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pdfAppendix M
SMO Option Period 1 Pre-test Findings Memo
The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is collecting this information in order to satisfy the congressionally
mandated reporting requirements from State agencies on 21 COVID-19 nationwide waivers pursuant to section
2202 of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (P.L. 116-127). This is a mandatory collection for both
the States and the School Food Authorities. FNS will use the information to assess how the waivers improved
services to children and to inform FNS’s planning, policy, and guidance related to state and local meal service
operations during future emergency situations and unanticipated school closures. Because the personally
identifiable information (PII) requested under this collection will not be used to retrieve survey records or data,
requirements of the Privacy Act of 1974 do not apply. Responses will be kept private to the extent provided by
law and FNS regulations. 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 0584-0607. The time required
to complete the pre-test and debrief for both the State CN Directors and the School Food Authority Directors is
estimated to average 2 hours 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. 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, 1320 Braddock Place, 5th Floor, Alexandria, VA 22314, ATTN: PRA
(0584-0607). Do not return the completed form to this address.
School Meal Operations Study
Option Period 1 Pre-test Findings
Mathematica
To:
Holly Figueroa, COR
From:
Rachel Frisk, Veronica Severn, Katie Niland, and Joyce Kim
Date:
6/30/2021
Subject:
School Meals Operations (SMO) Study: Option Period 1 Pre-test Findings
A. Introduction
This memorandum describes key findings from the School Meals Operations (SMO) Study
Option Period 1 pre-test of the surveys for State Agency Child Nutrition (CN) directors and
School Food Authority (SFA) directors, and the revisions we made to these instruments based on
pre-test findings.
Mathematica conducted the pre-test in June 2021 with three State CN directors in Colorado,
Kansas, and Texas and six SFA directors in the same States. We selected the respondents based
on their interest and availability to participate within the pre-test timeframe and, for SFA
directors, we also selected respondents from SFAs that varied in size and urbanicity.
We emailed hard-copy versions of the surveys to confirmed respondents and instructed them to
note any questions or instructions that were unclear or may be difficult to answer. For the State
Agency CN Director Survey pre-test, we asked respondents to review, but not complete, the
survey. This is because they had just completed the Base Period survey, which had similar
content, and we expected that fully completing the Option Period 1 survey would be an
unnecessary burden. For the SFA Director Survey pre-test, we asked respondents to complete the
survey and track how long it took them. The revised versions of the State Agency CN Director
and SFA Director Surveys used in the pre-test are provided in Appendices A and B, respectively.
We conducted 30- to 60-minute debriefing interviews with each pre-test respondent to identify
questions that were confusing or difficult to answer and recommendations for changes. State CN
director and SFA director debrief protocols are in Appendices C and D, respectively.
B. State Agency CN Director Survey
1.
Burden
The focus of the pre-test of the State Agency CN Director Survey was to obtain feedback on the
quality of the survey items, rather than precise timing estimates. However, we did ask
respondents for estimates of how long it took them to complete the Base Period survey, and to
provide estimates of how long it would take them to complete the Option Period 1 survey. One
respondent estimated that it will take 2 to 3 hours to compile all of the data and complete the
survey. Another respondent estimated that it will take more than three hours. The third
School Meal Operations Study
Option Period 1 Pre-test Findings
Mathematica
respondent estimated that the survey may take up to 20 hours to complete. All respondents said
the Base Period survey took them substantially longer than the estimated three hours, but all
expected the Option Period 1 survey to be much easier to complete than the Base Period survey.
They also noted that they were relieved to see the Option Period 1 survey questions were very
similar to the Base Period questions, as they have revised the data they are collecting from local
program operators to better respond to the survey. Based on respondent feedback and other
efforts to reduce burden described below, we estimate that this survey should take respondents
about four hours to complete, on average.
2.
Modifications to the State Agency CN Director Survey
We asked for feedback on the Option Period 1 survey, as well as the Base Period survey that
respondents completed between March and May 2021. We used feedback on the Base Period
survey to make improvements to the Option Period 1 survey and the draft option period 2 survey.
Respondents reported that the Option Period 1 survey is generally easy to understand, and they
appreciated that the format and questions are similar to the Base Period survey. They said that
including the CN response numbers, extension information, waiver expiration dates, and links to
FNS guidance in the waiver list is helpful.
Respondents also said they will be able to answer the new questions in sections E and F about
changes to use of local program operations waivers and monitoring waivers, respectively, since
September 2020 for the nationwide waiver extensions that were applicable to SY 2020-2021 or
summer 2020, and appreciated that those questions request yes/no responses instead of the
proportion of local program operators. They provided feedback on ways to make the survey
easier to complete and identified questions that were difficult to answer.
Table 1 provides more details on pre-test respondents’ feedback on the survey and the changes
we made to address their comments. In response to their feedback, we added features to
streamline coordination across State agency staff, such as by providing responses to the Base
Period survey and both Word and PDF versions of the survey, inserted additional instructions,
including reminding respondents that best estimates and selecting “don’t know” are acceptable,
revised questions to clarify wording and intent, simplified response options, and reduced the
number of questions about each waiver.
Table 1. State Agency CN Director Survey: Respondent feedback and subsequent
changes
Question
Overall
Respondent feedback
Respondents commented that the ability to
export or review their answers prior to
submission would help them ensure that the
survey is accurate and complete.
Survey changes
We will look into adding this functionality.
School Meal Operations Study
Option Period 1 Pre-test Findings
Question
Overall
Respondent feedback
Respondents said it would be helpful to have a
copy of their responses to the Base Period
survey to ensure consistent responses, assist
with leadership changes, and provide baseline
information for the comparison questions.
Overall
Respondents requested a copy of the survey in
a Word document, in addition to the PDF
already provided, to facilitate coordination
across staff and ease survey completion.
Survey
One respondent suggested changing the web
navigation navigation, so respondents are brought to the
beginning of the section each time they enter it,
rather than picking up at their last unanswered
question in that section.
Multiple
One respondent commented that one challenge
questions in completing the survey is that they are hesitant
to select the “don’t know” response.
Respondents also said it was challenging to
provide approximate answers since they did not
have actual data to support their responses.
Multiple
One respondent commented that their LPOs
questions changed which CN programs they used
throughout the school year so providing
numbers or estimates of proportions is
challenging. They were not sure if the survey
was asking about any LPO that used it during
the time period.
Multiple
One respondent noted that it was time
questions consuming to select a response for every item in
the Base Period survey. They suggested that
having an option to indicate an item applied to
all programs would help ease burden.
Waiver
list, E1,
E2, E3,
E4, E15,
E16, E18,
E19
A2a, A2b,
B2c, B2d,
C1, D1
Mathematica
Survey changes
We will offer SAs a copy of their
responses to the Base Period survey with
the advance and invitation emails. It will
consist of an export of their raw survey
data with guidance on how to interpret it.
We will offer copies of the survey as both
a Word document and PDF.
We will make this change.
We added instructions to the questions
that read, ‘Please provide your best
estimate. If you do not have this
information, please select “Don’t know.”’
Where appropriate, we clarified that we
are asking about use of the waiver or
specific implementation methods at any
time in the timeframe specified.
We have simplified certain response
options (from proportions to yes/no). For
questions A8, V2, and V4, we added an
“All” response option so respondents do
not have to select each program
separately. We also added the instruction,
“If a factor contributed to operational
challenges for all listed Child Nutrition
Programs your State Agency administers,
please select “All.”
One respondent noted that the closed enrolled
We moved the questions about closed
area eligibility waivers are very different policy
enrolled area eligibility waivers from E15changes from the regular area eligibility waivers 16 and E18-19 to questions E1-E4 and
and suggested asking about them separately to moved them to a separate grouping in the
avoid confusion.
waivers list.
One respondent commented that response
option 2, “Estimated number of SFAs, data not
provided by all SFAs” was a limiting response
and not entirely accurate for their situation. They
suggested adding other reasons for providing an
estimated number.
We removed the “data not provided by all
SFAs/sponsors/institutions” from the
“estimated number” response options
throughout. We also removed “data
provided by all SFAs” from the “accurate
number” response options. It is not
necessary to add other reasons; whether
the number is actual or estimated is all
that is needed.
School Meal Operations Study
Option Period 1 Pre-test Findings
Question
A3, A6a,
A5b, B3,
B4c, B5,
C2, D2,
E32, E36
Respondent feedback
One respondent suggested the response,
“about half” may be confusing and a range of
percentages to clarify what that should be
interpreted as would be helpful.
Mathematica
Survey changes
No change. We recommend leaving the
scale as is to maintain consistency with
the Base Period survey. As noted above,
we have added instructions to the
questions that read, ‘Please provide your
best estimate. If you do not have this
information, please select “Don’t know.”’
to aid respondents.
B4c item b One respondent commented that the term
We added “or afterschool program” to the
“school buildings” is limiting since the CACFP
item so it reads, “Grab-and-go tables or
At-Risk Afterschool Program is not offered in
kiosks in school or afterschool program
school buildings in their State.
buildings.”
C1, C2
One respondent commented that the decision to We changed question C1 to ask, “Did
use this waiver is at the State level so all SFAs your State Agency waive the identified
use it.
Child Nutrition Programs reporting
requirements for all SFAs in your State?”
If they respond yes, we will have the total
number of SFAs from the administrative
data. If respondents select no, they’ll be
asked, “You indicated that you did not
waive the identified Child Nutrition
Programs reporting requirements for all
SFAs in your State. For what types of
SFAs were the reporting requirements
waived?” We also deleted question C2.
C3
Respondents commented that the wording of
We changed the question to ask, “Did
this question was confusing because the waiver your State Agency use the Child Nutrition
did not affect the information they reported, but Programs reporting requirements waiver
rather it waived the requirement to report
for any of the following in SY 2020-2021?”
specific elements.
Section E One respondent suggested defining “summer”
We added the note, “By summer 2020, we
and F
with example months.
generally mean the months of May
summer
through September 2020.”
2021
questions
E2, E4,
One respondent expressed concerns about the We changed the response option from
E6, E12
“No change” response option as they would not “No change” to “About the same number
E16, E19, be able to definitively say there was no change of LPOs used the waiver in SY 2020E23, E25, in the number of LPOs that used the waiver.
2021.”
F2, F7
We added a row that reads, “Compared to
E2, E4,
One respondent noted that they forgot the
March through September 2020” to
E6, E16,
comparison time period when completing the
E19, E23, grids.
remind respondents of the question.
F2
B5, E17,
One respondent explained that they thought
We changed the questions to clarify that
E17a,
these questions were about approaches used to
we are asking about “new meal sites
E20, E20a identify area eligible sites, not about new
made area eligible under the waiver.”
approaches used because of the waiver.
School Meal Operations Study
Option Period 1 Pre-test Findings
Question
G4
V4
Mathematica
Respondent feedback
Respondents commented that they were unsure
whether they would be able to answer this
question because they may not have
comprehensive information on how effective the
CN Emergency Operational Costs
reimbursement payments were in stabilizing the
financial health of LPOs or making up for their
lost revenues during the public health
emergency in spring 2020.
One respondent commented that their SA’s
challenge was not insufficient funds but the
rules around spending their SAE and SAF
funds.
Survey changes
We added a “don’t know” response option
here.
We split item d into two separate items:
“d. Insufficient State administrative
expense funds (SAE) or State
administrative funds (SAF)
e. Rules regarding use of State
administrative expense funds (SAE) or
State administrative funds (SAF)”
CACFP = Child and Adult Care Food Program; LPO= Local program operators; SAE=State administrative
expense funds; SAF=State administrative funds; SFA= School Food Authority; SA=State Agency.
C. SFA Director Survey
1.
Burden
Five of the six respondents were able to complete the survey within the target burden estimate of
60 minutes. Table 2 shows each respondent’s completion time. Pre-test respondents completed
the survey on hard copy. Several respondents noted that they expect the survey will be faster to
complete in the web version due to automatic skip logic. We therefore do not recommend
adjusting the estimated burden.
Table 2. SFA Director Survey pre-test completion times (in minutes)
Respondent
Overall
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
Section 5
1
54
26
9
1
14
4
2
38
15
6
0
11
6
3
78
40
10
9
14
5
4
45
27
5
1
8
4
5
56
36
6
1
10
3
6
48
20
15
1
10
2
2.
Modifications to the SFA Director Survey
Overall, respondents reported that the flow of the survey was straightforward, and the questions
were clearly written. Respondents provided feedback on the wording of some questions and
offered suggestions for additional response options. In response to their feedback, we inserted
additional instructions, revised certain questions to clarify wording and intent, and added or
School Meal Operations Study
Option Period 1 Pre-test Findings
Mathematica
modified response options to specific questions. Table 3 provides more information on pre-test
respondents’ feedback on the survey and the changes we made to address their comments.
Table 3. SFA Director Survey: Respondent feedback and subsequent changes
Question
Respondent feedback
1.1
One respondent noted that there is a school in their
district that serves special needs students beyond
12th grade. They were not sure based on our
instructions whether that type of school meets the
definition of “other.”
1.2
Respondents suggested it would be helpful to clarify
the difference between CACFP at-risk afterschool and
CACFP outside-school-hours components and
between the USDA DoD Fresh Fruit and Vegetable
Program and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program.
1.3-1.5
1.9
We added a clarification to include any
schools with grades K—12 and/or K—
13 to the definition of “Other” school
types.
We added definitions of the CACFP AtRisk Afterschool Meals and CACFP
Outside-School-Hours Care
components, as well as the USDA DoD
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program
and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable
One respondent found the NSLP acronym in the name Program.
for the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) confusing
because the program also provides breakfasts.
We removed the acronym, “NSLP”
from the Seamless Summer Option to
avoid potential confusion.
Respondents suggested using acronyms for SFSP
We replaced the full names for
and SSO in this set of questions, because they are not Summer Food Service Program and
used to seeing SFSP & SSO fully written out.
Seamless Summer Options with SFSP
and SSO in questions 1.3 and 1.4. The
full names of both programs are
introduced in question 1.2.
One respondent suggested providing clarification for
We changed “Conducted outreach” to
the response option “Conduct outreach” because
“Conducted other outreach” and
outreach could mean providing information on the
moved this option to the bottom of list.
website or brochures, which is a separate response
option.
