the Summer Food Service Program and to identify potential barriers to ensuring the integrity and effective management of the program. Participation in this study is voluntary and the information collected will be used to determine resources, develop training, and provide technical assistance. Under the Privacy Act of 1974 and the System of Record Notice FNS-8 USDA/FNS Studies and Reports, any personally identifying information obtained will be kept private to the extent provided by law. 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 provide this information collection is estimated to average 5 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather and maintain the data needed, and complete and review the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Policy Support, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1014, Alexandria, VA 22302 ATTN: PRA (0584-xxxx).

Next steps:

A member of the Westat team will contact you when we receive OMB approval to request your completion of the online survey. In the meantime, if you have any questions about the study, please contact the Westat Study Team at: [study email] or [study phone number], and indicate that you are calling about the SFSP Integrity Study.

Thank you in advance for your support. Your participation is very important to us, and will help FNS improve training and resources for the program. For your information, we have attached a Frequently Asked Questions fact sheet about the SFSP Integrity Study.

Sincerely,

[FNS SIGNATURE]

Attachment: FAQ for States and SFSP Sponsors

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