Respondents suggested two new response options for
this question, one to capture not having enough
information to answer parent questions and another to
capture that the P-EBT is a new program to learn and
implement.
1.13-1.16 Respondents reported that the phrase “students
attending full time in person (no virtual instruction was
provided)” is unclear because some schools allowed
students to attend in person (in the school building),
but instruction was provided virtually, outside of the
classroom. For example, a classroom teacher may
provide instruction to a portion of the students in the
classroom, while the remaining students attend
virtually from another area of the building, such as the
library, to allow for smaller classroom sizes and social
distancing.
1.11
Survey changes
We added two new response options
to this question: “Insufficient
information or guidance from State
about benefits” and “Quickly
implementing a new program.”
We changed the language in question
1.13 from “…did schools in your SFA
have students attending full time in
person (no virtual instruction was
provided) for all or part of the year” to,
“…did schools in your SFA provide
instruction to all students in school
buildings for all or part of the year?”.
We also revised questions 1.14
through 1.16 to reflect this change to
the language in 1.13.
School Meal Operations Study
Option Period 1 Pre-test Findings
Question
1.17
Respondent feedback
Survey changes
One respondent asked if “full time in-person” also
included hybrid, since some students were full-time in
person during the hybrid approach described above
for question 1.13.
We revised the language in the
question from “…did some or all
students attend school in person…” to
“did some all or all students receive
instruction in school buildings
(including full-time in person and
hybrid).”
We clarified the hover text definition for
bulk food packages by adding “one or
more items” to the definition.
1.18-1.19 Several respondents requested clarification of the
definition for bulk foods and were unsure if methods
used by the schools in their SFA met this definition if
only one component of the meal (such as milk) is
delivered in bulk.
One respondent suggested it would be helpful to have
1.20
a link to the FNS waiver guidance.
Two respondents suggested adding a response option
1.24
to capture items offered in bulk food packages that do
not require preparation.
1.25
1.29
1.31
Mathematica
We added a link to FNS’s webpage for
the Child Nutrition COVID-19 Waivers.
We added a response option for, “No
preparation required” to the response
options.
One respondent suggested “circle sheets” as another
meal counting method used by their SFA.
We added “Circle sheets, or other form
for meal counting” to the list of
response options for this question, and
for the comparable question in section
4 (4.4).
One respondent wasn’t sure if the question was about We added “reimbursable” meals to the
access to food from a school garden for taste-testing question to clarify.
purposes or using food from a garden as part of a
reimbursable meal.
One respondent suggested including response
options for unclear and untimely guidance from FNS
or the State as separate options.
Another respondent suggested removing or
separating, “and using alternative meal delivery
methods” from response option g, which was “staffing
meal sites and using alternate meal delivery method.”
They clarified that they had staffing issues, but not
related to alternative meal sites.
We split out separate response options
for unclear guidance from FNS and the
State and untimely guidance from FNS
and the State (four options total).
We removed “…and using alternative
meal delivery methods” from response
option g to allow respondents to select
this option if staffing any meal site was
a factor that contributed to operational
challenges. We also added the text
“and using” to response option d to
allow SFAs to report that using
alternative meal sites was a factor that
contributed to operational challenges.
We made the same revisions to the
comparable question in section 4
(4.12).
Section 2 Respondents found this section easy to answer
overall
overall. One respondent referred to their financial
records to answer questions in this section.
None.
School Meal Operations Study
Option Period 1 Pre-test Findings
Question
Mathematica
Respondent feedback
Survey changes
2.5
One respondent suggested adding “CN General Fund” We revised the “District general fund”
as a response option for additional funding sources.
option to “District or Child Nutrition
general fund.”
2.6
through
2.11
Several respondents were not sure what the “Child
Nutrition Emergency Operational Costs
reimbursement payments” were and if they applied to
them. One respondent suggested changing the
terminology to “lost revenue reimbursements” or
providing a link for more information.
We added link to the guidance
document on FNS’s website.
Section 3 None of the respondents who participated in the preoverall
test currently have FSMC contracts.
One respondent with prior experience working at an
FSMC said the questions in this section should be
straightforward for SFA Directors with an FSMC
contract to answer.
None.
Section 4 Overall, respondents felt this section would be easy to
overall
answer in early 2022 and reflect the timeframe of
October through December 2021.
One respondent suggested adding an option to reflect
4.5
operational changes that increased use of
prepackaged or heat and serve meals and decreased
meals prepared from scratch.
None.
We added an option for “Increased use
of heat and serve meals (versus
prepared from scratch)” to this
question.
CACFP = Child and Adult Care Food Program; CN = Child Nutrition; FSMC = Food service management
company; NSLP = National School Lunch Program; P-EBT = Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer;
USDA DoD Fresh = USDA Department of Defense Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program.
Appendix A
State Agency Director Survey - Revised
OMB Clearance Number: 0584-0607
Expiration Date: xx/xx/xxxx
State Agency Child Nutrition Director COVID-19
Waiver Collection: Waivers used in School Year
2020-2021 and Summer 2021
June 2, 2021
Sponsored by:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Food and Nutrition Service
Introduction
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), has contracted
with Mathematica to conduct the School Meals Operations (SMO) Study. This survey is
collecting information on the statutory reporting requirements for the nationwide Child Nutrition
COVID-19 waivers that FNS first authorized during school year (SY) 2020-2021 and changes in
use of nationwide Child Nutrition COVID-19 waivers that were extended through SY 2020-2021.
The nationwide COVID-19 waivers apply to the following Child Nutrition Programs:
• National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
• School Breakfast Program (SBP)
• Seamless Summer Option (SSO)
• Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)
• Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)*
Federal statute requires each State Agency that oversees these programs to report on:
1. The use of each waiver by the State Agency and local program operators, and
2. A description of whether and how each waiver resulted in improved services to children.
* This study is focused on Child Nutrition Programs and is not collecting information on use of
the waivers for CACFP operations in adult day care centers.
Full participation in the SMO Study will satisfy your State Agency’s reporting
requirements for the nationwide Child Nutrition COVID-19 waivers used during SY 20202021.
The information you provide will be kept private to the full extent allowed by law. This means
that your personal information will be kept private and not associated with any of your
responses about your agencies’ operations. The responses you provide about operations may
be tabulated separately for each State so that the public will be able to determine how your
agency operates the Child Nutrition Programs.
We thank you in advance for your time and cooperation in this important study. If you have any
questions about the study, please email [STUDY EMAIL] or call Mathematica toll-free at
[STUDY PHONE LINE].
1
Waivers
Waiver list
The fall 2021 School Meals Operations (SMO) Study survey will focus on the reporting
requirements associated with the nationwide waivers that were first authorized during SY 20202021. In addition, to ensure that reporting requirements are satisfied for extensions of the
nationwide waivers covered in the first SMO survey (conducted in spring 2021), this survey will
collect information on changes in waiver use since September 2020 for the nationwide waiver
extensions that were applicable to SY 2020-2021 or summer 2021.
Note that this survey does not focus on the reporting requirements associated with the
nationwide waivers used during SY 2021-2022. The summer 2022 School Meals Operations
(SMO) Study survey will collect that information.
Below is the waiver list that includes the full, formal name of the waiver with a link to the FNS
guidance and, underneath, the shortened waiver name that will be used in the survey for
simplicity. The shortened names include the waiver number, a short description, the extension
number, and the waiver end date.
Waivers First Authorized in SY 2020-2021:
A. Seamless Summer Option (SSO) and Summer Food Service Operations
COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #59: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Summer
Food Service Program and Seamless Summer Option Operations through
School Year 2020-2021 – Extension (through June 30, 2021)
#59: SFSP/SSO adoption during SY 2020-2021- extension, June 30,
2021
B. At-Risk Afterschool Area Eligibility Waivers
o
o
COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #58: At-Risk Afterschool Area Eligibility
Waiver (through December 31, 2020)
#58: At-Risk area eligibility, Dec. 31, 2020
o COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #68: At-Risk Afterschool Area Eligibility
Waiver- Extension (through June 30, 2021)
#68: At-Risk area eligibility- extension, June 30, 2021
C. Reporting Requirements
o
COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #72: Nationwide Waiver for Selected Child
Nutrition Programs Reporting Requirements
#72: Child Nutrition Programs reporting requirements
D. Community Eligibility Provision Data Waiver
o
COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #82: Nationwide Waiver of Community
Eligibility Provision Deadlines in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast
Programs
#82: CEP deadlines in NSLP/SBP, Dec. 31, 2020
2
SY 2020-2021 and Summer 2021 Waiver Extensions:
E. Non-Congregate Waivers
o
o
o
o
COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #33: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Noncongregate Feeding in the Child Nutrition Programs (SBP, NSLP, and CACFP)Extension 2
#33: NSLP/SBP/CACFP non-congregate- extension 2, June 30, 2021
COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #54: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Noncongregate Feeding in the Summer Food Service Program and the National
School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option- Extension 4
#54: SFSP/SSO non-congregate- extension 4, Dec. 30, 2021
COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #61: Nationwide Waivers to Allow Noncongregate Feeding in the Summer Food Service Program and the National
School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option- Extension 5
#61: SFSP/SSO non-congregate- extension 5, June 30, 2021
COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #75: Nationwide Waiver to Allow NonCongregate Feeding for Summer 2021 Operations- Extension 6
#75: SFSP/SSO non-congregate feeding- extension 6, Sept. 30, 2021
F. Meal Service Time Waivers
o COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #34: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Meal
Service Time Flexibility in the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast
Program, and Child and Adult Care Food Program- Extension 2
#34: NSLP/SBP/CACFP meal service time flexibility- extension 2, June
30, 2021
o COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #66: Nationwide Waiver of Meal Service
Time Restrictions in the Summer Food Service Program and the National School
Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option- Extension 2
#66: SFSP/SSO meal service time - extension 2, June 30, 2021
o COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #78: Nationwide Waiver of Meal Service
Time Restrictions for Summer 2021 Operations- Extension 3
#78: SFSP/SSO meal service time flexibility- extension 3, Sept. 30, 2021
G. Other Program Operations Waivers
o COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #67: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Offer
Versus Serve Flexibilities in the Summer Food Service Program- Extension 2
#67: SFSP offer vs. serve flexibilities- extension 2, June 30, 2021
o COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #79: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Offer
Versus Serve Flexibilities in the Summer Food Service Program for Summer
2021 Operations- Extension 3
#79: SFSP/SSO offer vs. serve- extension 3, Sept. 30, 2021
o
COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #69: Nationwide Waiver to Allow
Reimbursement for Meals Served Prior to Notification of Approval and Provide
Flexibility for Pre-Approval Visits in the Summer Food Service ProgramExtension
#69: SFSP pre-approval visits and reimbursements- extension, June 30,
2021
3
H. Parent and Guardian Pick-up Waivers
o COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #35: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Parents
and Guardians to Pick Up Meals for Children (SBP, NSLP, and CACFP)Extension 2
#35: NSLP/SBP/CACFP parent pick-up- extension 2, June 30, 2021
o COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #55: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Parents
and Guardians to Pick Up Meals for Children (SSO and SFSP)- Extension 4
#55: SFSP/SSO parent pick-up- extension 4, Dec. 31, 2020
o COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #62: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Parents
and Guardians to Pick Up Meals for Children (SSO and SFSP)- Extension 5
#62: SFSP/SSO parent pick-up- extension 5, June 30, 2021
o COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #76: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Parents
and Guardians to Pick Up Meals for Children for Summer 2021 OperationsExtension 6
#76: SFSP/SSO parent pick-up- extension 6, June 30, 2021
I.
Area Eligibility Waivers
o COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #48: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Area
Eligibility for Closed Enrolled Sites in SFSP and the NSLP Seamless Summer
Option- Extension
#48: SFSP/SSO area eligibility for closed enrolled sites - extension, Dec.
31, 2020
o COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #52: Nationwide Waiver to Extend Area
Eligibility Waivers- Extension 2
#52: SFSP/SSO area eligibility- extension 2, June 30, 2021
o COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #60: Nationwide Waiver to Extend Area
Eligibility Waivers- Extension 3
#60: SFSP/SSO area eligibility - extension 3, Dec. 31, 2020
o COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #64: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Area
Eligibility for Closed Enrolled Sites in SFSP and the NSLP Seamless Summer
Option- Extension 2
#64: SFSP/SSO area eligibility for closed enrolled sites - extension 2,
June 30, 2021
o COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #77: Nationwide Waiver to Extend Area
Eligibility Waivers for Summer 2021 Operations- Extension 4
#77: SFSP/SSO area eligibility- extension 4, Sept. 30, 2021
o COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #80: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Area
Eligibility for Closed Enrolled Sites for Summer 2021 Operations- Extension 3
#80: SFSP/SSO area eligibility for closed enrolled sites - extension 3,
Sept. 30, 2021
4
J. Meal Pattern Flexibility Waivers
o COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #53: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Meal
Pattern Flexibility in the Summer Food Service Program and the National School
Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option- Extension 7
#53: SFSP/SSO meal pattern flexibility - extension 7, Dec. 31, 2020
o COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #63: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Meal
Pattern Flexibility in the Summer Food Service Program and the National School
Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option- Extension 8
#63: SFSP/SSO meal pattern flexibility - extension 8, June 30, 2021
o COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #70: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Meal
Pattern Flexibility in the Child Nutrition Programs (NSLP, SBP, and CACFP)Extension 5
#70: NSLP/SBP/CACFP meal pattern flexibility - extension 5, June 30,
2021
o COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #74: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Meal
Pattern Flexibilities for Summer 2021 Operations- Extension 9
#74: SSO meal pattern flexibilities- extension 9, Sept. 30, 2021 waiver
extension in summer 2021
K. Monitoring Waivers
o COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #39: Nationwide Waiver of Monitoring
Requirements for Sponsors in the Child and Adult Care Food ProgramExtension
#39: CACFP onsite monitoring for sponsors- extension, Sept. 30, 2021
o COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #40: Nationwide Waiver of Onsite
Monitoring Requirements for State Agencies in the Child and Adult Care Food
Program- Extension 2
#40: CACFP onsite monitoring requirements for State Agenciesextension 2, Sept. 30, 2021
o COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #41: Nationwide Waiver of Onsite
Monitoring Requirements in the School Meals Programs- Extension 2
#41: School meals onsite monitoring- extension 2, June 30, 2021
o COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #42: Nationwide Waiver of Onsite
Monitoring Requirements for Sponsoring Organizations in the Summer Food
Service Program- Extension 2
#42: SFSP onsite monitoring for sponsoring orgs - extension 2, Sept. 30,
2021
o COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #43: Nationwide Waiver of Onsite
Monitoring Requirements for State Agencies in the Summer Food Service
Program- Extension 2
#43: SFSP onsite monitoring requirements for State Agencies- extension
2, Sept. 30, 2021
o COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #81: Nationwide Waiver to Waive First
Week Site Visits in the Summer Food Service Program for Summer 2021
Operations- Extension 3
#81 - SFSP first week site visits- extension 3, Sept. 30, 2021
5
Contact information
CI1.
Before starting the survey, please fill in the requested contact information below. If the information
below is prefilled, please review and update the information as necessary.
Please fill in the contact information for the State Child Nutrition Director below: (Update
where necessary)
First Name:
Last Name:
Street Address 1:
Street Address 2:
City:
State:
Zip:
Phone Number:(Please do not use parentheses or dashes)
Ext.
Email:
CI2.
If you are not the State Child Nutrition Director, please fill in the name and contact information
of the primary contact:
First Name:
Last Name:
Title:
Street Address 1:
Street Address 2:
City:
State:
Zip:
Phone Number: (Please do not use parentheses or dashes)
Ext.
Email:
6
Glossary
PROGRAMMER NOTE: INCLUDE A LINK FOR THE GLOSSARY IN LOWER LEFT CORNER OF EVERY
PAGE.
Bulk food packages: Food packages that contain items that could be used for multiple meals or portion
sizes.
Institutions: Any independent center or sponsoring organization of child care centers that enters into an
agreement with the State Agency to assume responsibility for CACFP operations.
Local program operators: SFAs, sponsors, or institutions that operate NSLP, SBP, SSO, SFSP, or
CACFP.
School food authority (SFA): The governing body that has the legal authority to operate a lunch or
breakfast program in one or more public or private schools.
Sponsors: A public or private non-profit SFA or another public or private non-profit organization that is
approved by the State Agency to participate in the SFSP.
7
X.
Waivers First Authorized in SY 2020-2021
ALL
X1.
FNS first authorized certain nationwide Child Nutrition COVID-19 waivers during SY 20202021. The next few sections of this survey focus on the reporting requirements associated
these waivers. Which of these nationwide waivers did your State Agency use in SY 20202021?
We understand that you reported to FNS which waivers your State used in SY 2020-2021.
However, questions in this information collection will be based on your answers to this
question. Your answers ensure this effort gathers the information needed for your State
Agency to meet the statutory reporting requirements for each waiver.
FNS guidance on each of the waivers is available here [link to Waivers List page].
Yes
No
a. #59: SFSP/SSO adoption during SY 2020-2021- extension, June 30, 2021
1
0
b. #58: At-Risk area eligibility, Dec. 31, 2020 and/or #68: At-Risk area eligibilityextension, June 30, 2021
1
0
c. #72: Child Nutrition Programs reporting requirements
1
0
d. #82: CEP deadlines in NSLP/SBP, Dec. 31, 2020
1
0
HARD CHECK: IF ANY ROW= MISSING: You will be asked survey questions about each waiver
you used based on your response to this question, so it is essential that you provide a response
before moving on.
8
A.
COVID–19: Child Nutrition Response #59: Nationwide Waiver to Allow
Summer Food Service Program and Seamless Summer Option Operations
through School Year 2020-2021
DISPLAY FOR WAIVER A
X1A=1
A_intro. This section asks about use of the SFSP/SSO adoption during SY 2020-2021 waiver. Please
answer the following questions focusing on use of the waiver during SY 2020-2021.
DISPLAY FOR WAIVER A
X1A=1
A1.
For which Child Nutrition Programs did local program operators use the SFSP/SSO adoption
during SY 2020-2021 waiver?
Local program operators include School Food Authorities (SFAs) for SSO and all types of
SFSP.
[DISPLAY AS HOVER TEXT OVER “SFAs”: The governing body that has the legal authority
to operate a lunch program in one or more public or private schools.]
[DISPLAY AS HOVER TEXT OVER “Sponsors”: A public or private non-profit SFA or another
public or private non-profit organization that is approved by the State Agency to participate in
the SFSP.]
SELECT ALL THAT APPLY
[IF SSO=1] Seamless Summer Option................................................................. 1
[IF SFSP=1] Summer Food Service Program ...................................................... 2
No local program operators used this waiver ....................................................... 0
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
DISPLAY FOR WAIVER A
X1A=1, A1=1
A2a.
How many SFAs used the SFSP/SSO adoption during SY 2020-2021 waiver for SSO?
Please enter the number of SFAs that used the waiver during SY 2020-2021. Then select an
option to indicate whether this is the actual number or your best estimate. If you do not have
enough information to provide a reasonably close estimate, please select “Don’t know."
(RANGE: 1-2000)
NUMBER OF SFAS
Actual number of SFAs, data provided by all SFAs ............................................. 3
Estimated number of SFAs, data not provided by all SFAs ................................. 2
Don’t know- data not collected ............................................................................. d
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
9
DISPLAY FOR WAIVER A
X1A=1, A1=2
A2b.
How many sponsors (including SFAs) used the SFSP/SSO adoption during SY 2020-2021
waiver for SFSP?
Please enter the number of sponsors (including SFAs) that used the waiver during SY 20202021. Then select an option to indicate whether this is the actual number or your best
estimate. If you do not have enough information to provide a reasonably close estimate,
please select “Don’t know."
(RANGE: 1-2000)
NUMBER OF SPONSORS
Actual number of sponsors, data provided by all sponsors .................................. 3
Estimated number of sponsors, data not provided by all sponsors ...................... 2
Don’t know- data not collected ............................................................................. d
NO RESPONSE .................................................................................................. M
DISPLAY FOR WAIVERS A, B
X1A=1, X1B=1 AND IF A2 A, C, D, OR E=D
A3.
In the previous question(s), you indicated that you did not know how many local program
operators used the waiver for the following program(s). Approximately what proportion of
local program operators that provided meal service during SY 2020-2021 used the
SFSP/SSO adoption during SY 2020-2021 waiver?
ONLY DISPLAY PROGRAM IF CORRESPONDING A2 QUESTION=D.
Select one per row
Proportion of local program operators
Less
than
half
c.
[A2a = d AND (X1A=1)] Seamless Summer
Option
d. [A2b = d AND (X1A=1)] Summer Food Service
Program
10
About
half
More
than
half
All
Don’t
know
1
2
3
4
d
1
2
3
4
d
DISPLAY FOR WAIVER A
X1A=1, A1= 1
A6a. For SFAs that used the SFSP/SSO adoption during SY 2020-2021 waiver, approximately what
proportion implemented the following meal delivery methods, meal options, and meal counting
methods for SSO?
PROGRAMMER: PLEASE BREAK THIS GRID OUT TO A-H, J-N, AND O-S.
Select one per row
Proportion of local program operators
None
Less
than half
About
half
More
than half
All
Don’t
know
Meal delivery methods
a. Cafeteria service
0
1
2
3
4
d
b. Grab-and-go tables or kiosks in school buildings
0
1
2
3
4
d
c.
0
1
2
3
4
d
d. Walk-up sites outside of schools, centers, or
other buildings
0
1
2
3
4
d
e. Curbside pick-up/ drive through service
0
1
2
3
4
d
0
1
2
3
4
d
g. Delivery with stops at individual homes
0
1
2
3
4
d
h. Other home delivery methods
0
1
2
3
4
d
f.
Meals in the classroom
Mobile sites at which a bus or van delivers
meals at pre-set times
Meal options
i.
Full week (5 days) of meals at one time
0
1
2
3
4
d
j.
2–3 days of meals at one time
0
1
2
3
4
d
k.
Weekend meals
0
1
2
3
4
d
l.
Bulk food packages*
0
1
2
3
4
d
m. Frozen meals
0
1
2
3
4
d
n. Shelf-stable meals
0
1
2
3
4
d
o. Standard point of service system
0
1
2
3
4
d
p. Mobile technology (for example, laptop, tablet,
or cell phone apps)
0
1
2
3
4
d
q. Paper rosters
0
1
2
3
4
d
r.
Clickers
0
1
2
3
4
d
s.
Other meal delivery method, option, or counting
method (specify)
0
1
2
3
4
d
Meal counting methods
11
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
*Bulk food packages: Food packages that contain items that could be used for multiple meals or portion
sizes.
DISPLAY FOR WAIVER A
X1A=1 AND A1= 2
A6b.
For sponsors (including SFAs) that used the SFSP/SSO adoption during SY 2020-2021 waiver,
approximately what proportion implemented the following meal delivery methods, meal options,
and meal counting methods for SFSP?
PROGRAMMER: PLEASE BREAK THIS GRID OUT TO A-H, J-N, AND O-S.
Select one per row
Proportion of local program operators
None
Less
than half
About
half
More
than half
All
Don’t
know
Meal delivery methods
a. Cafeteria service
0
1
2
3
4
d
b. Grab-and-go tables or kiosks in school buildings
0
1
2
3
4
d
c.
0
1
2
3
4
d
d. Walk-up sites outside of schools, centers, or
other buildings
0
1
2
3
4
d
e. Curbside pick-up/ drive through service
0
1
2
3
4
d
0
1
2
3
4
d
g. Delivery with stops at individual homes
0
1
2
3
4
d
h. Other home delivery methods
0
1
2
3
4
d
f.
Meals in the classroom
Mobile sites at which a bus or van delivers
meals at pre-set times
Meal options
i.
Full week (5 days) of meals at one time
0
1
2
3
4
d
j.
2–3 days of meals at one time
0
1
2
3
4
d
k.
Weekend meals
0
1
2
3
4
d
l.
Bulk food packages*
0
1
2
3
4
d
m. Frozen meals
0
1
2
3
4
d
n. Shelf-stable meals
0
1
2
3
4
d
o. Standard point of service system
0
1
2
3
4
d
p. Mobile technology (for example, laptop, tablet,
or cell phone apps)
0
1
2
3
4
d
q. Paper rosters
0
1
2
3
4
d
r.
0
1
2
3
4
d
Meal counting methods
Clickers
12
s.
Other meal delivery method, option, or counting
method (specify)
0
1
2
3
4
d
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
*Bulk food packages: Food packages that contain items that could be used for multiple meals or portion
sizes.
DISPLAY FOR WAIVER A
X1A=1
A8.
Please select the ways in which use of the SFSP/SSO adoption during SY 2020-2021 waiver
improved services to children.
PROGRAMMER: ITEMS J AND K SHOULD BE EXCLUSIVE RESPONSES FOR THAT
COLUMN.
SSO
SFSP
Site Options
a. Greater geographic distribution of sites
3
4
b. Increased number of sites
3
4
c.
3
4
d. Allowed pick up of multiple meals at one time
3
4
e. Allowed distribution of bulk food packages
3
4
f.
3
4
g. Improved safety for children by not requiring congregate feeding or meal pick-up
3
4
h. Reduced barriers to receiving meals
3
4
i.
Increased participation
3
4
j.
Don’t know how this waiver improved services to children.
3
4
k.
This waiver did not improve services to children.
3
4
l.
Other way services to children improved in SSO as a result of this waiver
Increased alternative meal delivery methods
Meal Options
Allowed service of available foods when supply issues occurred
Other
(specify)
m. Other way services to children improved in SFSP as a result of this waiver
(specify)
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
13
B.
COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #58: At-Risk Afterschool Area
Eligibility Waiver
COVID–19: Child Nutrition Response #68: At-Risk Afterschool Area Eligibility
Waiver- Extension
DISPLAY FOR WAIVER B
X1B=1
B_intro. This section asks about use of the At-Risk area eligibility waiver, which was initially authorized
through December 2020 and then extended through June 2021. Please answer the following questions
focusing on use of the waiver during SY 2020-2021.
DISPLAY FOR WAIVER B
X1B=1
B2c.
How many SFAs used the At-Risk area eligibility waiver for the CACFP At-Risk Afterschool
Care Component anytime during SY 2020-2021?
Please enter the number of SFAs that used the waiver during SY 2020-2021. Then select an
option to indicate whether this is the actual number or your best estimate. If you do not have
enough information to provide a reasonably close estimate, please select “Don’t know."
(RANGE: 1-2000)
NUMBER OF SFAS
Actual number of SFAs, data provided by all SFAs ............................................. 3
Estimated number of SFAs, data not provided by all SFAs ................................. 2
Don’t know- data not collected ............................................................................. d
No SFAs used this waiver .................................................................................... 0
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
14
DISPLAY FOR WAIVER B
X1B=1
B2d.
How many institutions (not including SFAs) used the At-Risk area eligibility waiver for the
CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Care Component anytime during SY 2020-2021?
Please enter the number of institutions that used the waiver during SY 2020-2021. Then
select an option to indicate whether this is the actual number or your best estimate. If you do
not have enough information to provide a reasonably close estimate, please select “Don’t
know."
[DISPLAY AS HOVER TEXT OVER FIRST INSTANCE OF “institutions”: Any independent
center or sponsoring organization of child care centers that enters into an agreement with the
State Agency to assume responsibility for CACFP operations.]
(RANGE: 0-2000)
NUMBER OF INSTITUTIONS
Actual number of institutions, data provided by all ............................................... 3
Estimated number of institutions, data not provided by all ................................... 2
Don’t know- data not collected ............................................................................. d
No institutions used this waiver ............................................................................ 0
NO RESPONSE .................................................................................................. M
DISPLAY FOR WAIVER B
X1B=1 AND (B2C OR B2D=D)
B3.
In the previous question(s), you indicated that you did not know how many local program
operators used the waiver for the following program(s). Approximately what proportion of
local program operators that provided meal service during SY 2020-2021 used the At-Risk
area eligibility waiver?
ONLY DISPLAY PROGRAM IF CORRESPONDING B2 QUESTION=D.
Select one per row
Proportion of local program operators
Less
than
half
e. Child and Adult Care Food Program At-Risk
Afterschool Care Component
1
15
About
half
2
More
than
half
3
All
4
Don’t
know
d
DISPLAY FOR WAIVER B
X1B=1
B4.
Did your State Agency provide technical assistance to any SFAs or institutions operating the
CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Care Component to support compliance with program
requirements prior to their implementation of the At-Risk area eligibility waiver in SY 20202021?
Yes ........................................................................................................................ 1
No ......................................................................................................................... 0
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
DISPLAY FOR WAIVER B
X1B=1 AND B4=1
B5.
Please briefly describe the technical assistance your State Agency provided to SFAs or
institutions operating the CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Care Component prior to their
implementation of the At-Risk area eligibility waiver in SY 2020-2021.
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
16
DISPLAY FOR WAIVER B
X1B=1
B6c.
For SFAs and institutions that used the At-Risk area eligibility waiver in SY 2020-2021,
approximately what proportion implemented the following meal delivery methods, meal options,
and meal counting methods for the CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Care Component?
PROGRAMMER: PLEASE BREAK THIS GRID OUT TO A-H, J-N, AND O-S.
Select one per row
Proportion of local program operators
None
Less
than
half
About
half
More
than
half
All
Don’t
know
Meal delivery methods
a. Cafeteria service
0
1
2
3
4
d
b. Grab-and-go tables or kiosks in school buildings
0
1
2
3
4
d
c.
0
1
2
3
4
d
d. Walk-up sites outside of schools, centers, or other
buildings
0
1
2
3
4
d
e. Curbside pick-up/ drive through service
0
1
2
3
4
d
0
1
2
3
4
d
g. Delivery with stops at individual homes
0
1
2
3
4
d
h. Other home delivery methods
0
1
2
3
4
d
f.
Meals in the classroom
Mobile sites at which a bus or van delivers meals at
pre-set times
Meal options
i.
Full week (5 days) of meals at one time
0
1
2
3
4
d
j.
2–3 days of meals at one time
0
1
2
3
4
d
k.
Weekend meals
0
1
2
3
4
d
l.
Bulk food packages*
0
1
2
3
4
d
m. Frozen meals
0
1
2
3
4
d
n. Shelf-stable meals
0
1
2
3
4
d
o. Standard point of service system
0
1
2
3
4
d
p. Mobile technology (for example, laptop, tablet, or cell
phone apps)
0
1
2
3
4
d
q. Paper rosters
0
1
2
3
4
d
r.
Clickers
0
1
2
3
4
d
s.
Other meal delivery method, option, or counting
method (specify)
0
1
2
3
4
d
Meal counting methods
17
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
*Bulk food packages: Food packages that contain items that could be used for multiple meals or portion
sizes.
DISPLAY FOR WAIVER B
X1B=1
B7.
FNS’s At-Risk area eligibility waiver policy memo indicates that new area eligible meal sites
should target benefits to children in need, such as children who may be eligible for benefits due to
the economic impacts of COVID-19. For SFAs and institutions that used the At-Risk area
eligibility waiver for the CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Care Component in SY 2020-2021,
approximately what proportion used the following methods to target meal sites?
Select one per row
Proportion of local program operators
None
Less
than
half
About
half
More
than
half
All
Don’t
know
a. No methods used- all sites approved as
area eligible
0
1
2
3
4
d
b. Analyzed unemployment data
0
1
2
3
4
d
0
1
2
3
4
d
d. Identified site(s) that were area eligible in
prior years
0
1
2
3
4
d
e. Targeted near-eligible sites, such as
sites where 40% of children were eligible
for free or reduced-price meals
0
1
2
3
4
d
0
1
2
3
4
d
0
1
2
3
4
d
c.
f.
Analyzed prior year school meals
eligibility data
Other ap proach to select meal sites
(specify)
g. Did not use any methods to target new
meal sites
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
18
DISPLAY FOR WAIVER B
X1B=1
B8.
Please select the ways in which use of the At-Risk area eligibility waiver improved services to
children during SY 2020-2021.
PROGRAMMER: ITEMS J AND K SHOULD BE EXCLUSIVE RESPONSES FOR THAT
COLUMN.
CACFP AtRisk
Afterschool
Care
Component
Site Options
a. Greater geographic distribution of sites
5
b. Increased number of sites
5
c.
5
d. Allowed pick up of multiple meals at one time
5
e. Allowed distribution of bulk food packages
5
f.
5
g. Improved safety for children by not requiring congregate feeding or meal pick-up
5
h. Reduced barriers to receiving meals
5
i.
Increased participation
5
j.
Don’t know how this waiver improved services to children.
5
k.
This waiver did not improve services to children.
5
Increased alternative meal delivery methods
Meal Options
Allowed service of available foods when supply issues occurred
Other
n. Other way services to children improved in CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Care
Component as a result of this waiver (specify)
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
19
C.
COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #72: Nationwide Waiver for Selected
Child Nutrition Programs Reporting Requirements
DISPLAY FOR WAIVER C
X1C=1
C_intro. This section asks about use of the Child Nutrition Programs reporting requirements waiver. Please
answer the following questions focusing on use of the waiver during SY 2020-2021.
DISPLAY FOR WAIVER C
X1C=1
C1.
How many SFAs used the Child Nutrition Programs reporting requirements waiver?
Please enter the number of SFAs that used the waiver during SY 2020-2021. Then select an
option to indicate whether this is the actual number or your best estimate. If you do not have
enough information to provide a reasonably close estimate, please select “Don’t know."
(RANGE: 1-2000)
NUMBER OF SFAS
Actual number of SFAs, data provided by all SFAs ............................................. 3
Estimated number of SFAs, data not provided by all SFAs ................................. 2
Don’t know- data not collected ............................................................................. d
No SFAs used this waiver .................................................................................... 0
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
DISPLAY FOR WAIVER C
X1C=1
C2.
In the previous question, you indicated that you did not know how many SFAs used the
waiver. Approximately what proportion of SFAs used the Child Nutrition Programs reporting
requirements waiver?
Less than half ....................................................................................................... 1
About half.............................................................................................................. 2
More than half ....................................................................................................... 3
All .......................................................................................................................... 4
Don’t know ....................................................................................................................... d
NO RESPONSE .................................................................................................. M
20
DISPLAY FOR WAIVER C
X1C=1
C3.
Did your State Agency’s use of the Child Nutrition Programs reporting requirements waiver affect
the information your State reported in any of the following reports in SY 2020-2021?
Select one per row
Yes
No
Don’t
know
a. FNS-10 Report of School Program Operations – Part B (October
Annual Reporting)
0
1
d
b. FNS-640 Administrative Review Report Form
0
1
d
c.
0
1
d
0
1
d
e. FNS-874 Second (Independent) Review of Applications
0
1
d
f.
0
1
d
g. State Agency Food Safety Inspections Report
0
1
d
h. Performance-Based Reimbursement (7 Cents) Quarterly Report
0
1
d
FNS-828 Paid Lunch Price Report
d. FNS-834 State Agency (NSLP/SNAP) Direct Certification Rate Data
Element Report
Ameliorative Action Report
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
DISPLAY FOR WAIVER C
X1C=1
C4.
Why did your State Agency use the Child Nutrition Programs reporting requirements waiver in SY
2020-2021?
SELECT ALL THAT APPLY
Reduce administrative burden .............................................................................. 1
Focus State administrative resources on approving meal sites ........................... 2
Focus State and local administrative resources on identifying meal sites ........... 3
Focus State administrative resources on other priority areas .............................. 4
Provide technical assistance to local program operators ..................................... 5
Modified Child Nutrition program operations impacted data availability............... 4
Use of other waivers impacted data availability ................................................... 5
School closures impacted data availability ........................................................... 4
Other concerns about data completeness ............................................................ 5
Concerns about data quality ................................................................................. 5
Other (Specify)...................................................................................................... 10
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
21
DISPLAY FOR WAIVER C
X1C=1
C5.
Did use of the [WAIVER] improve services to children in the following ways during SY 20202021?
Select one per row
Yes
No
Don’t
know
a. Increased State Agency administrative resources for approving meal
sites
1
0
d
b. Increased State and local administrative resources for identifying meal
sites
1
0
d
d. Increased State and local administrative resources available for other
priority areas to improve services to children
1
0
d
e. Increased State Agency ability to provide technical assistance to local
program operators
1
0
d
1
0
d
c.
Increased local resources for providing meals
f. Other way services to children improved as a result of this waiver
(specify)
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
22
D.
COVID-19: Child Nutrition Response #82: Nationwide Waiver of Community
Eligibility Provision Deadlines in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast
Programs
DISPLAY FOR WAIVER D
X1D=1
D_intro. This section asks about use of the CEP deadlines in NSLP/SBP waiver. Please answer the
following questions focusing on use of the waiver during SY 2020-2021.
DISPLAY FOR WAIVER D
X1D=1
D1.
How many SFAs used the CEP deadlines in NSLP/SBP waiver?
Please enter the number of SFAs that used the waiver during SY 2020-2021. Then select an
option to indicate whether this is the actual number or your best estimate. If you do not have
enough information to provide a reasonably close estimate, please select “Don’t know."
(RANGE: 1-2000)
NUMBER OF SFAS
Actual number of SFAs, data provided by all SFAs ............................................. 3
Estimated number of SFAs, data not provided by all SFAs ................................. 2
Don’t know- data not collected ............................................................................. d
No SFAs used this waiver .................................................................................... 0
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
DISPLAY FOR WAIVER D
X1D=1
D2.
In the previous question, you indicated that you did not know how many SFAs used the
waiver. Approximately what proportion of SFAs used the CEP deadlines in NSLP/SBP
waiver?
Less than half ....................................................................................................... 1
About half.............................................................................................................. 2
More than half ....................................................................................................... 3
All .......................................................................................................................... 4
Don’t know ....................................................................................................................... d
NO RESPONSE .................................................................................................. M
23
DISPLAY FOR WAIVER D
X1D=1
D5.
Did use of the CEP deadlines in NSLP/SBP waiver improve services to children in the following
ways during SY 2020-2021?
Select one per row
Yes
No
Don’t
know
a. Increased State Agency administrative resources for approving meal
sites
1
0
d
b. Increased State Agency administrative resources for identifying meal
sites
1
0
d
1
0
d
d. Increased State Agency ability to provide technical assistance to local
program operators
1
0
d
e. Increased local program operators’ administrative resources for
identifying meal sites
1
0
d
1
0
d
g. Increased local program operators’ administrative resources for
providing meals
1
0
d
h. Increased local program operators’ ability to focus administrative
resources on other priority areas to improve services to children
1
0
d
i.
1
0
d
1
0
d
c.
f.
Increased State Agency administrative resources available for other
priority areas to improve services to children
Increased local program operators’ administrative resources for
addressing food supply issues and other challenges in preparing meals
This waiver did not improve services to children
j. Other way services to children improved as a result of this waiver
(specify)
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
24
E.
Changes to use of program operations waivers since September 2020
ALL
E_intro This section is about changes in use of nationwide waivers related to Child Nutrition Program
operations since September 2020. Responding to these questions will ensure that your State agency’s
reporting requirements for SY 2020-2021 and summer 2021 extensions of the nationwide waivers covered
in the first SMO survey (conducted in spring 2021) are satisfied.
ALL
E1.
Did local program operators (LPOs) use the following waiver extension(s) in SY 2020-2021?
FNS guidance on each of the waivers is available here [link to Waiver List page].
Yes
No
Non-congregate waivers
a. #33: NSLP/SBP/CACFP non-congregate- extension 2, June 30, 2021
1
0
b. #54: SFSP/SSO non-congregate - extension 4, Dec. 30, 2020
1
0
c. #61: SFSP/SSO non-congregate- extension 5, June 30, 2021
1
0
d. #34: NSLP/SBP/CACFP meal service time flexibility- extension 2, June 30, 2021
1
0
e. #66: SFSP/SSO meal service time - extension 2, June 30, 2021
1
0
1
0
1
0
Meal service time waivers
Other program operations waivers
f.
#67: SFSP offer vs. serve flexibilities- extension 2, June 30, 2021
g. #69: SFSP pre-approval visits and reimbursements- extension, June 30, 2021
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
25
IF ANY ITEM IN E1=1
E2.
Compared to the period from March through September 2020, did the number of local
program operators (LPOs) using the following waiver extension(s) in SY 2020-2021 increase,
decrease, or stay the same?
If local program operators did not use the earlier version of the waiver in March through
September 2020, but are using the extension in SY 2020-2021, please select, “More
LPOs used waiver in SY 2020-2021.”
If there were no changes to the number of local program operators using the waiver,
please select “No change.”
If you do not have this information, please select “Don’t know.”
FNS guidance on each of the waivers is available here [link to Waiver List page].
PROGRAMMER: DISPLAY ONLY ITEMS WHERE E1=1.
More
LPOs
used
waiver
in SY
20202021
Fewer
LPOs
used
waiver
in SY
20202021
No
change
Don’t
know
Non-congregate waivers
a. #33: NSLP/SBP/CACFP non-congregate- extension 2, June
30, 2021
1
2
3
d
b. #54: SFSP/SSO non-congregate - extension 4, Dec. 30, 2020
and/or #61: SFSP/SSO non-congregate- extension 5, June
30, 2021
1
2
3
d
c. #34: NSLP/SBP/CACFP meal service time flexibilityextension 2, June 30, 2021
1
2
3
d
d. #66: SFSP/SSO meal service time - extension 2, June 30,
2021
1
2
3
d
1
2
3
d
1
2
3
d
Meal service time waivers
Other program operations waivers
e. #67: SFSP offer vs. serve flexibilities- extension 2, June 30,
2021
f.
#69: SFSP pre-approval visits and reimbursementsextension, June 30, 2021
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
26
ALL
E3.
Did local program operators use the following waiver extension(s) in summer 2021?
FNS guidance on each of the waivers is available here [link to Waivers List page].
Yes
No
a. #75: SFSP/SSO non-congregate feeding- extension 6, Sept. 30, 2021
1
0
b. #78: SFSP/SSO meal service time flexibility- extension 3, Sept. 30, 2021
1
0
c. #79: SFSP/SSO offer vs. serve- extension 3, Sept. 30, 2021
1
0
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
IF ANY ITEM IN E3=1
E4.
Compared to summer 2020, did the number of local program operators (LPOs) using the
following waiver extension(s) in summer 2021 increase, decrease, or stay the same?
If local program operators did not use the earlier version of the waiver in summer 2020,
but are using the extension in summer 2021, please select, “More LPOs used waiver in
summer 2020-2021.”
If there were no changes to the number of local program operators using the waiver,
please select “No change.”
If you do not have this information, please select “Don’t know.”
FNS guidance on each of the waivers is available here [link to Waiver List page].
PROGRAMMER: DISPLAY ONLY ITEMS WHERE E3=1.
More
LPOs used
waiver in
summer
2021
Fewer
LPOs used
waiver in
summer
2021
No
change
Don’t
know
a. #75: SFSP/SSO non-congregate feeding- extension 6,
Sept. 30, 2021
1
2
3
d
b. #78: SFSP/SSO meal service time flexibility- extension
3, Sept. 30, 2021
1
2
3
d
c. #79: SFSP/SSO offer vs. serve- extension 3, Sept. 30,
2021
1
2
3
d
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
27
ALL
E5_intro.
The next set of questions is about changes in use of parent and guardian pick-up
waivers since September 2020.
ALL
E5.
Did local program operators (LPOs) use the following waiver extension(s) in SY 2020-2021?
FNS guidance on each of the waivers is available here [link to Waiver List page].
Yes
No
a. #35: NSLP/SBP/CACFP parent pick-up- extension 2, June 30, 2021
1
0
b. #55: SFSP/SSO parent pick-up- extension 4, Dec. 31, 2020
1
0
c. #62: SFSP/SSO parent pick-up- extension 5, June 30, 2021
1
0
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
IF ANY ITEM IN E5=1
E6.
Compared to the period from March through September 2020, did the number of local
program operators (LPOs) using the following waiver extension(s) in SY 2020-2021 increase,
decrease, or stay the same?
If local program operators did not use the earlier version of the waiver in March through
September 2020, but are using the extension in SY 2020-2021, please select, “More
LPOs used waiver in SY 2020-2021.”
If there were no changes to the number of local program operators using the waiver,
please select “No change.”
If you do not have this information, please select “Don’t know.”
FNS guidance on each of the waivers is available here [link to Waiver List page].
PROGRAMMER: DISPLAY ONLY ITEMS WHERE E5=1.
More
LPOs
used
waiver
in SY
20202021
Fewer
LPOs
used
waiver
in SY
20202021
No
change
Don’t
know
a. #35: NSLP/SBP/CACFP parent pick-up- extension 2, June
30, 2021
1
2
3
d
b. #55: SFSP/SSO parent pick-up- extension 4, Dec. 31, 2020
and/or #62: SFSP/SSO parent pick-up- extension 5, June 30,
2021
1
2
3
d
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
28
E5A=1
The next two questions are about use of the parent and guardian pick-up waiver for NSLP,
E7_intro.
SBP, or CACFP in SY 2020-2021.
E5A=1
E7.
FNS’s Parent/Guardian Meal Pick-up Nationwide Waiver policy memos indicate that processes
should be put in place to ensure that meals are distributed only to parents or guardians of eligible
children. Did local program operators use the following methods to ensure that NSLP, SBP, or
CACFP meals were distributed only to parents or guardians of eligible children in SY 20202021?
If you do not have this information, please select “Don’t know.”
Yes
No
Don’t
know
a. Scanned children’s meal cards or asked for children’s personal
identification numbers used for meal service
1
0
d
b. Requested children’s names, ages or dates of birth, or grade levels
when meals were picked up
1
0
d
1
0
d
d. Requested the number of children for which the parent/guardian was
picking up meals
1
0
d
e. Provided parents/guardians with rear view mirror hangers, placards, or
QR codes
1
0
d
f.
1
0
d
1
0
d
c.
Requested children’s school names or a copy of school correspondence
when meals were picked up
Posted signage to indicate who is eligible to pick up and receive meals
g. Other method to ensure meals distributed only to parent/guardians of
eligible children (specify)
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
29
E5A=1
E8.
FNS’s Parent/Guardian Meal Pick-up Nationwide Waiver policy memos indicate that processes
should be put in place to ensure that duplicate meals are not distributed to any child. Did local
program operators use the following methods to ensure that duplicate NSLP, SBP, or CACFP
meals were not distributed to any child in SY 2020-2021?
If you do not have this information, please select “Don’t know.”
Yes
No
Don’t know
a. Told parents/guardians picking up meals that children are not eligible
to receive duplicate meals
1
0
d
b. Asked parents/guardians to self-attest that they were not picking up
duplicate meals
1
0
d
1
0
d
1
0
d
1
0
d
c.
Requested children’s names or other identifying information when
meals were picked up
d. Used the same staff at multiple delivery sites (that provided meals at
different times) located in a geographic area
e. Other method to ensure duplicate meals were not distributed
(specify)
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
30
E5B=1
The next two questions are about use of the parent and guardian pick-up waiver for SFSP
E9_intro.
or SSO in SY 2020-2021.
E5B=1
E9.
FNS’s Parent/Guardian Meal Pick-up Nationwide Waiver policy memos indicate that processes
should be put in place to ensure that meals are distributed only to parents or guardians of eligible
children. Did local program operators use the following methods to ensure that SFSP or SSO
meals were distributed only to parents or guardians of eligible children in SY 2020-2021?
Yes
No
Don’t know
a. Scanned children’s meal cards or asked for children’s personal
identification numbers used for meal service
1
0
d
b. Requested children’s names, ages or dates of birth, or grade
levels when meals were picked up
1
0
d
1
0
d
d. Requested the number of children for which the parent/guardian
was picking up meals
1
0
d
e. Provided parents/guardians with rear view mirror hangers,
placards, or QR codes
1
0
d
1
0
d
1
0
d
c.
f.
Requested children’s school names or a copy of school
correspondence when meals were picked up
Posted signage to indicate who is eligible to pick up and receive
meals
g. Other method to ensure meals distributed only to
parent/guardians of eligible children (specify)
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
31
E5B=1
E10.
FNS’s Parent/Guardian Meal Pick-up Nationwide Waiver policy memos indicate that processes
should be put in place to ensure that duplicate meals are not distributed to any child. Did local
program operators use the following methods to ensure that duplicate SFSP or SSO meals
were not distributed to any child in SY 2020-2021?
If you do not have this information, please select “Don’t know.”
Yes
No
Don’t know
a. Told parents/guardians picking up meals that children are not eligible
to receive duplicate meals
1
0
d
b. Asked parents/guardians to self-attest that they were not picking up
duplicate meals
1
0
d
1
0
d
1
0
d
1
0
d
c.
Requested children’s names or other identifying information when
meals were picked up
d. Used the same staff at multiple delivery sites (that provided meals at
different times) located in a geographic area
e. Other method to ensure duplicate meals were not distributed
(specify)
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
ALL
E11_intro.
The next few questions are about use of the parent and guardian pick-up waiver for SFSP
or SSO in summer 2021.
ALL
E11.
Did local program operators use the #76: SFSP/SSO parent pick-up- extension 6, June 30,
2021 waiver extension in summer 2021?
FNS guidance on each of the waivers is available here [link to Waivers List page].
Yes ........................................................................................................................ 1
No ......................................................................................................................... 0
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
32
IF E11=1
E12.
Compared to summer 2020, did the number of local program operators (LPOs) using the
#76: SFSP/SSO parent pick-up- extension 6, June 30, 2021 waiver extension(s) in
summer 2021 increase, decrease, or stay the same?
If local program operators did not use the earlier version of the waiver in summer 2020,
but are using the extension in summer 2021, please select, “More LPOs used waiver in
summer 2021.”
If there were no changes to the number of local program operators using the waiver,
please select “No change.”
If you do not have this information, please select “Don’t know.”
FNS guidance on each of the waivers is available here [link to Waiver List page].
More LPOs used waiver in summer 2021 ............................................................ 1
Fewer LPOs used waiver in summer 2021........................................................... 2
No change ............................................................................................................ 0
Don’t know ....................................................................................................................... d
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
E11=1
E13.
FNS’s Parent/Guardian Meal Pick-up Nationwide Waiver policy memos indicate that processes
should be put in place to ensure that meals are distributed only to parents or guardians of eligible
children. Did local program operators use the following methods to ensure that SFSP or SSO
meals were distributed only to parents or guardians of eligible children in summer 2021?
Yes
No
Don’t know
a. Scanned children’s meal cards or asked for children’s personal
identification numbers used for meal service
1
0
d
b. Requested children’s names, ages or dates of birth, or grade
levels when meals were picked up
1
0
d
1
0
d
d. Requested the number of children for which the parent/guardian
was picking up meals
1
0
d
e. Provided parents/guardians with rear view mirror hangers,
placards, or QR codes
1
0
d
1
0
d
1
0
d
c.
f.
Requested children’s school names or a copy of school
correspondence when meals were picked up
Posted signage to indicate who is eligible to pick up and receive
meals
g. Other method to ensure meals distributed only to
parent/guardians of eligible children (specify)
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
33
E11=1
E14.
FNS’s Parent/Guardian Meal Pick-up Nationwide Waiver policy memos indicate that processes
should be put in place to ensure that duplicate meals are not distributed to any child. Did local
program operators use the following methods to ensure that duplicate SFSP or SSO meals
were not distributed to any child in summer 2021?
If you do not have this information, please select “Don’t know.”
Yes
No
Don’t know
a. Told parents/guardians picking up meals that children are not
eligible to receive duplicate meals
1
0
d
b. Asked parents/guardians to self-attest that they were not picking up
duplicate meals
1
0
d
1
0
d
1
0
d
1
0
d
c.
Requested children’s names or other identifying information when
meals were picked up
d. Used the same staff at multiple delivery sites (that provided meals
at different times) located in a geographic area
e. Other method to ensure duplicate meals were not distributed
(specify)
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
ALL
E15_intro.
The next set of questions is about changes in use of the SFSP/SSO area eligibility waiver
since September 2020.
ALL
E15.
Did local program operators (LPOs) use the following waiver extension(s) in SY 2020-2021?
FNS guidance on each of the waivers is available here [link to Waiver List page].
Yes
No
a. #48: SFSP/SSO area eligibility for closed enrolled sites - extension, Dec. 31, 2020
1
0
b. #52: SFSP/SSO area eligibility- extension 2, June 30, 2021
1
0
c. #60: SFSP/SSO area eligibility - extension 3, Dec. 31, 2020
1
0
d. #64: SFSP/SSO area eligibility for closed enrolled sites - extension 2, June 30,
2021
1
0
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
34
IF ANY ITEM IN E15=1
E16.
Compared to the period from March through September 2020, did the number of local
program operators (LPOs) using the following waiver extension(s) in SY 2020-2021 increase,
decrease, or stay the same?
If local program operators did not use the earlier version of the waiver in March through
September 2020, but are using the extension in SY 2020-2021, please select, “More
LPOs used waiver in SY 2020-2021.”
If there were no changes to the number of local program operators using the waiver,
please select “No change.”
If you do not have this information, please select “Don’t know.”
FNS guidance on each of the waivers is available here [link to Waiver List page].
PROGRAMMER: DISPLAY ONLY ITEMS WHERE E15=1.
More
LPOs
used
waiver
in SY
20202021
Fewer
LPOs
used
waiver
in SY
20202021
No
change
Don’t
know
a. #48: SFSP/SSO area eligibility for closed enrolled sites extension, Dec. 31, 2020 and/or #64: SFSP/SSO area
eligibility for closed enrolled sites - extension 2, June 30, 2021
1
2
3
d
b. #52: SFSP/SSO area eligibility- extension 2, June 30, 2021
and/or #60: SFSP/SSO area eligibility - extension 3, Dec. 31,
2020
1
2
3
d
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
35
E15B=1 (USED SFSP AREA ELIGIBLITY WAIVERS)
E17.
FNS’s Area Eligibility Nationwide Waiver policy memos indicate that new area eligible meal sites
should target benefits to children in need, such as children who may be eligible for benefits due to
the economic impacts of COVID-19.
Did local program operators use the following approaches to target new area eligible meal sites in
SY 2020-2021?
If you do not have this information, please select “Don’t know.”
Yes
No
Don’t
know
a. Analyzed unemployment data
1
0
d
b. Analyzed prior year school meals eligibility data
1
0
d
c.
1
0
d
1
0
d
1
0
d
Identified site(s) that wer area eligible in prior years
d. Targeted near-eligible sites, such as sites where 40% of children
were eligible for free or reduced-price meals
e.
Other approach to select meal sites (specify)
No methods used- all sites approved as area eligible ......................................... 0
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
E15B=1 (USED SFSP AREA ELIGIBLITY WAIVERS)
E17a. Which approaches to targeting new area eligible meal sites was most commonly used by local
program operators in SY 2020-2021?
If you do not have this information, please select “Don’t know.”
PROGRAMMER: DISPLAY ONLY ITEMS WHERE N1=1.
Analyzed unemployment data .............................................................................. 1
Analyzed prior year school meals eligibility data .................................................. 2
Identified site(s) that were area eligible in prior years .......................................... 3
Targeted near-eligible sites, such as sites where 40% of children were
eligible for free or reduced-price meals ................................................................ 4
[FILL OTHER TEXT] ............................................................................................. 5
Don’t know ....................................................................................................................... d
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
36
ALL
E18.
Did local program operators use the following waiver extension(s) in summer 2021?
FNS guidance on each of the waivers is available here [link to Waivers List page].
Yes
No
a. #77: SFSP/SSO area eligibility- extension 4, Sept. 30, 2021
1
0
b. #80: SFSP/SSO area eligibility for closed enrolled sites - extension 3, Sept.
30, 2021
1
0
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
IF E18A OR B=1
E19.
Compared to summer 2020, did the number of local program operators (LPOs) using the
following waiver extension(s) in summer 2021 increase, decrease, or stay the same?
If local program operators did not use the earlier version of the waiver in summer 2020,
but are using the extension in summer 2021, please select, “More LPOs used waiver in
summer 2020-2021.”
If there were no changes to the number of local program operators using the waiver,
please select “No change.”
If you do not have this information, please select “Don’t know.”
FNS guidance on each of the waivers is available here [link to Waiver List page].
PROGRAMMER: DISPLAY ONLY ITEMS WHERE E18=1.
More
LPOs
used
waiver in
summer
2021
Fewer
LPOs
used
waiver in
summer
2021
No
change
Don’t
know
a. #77: SFSP/SSO area eligibility- extension 4, Sept. 30,
2021
1
2
3
d
b. #80: SFSP/SSO area eligibility for closed enrolled sites
- extension 3, Sept. 30, 2021
1
2
3
d
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
37
E18A =1 (USED SFSP/SSO AREA ELIGIBLITY WAIVER)
E20.
FNS’s Area Eligibility Nationwide Waiver policy memos indicate that new area eligible meal sites
should target benefits to children in need, such as children who may be eligible for benefits due to
the economic impacts of COVID-19.
Did local program operators use the following approaches to target new area eligible meal sites in
summer 2021?
If you do not have this information, please select “Don’t know.”
Yes
No
Don’t
know
a. Analyzed unemployment data
1
0
d
b. Analyzed prior year school meals eligibility data
1
0
d
c.
1
0
d
1
0
d
1
0
d
Identified site(s) that wer area eligible in prior years
d. Targeted near-eligible sites, such as sites where 40% of children
were eligible for free or reduced-price meals
e.
Other approach to select meal sites (specify)
No methods used- all sites approved as area eligible ......................................... 0
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
E18A =1 (USED SFSP/SSO AREA ELIGIBLITY WAIVER)
E20a. Which approaches to targeting new area eligible meal sites was most commonly used by local
program operators in summer 2021?
If you do not have this information, please select “Don’t know.”
PROGRAMMER: DISPLAY ONLY ITEMS WHERE N1=1.
Analyzed unemployment data .............................................................................. 1
Analyzed prior year school meals eligibility data .................................................. 2
Identified site(s) that were area eligible in prior years .......................................... 3
Targeted near-eligible sites, such as sites where 40% of children were
eligible for free or reduced-price meals ................................................................ 4
[FILL OTHER TEXT] ............................................................................................. 5
Don’t know ....................................................................................................................... d
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
38
ALL
The next set of questions is about changes in use of meal pattern flexibility waivers since
E21_intro.
September 2020.
ALL
E22.
Did local program operators (LPOs) use the following waiver extension(s) in SY 2020-2021?
FNS guidance on each of the waivers is available here [link to Waiver List page].
Yes
No
a. #53: SFSP/SSO meal pattern flexibility - extension 7, Dec. 31, 2020
1
0
b. #63: SFSP/SSO meal pattern flexibility - extension 8, June 30, 2021
1
0
c. #70: NSLP/SBP/CACFP meal pattern flexibility - extension 5, June 30, 2021
1
0
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
IF ANY ITEM IN E22=1
E23.
Compared to the period from March through September 2020, did the number of local
program operators (LPOs) using the following waiver extension(s) in SY 2020-2021 increase,
decrease, or stay the same?
If local program operators did not use the earlier version of the waiver in March through
September 2020, but are using the extension in SY 2020-2021, please select, “More
LPOs used waiver in SY 2020-2021.”
If there were no changes to the number of local program operators using the waiver,
please select “No change.”
If you do not have this information, please select “Don’t know.”
FNS guidance on each of the waivers is available here [link to Waiver List page].
PROGRAMMER: DISPLAY ONLY ITEMS WHERE E22=1.
More
LPOs
used
waiver
in SY
20202021
Fewer
LPOs
used
waiver
in SY
20202021
No
change
Don’t
know
a. #53: SFSP/SSO meal pattern flexibility - extension 7, Dec. 31,
2020 and/or #63: SFSP/SSO meal pattern flexibility extension 8, June 30, 2021
1
2
3
d
b. #70: NSLP/SBP/CACFP meal pattern flexibility - extension 5,
June 30, 2021
1
2
3
d
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
39
ALL
E24.
Did local program operators use the #74: SSO meal pattern flexibilities- extension 9, Sept.
30, 2021 waiver extension in summer 2021?
FNS guidance on each of the waivers is available here [link to Waivers List page].
Yes ........................................................................................................................ 1
No ......................................................................................................................... 0
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
IF E24=1
E25.
Compared to summer 2020, did the number of local program operators (LPOs) using the
#74: SSO meal pattern flexibilities- extension 9, Sept. 30, 2021 waiver extension in
summer 2021 increase, decrease, or stay the same?
If local program operators did not use the earlier version of the waiver in summer 2020,
but are using the extension in summer 2021, please select, “More LPOs used waiver in
summer 2021.”
If there were no changes to the number of local program operators using the waiver,
please select “No change.”
If you do not have this information, please select “Don’t know.”
FNS guidance on each of the waivers is available here [link to Waiver List page].
More LPOs used waiver in summer 2021 ............................................................ 1
Fewer LPOs used waiver in summer 2021........................................................... 2
No change ............................................................................................................ 0
Don’t know ....................................................................................................................... d
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
40
E22A, E22B, E22C, OR E24=1
E26.
States that implemented the Nationwide Waiver to Allow Meal Pattern Flexibility in the Child
Nutrition Programs are required to report when and where the waiver was in effect and for
what food components. Please follow the instructions provided for the administrative data
request to submit a file that includes this information for [IF (E22A, E22B, OR E22C=1) AND
E24=1: SY 2020-2021 and summer 2021; IF (E22A, E22B, OR E22C=1) AND E24=0: SY
2020-2021; IF (E22A, E22B, AND E22C=0) AND E24=1: summer 2021]] to the SMO secure
file transfer site.
If you need assistance accessing the SMO secure file transfer site, please email
[email protected] or call toll-free at 833) 440-9475. If the file does not
contain personally identifiable information, you may email it to [email protected].
[IF E22A, E22B, OR E22C=1] File with SY 2020-2021 submitted ................. 1
[IF E24=1 File with summer 2021 data submitted .......................................... 2
[IF E22A, E22B, OR E22C=1] Unable to submit file- SY 2020-2021 data
not available.................................................................................................... 3
[IF E24=1] Unable to submit file- summer 2021 data not available................ 4
Unable to submit file- need assistance accessing secure file transfer site .... 5
HARD CHECK: IF E26= MISSING: The survey questions you will be asked about are based on
your response to this question so it is essential that you provide a response before moving on.
E26=1 OR 5
E27.
Does the file include the following information on use of the Nationwide Meal Pattern Waiver
by local program operators during SY 2020-2021?
Select one per row
No
Yes, for
some LPOs
Yes, for all
LPOs
a. When the waiver was used
0
1
2
b. Where the waiver used
0
1
2
0
1
2
c.
Food components for which the waiver was
used
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
41
E26=2 OR 5
E28.
Does the file include the following information on use of the Nationwide Meal Pattern Waiver
by local program operators during summer 2021?
Select one per row
No
Yes, for
some LPOs
Yes, for all
LPOs
a. When the waiver was used
0
1
2
b. Where the waiver used
0
1
2
0
1
2
c.
Food components for which the waiver was
used
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
E26=3
E29.
Why are you not able to provide a file with SY 2020-2021 information?
SELECT ALL THAT APPLY
Did not collect this information.............................................................................. 1
Other (Specify)...................................................................................................... 2
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
E26=3
E30.
Please indicate which, if any, food component requirements local program operators waived
with the Nationwide Meal Pattern Waiver during SY 2020-2021.
Select all that apply
Grains
Fruits
Vegetables
Meats/
meat
alternates
Milk
Waiver
not
used for
this
program
Don’t
know
a. [NSLP=1] National School
Lunch Program
0
1
2
3
4
n
d
b. [SBP=1] School Breakfast
Program
0
1
2
3
4
n
d
0
1
2
3
4
n
d
d. [SFSP=1] Summer Food
Service Program
0
1
2
3
4
n
d
e. [CACFP=1] Child and Adult
Care Food Program
0
1
2
3
4
n
d
c.
[SSO=1] Seamless Summer
Option
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
42
E30A OR E30C=2
E31.
Please indicate which vegetable subgroup requirements local program operators waived with
the Nationwide Meal Pattern Waiver during SY 2020-2021.
DISPLAY EACH PROGRAM WHERE E30a OR E30c=2.
Select all that apply
Dark
Green
a. [2 SELECTED FOR Q5a]
National School Lunch
Program
b. [2 SELECTED FOR Q5c]
Seamless Summer Option
Red/Orange
Starchy
Legumes
Other
Don’t
know
0
1
2
3
4
d
0
1
2
3
4
d
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
E26=3 AND MORE THAN ONE ITEM SELECTED FOR ROW E30A, B, C, D, OR E
E32.
Approximately what proportion of local program operators waived requirements for two or
more food components with the Nationwide Meal Pattern Waiver during SY 2020-2021?
DISPLAY EACH PROGRAM WHERE MORE THAN ONE ITEM SELECTED IN ROW IN Q5.
Select one per row
Proportion of local program operators
None
Less
than
half
About
half
More
than
half
All
Don’t
know
a. [MORE THAN ONE ITEM SELECTED IN
ROW IN V30A] National School Lunch
Program
0
1
2
3
4
d
b. [MORE THAN ONE ITEM SELECTED IN
ROW IN V30B] School Breakfast
Program
0
1
2
3
4
d
0
1
2
3
4
d
d. [MORE THAN ONE ITEM SELECTED IN
ROW IN V30D] Summer Food Service
Program
0
1
2
3
4
d
e. [MORE THAN ONE ITEM SELECTED IN
ROW IN V30E] Child and Adult Care
Food Program
0
1
2
3
4
d
c.
[MORE THAN ONE ITEM SELECTED IN
ROW IN V30C] Seamless Summer
Option
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
43
E26=4
E33.
Why are you not able to provide a file with summer 2021 information?
SELECT ALL THAT APPLY
Did not collect this information.............................................................................. 1
Other (Specify)...................................................................................................... 2
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
E26=4
E34.
Please indicate which food component requirements local program operators waived with the
Nationwide Meal Pattern Waiver during summer 2021.
Select all that apply
Grains
a. [SSO=1] Seamless Summer
Option
0
Fruits
1
Vegetables
2
Meats/
meat
alternates
3
Milk
4
Waiver
not
used for
this
program
n
Don’t
know
d
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
E34A=2
E35.
Please indicate which vegetable subgroup requirements local program operators waived with
the Nationwide Meal Pattern Waiver during summer 2021.
Select all that apply
Dark
Green
b. [2 SELECTED FOR E34a]
Seamless Summer Option
0
Red/Orange
1
Starchy
2
Legumes
3
Other
4
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
44
Don’t
know
d
E26=4 AND MORE THAN ONE ITEM SELECTED FOR ROW E34C
E36.
Approximately what proportion of local program operators waived requirements for two or
more food components with the Nationwide Meal Pattern Waiver during summer 2021?
DISPLAY EACH PROGRAM WHERE MORE THAN ONE ITEM SELECTED IN ROW IN E34.
Select one per row
Proportion of local program operators
None
a. [MORE THAN ONE ITEM SELECTED IN
ROW IN E34A] Seamless Summer
Option
0
Less
than
half
1
About
half
2
More
than
half
3
All
4
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
45
Don’t
know
d
F.
Changes to use of monitoring waivers since September 2020
ALL
F5_intro.
The next set of questions is about changes in use of nationwide waivers related to Child
Nutrition Program monitoring since September 2020. Responding to these questions will ensure that your
State agency’s reporting requirements for SY 2020-2021 and summer 2021 extensions of the nationwide
waivers covered in the first SMO survey (conducted in spring 2021) are satisfied.
ALL
F1.
Did local program operators (LPOs) use the following waiver extension(s) in SY 2020-2021?
FNS guidance on each of the waivers is available here [link to Waiver List page].
Yes
No
a. #39: CACFP onsite monitoring for sponsors- extension, Sept. 30, 2021
1
0
b. #41: School meals onsite monitoring- extension 2, June 30, 2021
1
0
c. #42: SFSP onsite monitoring for sponsoring orgs - extension 2, Sept. 30, 2021
1
0
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
IF ANY ITEM IN F1=1
F2.
Compared to the period from March through September 2020, did the number of local
program operators (LPOs) using the following waiver extension(s) in SY 2020-2021 increase,
decrease, or stay the same?
If local program operators did not use the earlier version of the waiver in March through
September 2020, but are using the extension in SY 2020-2021, please select, “More
LPOs used waiver in SY 2020-2021.”
If there were no changes to the number of local program operators using the waiver,
please select “No change.”
If you do not have this information, please select “Don’t know.”
FNS guidance on each of the waivers is available here [link to Waiver List page].
PROGRAMMER: DISPLAY ONLY ITEMS WHERE F1=1.
More
LPOs
used
waiver in
SY 20202021
Fewer
LPOs
used
waiver in
SY 20202021
No
change
Don’t
know
a. #39: CACFP onsite monitoring for sponsors- extension,
Sept. 30, 2021
1
2
3
d
b. #41: School meals onsite monitoring- extension 2, June
30, 2021
1
2
3
d
c. #42: SFSP onsite monitoring for sponsoring orgs extension 2, Sept. 30, 2021
1
2
3
d
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
46
F1A=1, F1B=1, F1C=1
DISPLAY FOR EACH WAIVER WHERE F1=1
F3.
Did local program operators conduct the following types of monitoring in SY 2020-2021 under the
[FILL WAIVER FROM F1]?
Yes
No
Don’t
know
a. Desk audit- paperwork review
1
0
d
b. Desk audit- interviews with site operators
1
0
d
c.
1
0
d
d. Virtual observations through review of site photos
1
0
d
e. On-site while assisting with or observing meal service
1
0
d
1
0
d
1
0
d
f.
Virtual observations conducted through live stream video
Other type of monitoring (specify)
g. No monitoring conducted
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
ALL
F4_intro.
The next few questions are about changes in your State Agency’s use of monitoring
waivers in SY 2020-2021.
ALL
F4.
Did your State Agency use the following waiver extension(s) in SY 2020-2021?
FNS guidance on each of the waivers is available here [link to Waiver List page].
Yes
No
a. #40: CACFP onsite monitoring requirements for State Agencies- extension 2,
Sept. 30, 2021
1
0
b. #41: School meals onsite monitoring- extension 2, June 30, 2021
1
0
c. #43: SFSP onsite monitoring requirements for State Agencies- extension 2,
Sept. 30, 2021
1
0
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
47
F4A=1, F4B=1, F4C=1
DISPLAY FOR EACH WAIVER WHERE F4=1
F5.
Did your State Agency use the following types of monitoring in SY 2020-2021 under the [FILL
WAIVER FROM F4]?
Yes
No
Don’t
know
a. Desk audit- paperwork review
1
0
d
b. Desk audit- interviews with local program operators
1
0
d
c.
1
0
d
d. Virtual observations through review of site photos
1
0
d
e. On-site socially distanced observations
1
0
d
1
0
d
f.
Virtual observations conducted through live stream video
Other type of monitoring (specify)
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
ALL
F6_intro.
The next few questions are about changes in use of monitoring waivers in summer 2021.
ALL
F6.
Did local program operators use the #81 - SFSP first week site visits- extension 3, Sept.
30, 2021 waiver extension in summer 2021?
FNS guidance on each of the waivers is available here [link to Waivers List page].
Yes ........................................................................................................................ 1
No ......................................................................................................................... 0
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
48
IF F6=1
F7.
Compared to summer 2020, did the number of local program operators (LPOs) using the #81
- SFSP first week site visits- extension 3, Sept. 30, 2021 waiver extension in summer
2021 increase, decrease, or stay the same?
If local program operators did not use the earlier version of the waiver in summer 2020,
but are using the extension in summer 2021, please select, “More LPOs used waiver in
summer 2021.”
If there were no changes to the number of local program operators using the waiver,
please select “No change.”
If you do not have this information, please select “Don’t know.”
FNS guidance on each of the waivers is available here [link to Waiver List page].
More LPOs used waiver in summer 2021 ............................................................ 1
Fewer LPOs used waiver in summer 2021........................................................... 2
No change ............................................................................................................ 0
Don’t know ....................................................................................................................... d
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
F6=1
F8.
Did SFSP sponsors conduct the following types of monitoring in summer 2021 under the #81 SFSP first week site visits- extension 3, Sept. 30, 2021?
Yes
No
Don’t
know
a. Desk audit- paperwork review
1
0
d
b. Desk audit- interviews with site operators
1
0
d
c.
1
0
d
d. Virtual observations through review of site photos
1
0
d
e. On-site while assisting with or observing meal service
1
0
d
0
1
d
1
d
f.
Virtual observations conducted through live stream video
Other type of monitoring (specify)
g. No monitoring conducted
0
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
49
G.
Emergency Funding
ALL
G1_intro.
This section is about use of the Child Nutrition Emergency Operational Costs
Reimbursement Program(s).
ALL
G1.
Which of the Child Nutrition Emergency Operational Costs Reimbursement Program(s) did
your State agency elect to administer?
SELECT ALL THAT APPLY
[IF NSLP, SBP, OR SSO=1] School Programs .................................................... 1
[IF CACFP=1] CACFP .......................................................................................... 2
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
ALL
G2.
Did you accept the 1% State administrative funds made available for Child Nutrition
Emergency Operational Costs Reimbursement Program(s)?
SELECT ALL THAT APPLY
[IF NSLP, SBP, OR SSO=1] Yes, for School Programs ...................... 1
SKIP TO G4
[IF CACFP=1] Yes, for CACFP ............................................................ 2
SKIP TO G4
No, declined funds ................................................................................ 0
SKIP TO G3
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
ALL
G3.
Why did your State agency decline the 1% State administrative funds made available for the
Child Nutrition Emergency Operational Costs Reimbursement Program(s)?
SELECT ALL THAT APPLY
Sufficient State administrative funds on-hand (ex. SAE)...................................... 1
Minimal or no expense associated with administering Program(s) ...................... 2
Concerns about possible reporting burden .......................................................... 3
Other (Specify)...................................................................................................... 4
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
50
ALL
G4.
Based on your current knowledge, how effective were the Child Nutrition Emergency
Operational Costs reimbursement payments received by your local program operators in
stabilizing the financial health of their food service operations and/or making up for lost
revenues during the public health emergency in spring 2020?
Highly effective ..................................................................................................... 1
Somewhat effective .............................................................................................. 2
Minimally effective ................................................................................................ 3
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
ALL
G4a.
If you are able to provide further details on how Child Nutrition Emergency Operational
Costs reimbursement payments received by your local program operators were [FILL G4
RESPONSE], please do so below:
(1500 character limit)
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
ALL
G5.
Did your State agency experience any of the following challenges during the process of
calculating and disbursing Child Nutrition Emergency Operational Costs Reimbursement
Program payments?
SELECT ALL THAT APPLY
Complexity of calculations and/or ......................................................................... 1
Identifying eligible program operators .................................................................. 2
Timing associated with necessary systems upgrades ......................................... 3
Costs associated with necessary systems upgrades ........................................... 4
Communicating with local program operators ...................................................... 5
Obtaining assurance statements from local program operators........................... 6
Meeting statutory or programmatic deadlines ...................................................... 7
Other (Specify)...................................................................................................... 8
None of the above ................................................................................................ 0
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
51
G5=1, 2, 3, 4, 5, OR 6
G5a.
If you wish to provide further details on the challenges you experienced during the
process of calculating and disbursing Child Nutrition Emergency Operational Costs
Reimbursement Program payments, please do so below:
(1500 character limit)
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
52
V.
Challenges
V_intro. This section asks about challenges your State Agency experienced during SY 2020-2021
and summer 2021.
ALL
V1.
Did your State Agency experience any operational challenges with administering Child
Nutrition Programs during SY 2020-2021 or summer 2021? For example, managing multiple
CN programs simultaneously, staffing shortages, or unclear or untimely guidance from FNS.
Yes ........................................................................................................................ 1
No ......................................................................................................................... 0 GO TO V3
NO RESPONSE .................................................................................................. M GO TO V3
53
V1=1
V2.
What factors contributed to operational challenges your State Agency experienced with
administering Child Nutrition Programs during SY 2020-2021 or summer 2021?
PROGRAMMER: DISPLAY COLUMNS BASED ON SA PROGRAM OVERSIGHT (SAMPLE FILE
VARIABLES LISTED BELOW).
Select all that apply
[NSLP=1]
NSLP
a. Resources needed to manage
multiple CN programs simultaneously
(for example, school meals and
summer meals)
[SPB=1]
SBP
[SSO=1]
SSO
[SFSP=1]
SFSP
[CACFP=1]
CACFP
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
g. Managing staffing shortages (for
example, due to illness or other
reasons)
1
2
3
4
5
h. Limitations on ability to hire new staff
1
2
3
4
5
i.
Unexpected staff training needs
1
2
3
4
5
j.
Redesigning monitoring approaches
(for example, from onsite to virtual)
1
2
3
4
5
b. Resources needed to review and
approve waiver requests from
providers
c. Resources needed to approve meal
sites
d. Resources needed to assist providers
with identification of meal sites
e. Resources needed to provide
technical assistance to local program
operators
f. Resources needed to administer
USDA Foods
k.
Implementing IT system changes
1
2
3
4
5
l.
Office closures
1
2
3
4
5
m. Unclear guidance from FNS
1
2
3
4
5
n. Untimely guidance from FNS
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
o. Insufficient technical assistance from
FNS
p. No operational challenges with
program administration.
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
54
V1=1
V2oth. What other factors contributed to operational challenges your State Agency experienced
administering Child Nutrition Programs during SY 2020-2021 or summer 2021?
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
ALL
V3.
Did your State Agency experience any financial challenges with administering Child Nutrition
Programs during SY 2020-2021 or summer 2021?
Yes ........................................................................................................................ 1
No ......................................................................................................................... 0 GO TO V5
NO RESPONSE .................................................................................................. M GO TO V5
V3=1
V4.
What factors contributed to financial challenges your State Agency experienced with
administering Child Nutrition Programs during SY 2020-2021 or summer 2021?
Select all that apply
[IF
NSLP=1]
NSLP
[IF
SBP=1]
SBP
[IF
SSO=1]
SSO
[IF
SFSP=1]
SFSP
[IF
CACFP=1]
CACFP
a. Added new staff
1
2
3
4
5
b. Increased staff hours
1
2
3
4
5
c.
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
e. IT system changes
1
2
3
4
5
f.
1
2
3
4
5
Staff overtime
d. State administrative expense funds (SAE)
or State administrative funds (SAF)
No financial challenges with program
administration.
NO RESPONSE .................................................................................................. M
V3=1
V4oth. What other factors contributed to financial challenges your State Agency experienced with
administering Child Nutrition Programs during SY 2020-2021 or summer 2021?
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
55
V1 OR V3=1
V5. Of the challenges your State Agency experienced in implementing or using the COVID-19
Child Nutrition waivers during SY 2020-2021 and summer 2021, which were you unable to
overcome?
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
ALL
V6. Is there anything else FNS should know about the waiver implementation process or
State and local efforts to operate Child Nutrition Programs during SY 2020-2021 and
summer 2021?
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
ALL
VERIFICATION SCREEN.
You have just completed the Child Nutrition Director COVID-19 Waiver Collection Survey for
School Year 2020–2021. Are you ready to submit your responses?
If you are ready, select "Yes" and press the "Next" button below and your survey will be
submitted. If you need to double check an answer, click the "Survey Sections" link
above and select the section you would like to review.
Yes
HARD CHECK: IF NO RESPONSE: You are about to submit your survey. If you wish to submit
the survey, please select “Yes” and press “Next” to continue.
ALL
End. You have answered all the questions. Thank you for completing this survey!
56
Appendix B
School Food Authority Director Survey - Revised
OMB Clearance Number: 0584-0607
Expiration Date: XX/XX/20XX
School Food Authority (SFA) Director Survey
School Year 2021–2022
June 9, 2021
Sponsored by:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Food and Nutrition Service
Introduction
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has contracted with
Mathematica to conduct the School Meals Operations (SMO) Study. Updated information about
school-based Child Nutrition (CN) Programs will help FNS effectively oversee these programs and
inform both policy decisions and future training and technical assistance.
Because the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way that school-based CN programs operated
during school year (SY) 2020–2021, this survey includes questions about how the pandemic
affected program operations and finances.
The survey topics include:
•
Meal service and operations during SY 2020–2021
•
Financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic
•
Program operations at the start of SY 2021–2022
•
Food service management company (FSMC) contracts
Cooperation by States and districts is required under Section 28 of the Richard B. Russell National
School Lunch Act. At the same time, recognizing the administrative effort associated with
participating in research studies, SMO has been designed to limit participant burden to the extent
possible. It should take about an hour to complete the survey.
To avoid redundant information requests, the survey focuses only on questions that cannot be
answered with administrative data you have already reported to your State agency on CN program
participation. The study team will receive those data from your State agency. [DELETE IF
“CERTAINTY SAMPLE SFA”: Also, although this study may continue for two more years, your
SFA is only being asked to participate once during the three-year period. The responses of each
SFA in the annually selected nationally representative sample will therefore speak for many SFAs.]
All information collected for this study is for research purposes only and will be kept private to the
full extent allowed by law.
We thank you in advance for your time and cooperation in this important study. If you have any
questions about the study, please email [STUDY EMAIL] or call Mathematica toll-free at [STUDY
PHONE LINE].
1
Glossary
PROGRAMMER NOTE: INCLUDE A LINK FOR THE GLOSSARY IN LOWER LEFT CORNER OF EVERY
PAGE.
Bulk food packages: Food packages that contain items that could be used for multiple meals or portion sizes.
School food authority (SFA): The governing body that has the legal authority to operate a lunch or breakfast
program in one or more public or private schools.
Virtual model: Schools providing no in-person learning to students, only off-site/at-home remote learning.
Hybrid model: Schools providing a combination of both in-person and virtual learning to students.
2
1. MEAL SERVICE AND OPERATIONS
This section focuses on the Child Nutrition Programs your school food authority (SFA) used to
provide meal service during school year (SY) 2020–2021 and on program operations in SY 2020–
2021.
PRETEST RESPONDENT: Please list the start time for the survey here:
ALL ANSWER:
The following are school levels that your SFA might have:
1.1.
•
Elementary schools with students in prekindergarten through grade 5
•
Middle or junior high schools with students in grades 6 through 8
•
High schools with students in grades 9 through 12
•
Other schools that do not meet the elementary, middle, or high school definitions,
such as 6–12, K–8, or K–12
Does your SFA have elementary, middle, high, or other schools?
Select all that apply:
Elementary schools .............................................................................................. 1
Middle schools ...................................................................................................... 2
High schools ......................................................................................................... 3
Other schools: (Specify grade levels) ................................................................... 4
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
3
ALL ANSWER:
1.2.
During SY 2020–2021, for which school levels did your SFA use the following Child
Nutrition Programs to provide meal service?
[Show only the school levels selected in 1.1]
Select all that apply at any point
during SY 2020-2021:
Elementary
Middle
High
Other
a. National School Lunch
Program (NSLP)
1
2
3
4
b. School Breakfast Program
(SBP)
1
2
3
4
1
2
3
d. Summer Food Service
Program (SFSP)
1
2
3
e. Child and Adult Care Food
Program (CACFP) At-Risk
Afterschool Meals component
1
2
1
2
1
2
c.
f.
NSLP Seamless Summer
Option (SSO)
CACFP Outside-SchoolHours Care snacks or
suppers
g. Special Milk Program
h. USDA Department of
Defense Fresh Fruit and
Vegetable Program (USDA
DoD Fresh)
i.
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable
Program (FFVP)
0
0
4
0
4
0
0
3
4
0
3
4
3
4
0
0
0
1
2
1
n.a.
3
n.a.
4
n.a.
n.a. = not applicable
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
4
Did not use
ANSWER IF SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM IS USED (IF 1.2D = 1, 2, 3, OR 4):
1.3
During SY 2020–2021, which factors on this list influenced your SFA’s decision to use the
Summer Food Service Program to provide meals?
Select all that apply:
Program design made it easier to provide meal service ...................................... 1
Available waivers made it easier to provide meal service .................................... 2
SFA operated the program in summer 2020 ........................................................ 3
SFA operated the program before COVID-19 ...................................................... 4
The program is easier to administer than other Child Nutrition Programs ........... 5
The meal reimbursement amount......................................................................... 6
No students were attending school in person when SFA decided to use the
program ................................................................................................................ 7
Only some students were attending school in person when SFA decided to use
the program .......................................................................................................... 8
Other factor(s): (Specify) ...................................................................................... 99
Don’t know ....................................................................................................................... d
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
ANSWER IF NSLP SEAMLESS SUMMER OPTION IS USED (IF 1.2C = 1, 2, 3, OR 4):
1.4.
During SY 2020–2021, which factors influenced your SFA’s decision to use the NSLP’s
Seamless Summer Option to provide meals?
Select all that apply:
Program design made it easier to provide meal service ...................................... 1
Available waivers made it easier to provide meal service .................................... 2
SFA operated the program in summer 2020 ........................................................ 3
SFA operated the program before COVID-19 ...................................................... 4
The program is easier to administer than other Child Nutrition Programs ........... 5
The meal reimbursement amount......................................................................... 6
No students were attending school in person when SFA decided to use the
program ................................................................................................................ 7
Only some students were attending school in person when SFA decided to use
the program .......................................................................................................... 8
Other factor (Specify) ........................................................................................... 99
Don’t know ....................................................................................................................... d
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
5
ANSWER IF NSLP OR SBP IS USED (IF 1.2A OR 1.2B = = 1, 2, 3, OR 4):
1.5.
During SY 2020–2021, which factors influenced your SFA’s decision to use the NSLP or
SBP to provide meals?
Select all that apply:
Familiar with the program ..................................................................................... 1
Available waivers made it easier to provide meal service .................................... 2
The program is easier to administer than other Child Nutrition Programs ........... 3
The meal reimbursement amount......................................................................... 4
No students were attending school in person when SFA decided to use the
program ................................................................................................................ 5
Only some students were attending school in person when SFA decided to use
the program .......................................................................................................... 6
One or more schools were approved under Provision 2 or 3, or the Community
Eligibility Provision (CEP) ..................................................................................... 7
Other factor (Specify) ........................................................................................... 99
Don’t know ....................................................................................................................... d
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
ANSWER IF NO CN PROGRAMS USED (1.2 = 0 FOR ALL CN PROGRAMS):
1.6.
During SY 2020–2021, what were the reasons why your SFA chose not to provide meal
service?
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
ANSWER IF NO CN PROGRAMS USED (1.2 = 0 FOR ALL CN PROGRAMS):
1.7.
During SY 2020–2021, how, if at all, was your SFA financially impacted by not providing meal
service?
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
6
ALL ANSWER:
1.8.
During SY 2020-2021, was Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) available in your
State?
Yes ........................................................................................................................ 1
No ......................................................................................................................... 0 GO TO 1.13
Don’t know ....................................................................................................................... 2 GO TO 1.13
NO RESPONSE .................................................................................................. M GO TO 1.13
ANSWER IF 1.8 = 1
1.9.
How did your SFA support the implementation of P-EBT?
Select all that apply
Did not support ..................................................................................................... 1
Assisted in determining student eligibility............................................................. 2
Obtained student address information ................................................................. 3
Mailed P-EBT cards ............................................................................................. 4
Conducted outreach ............................................................................................. 5
Answered questions from parents/guardians ....................................................... 6
Provided information on SFA website or through brochures, etc......................... 7
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
ANSWER IF 1.8 = 1
1.10.
In your opinion, what are the primary benefits of the P-EBT Program?
Select up to 3
Ensures access to nutrition assistance during school closures ........................... 1
Benefits provided to all affected low-income children .......................................... 2
Benefits can be used to purchase food at any authorized retailer ....................... 3
Families generally do not need to take action to receive P-EBT benefits ............ 4
Families receiving P-EBT benefits may continue to access free meals offered
by SFAs or other organizations ............................................................................ 5
Other factor (Specify) ........................................................................................... 99
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
7
ANSWER IF 1.8 = 1
1.11. In your opinion, what were the major challenges of the P-EBT Program?
Select up to 3
Identifying all eligible students ............................................................................. 1
Obtaining accurate student address information ................................................. 2
Conducting data matching ................................................................................... 3
Coordinating with State agencies ......................................................................... 4
Answering questions from families who didn’t receive benefits .............................. 5
Answering questions from families about use of the benefits .............................. 6
Other factor (Specify) ........................................................................................... 99
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
ANSWER IF 1.8 = 1
1.12. Do you have any recommendations on how the P-EBT Program could be improved?
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
ALL ANSWER:
1.13.
During SY 2020–2021, did schools in your SFA have students attending full time in
person (no virtual instruction was provided) for all or part of the year?
Select all that apply:
Yes, all or some schools had students attending full time, in person all year ...... 1
Yes, all or some schools had students attending full time, in person for part of the
year ....................................................................................................................... 2
No schools had students attending full time, in person for any part of the year .. 0
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
8
ALL ANSWER:
1.14.
In SY 2020–2021, did schools in your SFA have students attending full time virtually for
all or part of the year? In a virtual model, no students attended school in person.
Select all that apply:
Yes, all or some schools had students attending virtually full time all year ......... 1
Yes, all or some schools had students attending virtually full time for part of the year
2
No schools used the virtual model ....................................................................... 0
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
ALL ANSWER:
1.15.
In SY 2020–2021, did schools in your SFA use a hybrid model for all or part of the year? In
a hybrid model, some students attend school in person, while at the same time, others
are attending virtually.
Select all that apply:
Yes, all or some schools used the hybrid model all year ..................................... 1
Yes, all or some schools used the hybrid model for part of the year ................... 2
No schools used the hybrid model ....................................................................... 0
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
ALL ANSWER:
1.16.
During SY 2020–2021, which instructional model was most commonly used by your SFA’s
schools?
Hybrid (some virtual, some in person) .................................................................. 1
Virtual .................................................................................................................... 2
In person ............................................................................................................... 3
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
9
ALL ANSWER:
1.17.
During which months of SY 2020–2021 did some or all students attend school in person
in your SFA’s schools?
Select all that apply:
July 2020 .............................................................................................................. 1
August 2020.......................................................................................................... 2
September 2020 ................................................................................................... 3
October 2020 ........................................................................................................ 4
November 2020 .................................................................................................... 5
December 2020 .................................................................................................... 6
January 2021 ........................................................................................................ 7
February 2021 ...................................................................................................... 8
March 2021 ........................................................................................................... 9
April 2021.............................................................................................................. 10
May 2021 .............................................................................................................. 11
June 2021 ............................................................................................................. 12
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
SKIP TO SECTION 3 IF NO CN PROGRAMS USED (1.2 = 0 FOR ALL CN PROGRAMS)
10
ALL ANSWER:
1.18.
During SY 2020–2021, what methods did your SFA use to provide meals to children?
[Programmer Note: Include the following hover text definitions for the underlined text:
Bulk food packages: Food packages that contain items that could be used for multiple meals or portion
sizes. For example, a quart of milk provides four 1-cup servings.]
Select all that apply:
Used for inschool meal
service
a.
Cafeteria service
b.
Grab-and-go tables or
kiosks inside of school
buildings
c.
Meals in the classroom
d.
Walk-up sites outside of
school buildings or in other
locations
e. Curbside pickup/drivethrough services
f. Mobile sites at which a bus
or van delivered meals at
preset times
g. Delivery with stops at
individual homes
h. Other home delivery
methods
i. Distribution of a full week (5
days) of meals at one time
j. Distribution of 2–3 days of
meals at one time
k. Distribution of weekend
meals
l.
Distribution of bulk food
packages
m.
Distribution of frozen meals
n.
Distribution of shelf-stable
meals
Allowing parents/guardians
to pick up meals without
children present
o.
q. Other (Specify)
Used for meal
service outside
of school
building
Did not use
Don’t know
1
2
0
3
1
2
0
3
1
2
0
3
1
2
0
3
1
2
0
3
1
2
0
3
1
2
0
3
1
2
0
3
1
2
0
3
1
2
0
3
1
2
0
3
1
2
0
3
1
2
0
3
1
2
0
3
1
2
0
3
1
2
0
3
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
11
IF ANY ITEM IN 1.18 SELECTED:
1.19.
During SY 2020–2021, of all the methods your SFA used to provide meals to children, through
which method(s) did your SFA serve the most meals?
[Show only methods identified in Q.1.18]
[Programmer Note: Include the following hover text definitions for the underlined text:
Bulk food packages: Food packages that contain items that could be used for multiple meals or
portion sizes.]
SELECT UP TO THREE
Cafeteria service for in-school students ............................................................... 1
Grab-and-go tables or kiosks for in-school students ............................................ 2
Meals in the classroom for in-school students ..................................................... 3
Walk-up sites at schools, centers, or other buildings ........................................... 4
Curbside pickup/drive-through services ............................................................... 5
Mobile sites at which a bus or van delivered meals at preset times .................... 6
Delivery with stops at individual homes ................................................................ 7
Other home delivery methods .............................................................................. 8
Distribution of a full week (5 days) of meals at one time ...................................... 9
Distribution of 2–3 days of meals at one time ...................................................... 10
Distribution of weekend meals .............................................................................. 11
Distribution of bulk food packages........................................................................ 12
Distribution of frozen meals .................................................................................. 13
Distribution of shelf-stable meals .......................................................................... 14
Allowing parents/guardians to pick up meals without children present ................ 15
Other (Specify)...................................................................................................... 99
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
12
ALL ANSWER:
1.20. During SY 2020–2021, which of the available nationwide COVID-19 Child Nutrition waivers
did your SFA use?
[Show only waivers associated with CN programs selected in 1.2 (responses =1, 2, 3 or 4)]
[ALL] My SFA did not use any COVID-19 Child Nutrition Nationwide Waivers in
SY 2020-2021 ....................................................................................................... 0
[1.2 = a through f] #22, 33, 44, 54 or 61: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Noncongregate Feeding in the Child Nutrition Programs ........................................... 1
[1.2 = a through f] #25, 35, 47, 55 or 62: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Parents
and Guardians to Pick Up Meals for Children ...................................................... 2
[1.2 = a through f] #26, 36, 38, 45, 53, 63 or 70: Nationwide Waiver to Allow
Meal Pattern Flexibility in the Child Nutrition Programs ....................................... 3
[1.2= a through f] #37: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Offer Versus Serve
Flexibility for Senior High Schools in the NSLP for SY 2020–2021 ..................... 4
[1.2 = d ] #16, 51 or 67: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Offer Versus Serve
Flexibilities in the Summer Food Service Program .............................................. 5
[1.2 = a through f] #17, # 23, 34, 50 or 66: Nationwide Waiver of Meal Service
Time Restrictions in the Child Nutrition Programs ................................................ 6
[1.2 = c or d] #56 or 59: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Summer Food Service
Program and Seamless Summer Option Operations through School Year 2020–
2021 ...................................................................................................................... 7
[1.2 = d] #57 or 69: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Reimbursement for Meals
Served Prior to Notification of Approval and Provide Flexibility for Pre-Approval
Visits in the Summer Food Service Program ....................................................... 8
[1.2 = c, d or e ] #32, 46, 52 or 60: Nationwide Waiver to Extend Area Eligibility
Waivers ................................................................................................................. 9
[1.2 = c or d] #14, 48 or 64: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Area Eligibility for
Closed Enrolled Sites in SFSP and the NSLP Seamless Summer Option .......... 10
[1.2 = e or f] #58 or 68: Nationwide Waiver of Area Eligibility in the Child and
Adult Care Food Program At-Risk Afterschool Care Component ........................ 11
[1.2 = a, b or c] #29: Nationwide Waiver of Onsite Monitoring Requirements in
the School Meals Programs ................................................................................. 12
[1.2 = d] #30 or 42: Nationwide Waiver of Onsite Monitoring Requirements for
Sponsoring Organizations in the Summer Food Service Program ...................... 13
[1.2 = d ] #15, 49 or 65: Nationwide Waiver to Waive First Week Site Visits in
the Summer Food Service Program ..................................................................... 14
[1.2 = a or b] #72 Nationwide Waiver for Selected Child Nutrition Program
Reporting Requirements ....................................................................................... 15
[ALL] #6 or 82: Nationwide Waiver of Community Eligibility Provision Deadlines
in the NSLP and SBP ........................................................................................... 16
[ALL] #18: Nationwide Waiver of Local School Wellness Policy Triennial
Assessments in the NSLP and SBP ..................................................................... 17
13
[1.2= a through d] #19 or 71: Nationwide Waiver of Food Service Management
Contract Duration in the National School Lunch Program and Summer Food
Service Program ................................................................................................... 18
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
ANSWER IF SELECTED ANY RESPONSE 1 THROUGH 18 IN 1.20
1.21. During SY 2020–2021, which of the available nationwide COVID-19 Child Nutrition waivers
were the most helpful to your SFA?
[Show only waivers selected in 1.20]
SELECT UP TO THREE:
[1.2 = a through f] #22, 33, 44, 54 or 61: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Noncongregate Feeding in the Child Nutrition Programs ........................................... 1
[1.2 = a through f] #25, 35, 47, 55 or 62: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Parents
and Guardians to Pick Up Meals for Children ...................................................... 2
[1.2 = a through f] #26, 36, 38, 45, 53, 63 or 70: Nationwide Waiver to Allow
Meal Pattern Flexibility in the Child Nutrition Programs ....................................... 3
[1.2= a through f] #37: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Offer Versus Serve
Flexibility for Senior High Schools in the NSLP for SY 2020–2021 ..................... 4
[1.2 = d ] #16, 51 or 67: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Offer Versus Serve
Flexibilities in the Summer Food Service Program .............................................. 5
[1.2 = a through f] #17, # 23, 34, 50 or 66: Nationwide Waiver of Meal Service
Time Restrictions in the Child Nutrition Programs ................................................ 6
[1.2 = c or d] #56 or 59: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Summer Food Service
Program and Seamless Summer Option Operations through School Year 2020–
2021 ...................................................................................................................... 7
[1.2 = d] #57 or 69: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Reimbursement for Meals
Served Prior to Notification of Approval and Provide Flexibility for Pre-Approval
Visits in the Summer Food Service Program ....................................................... 8
[1.2 = c, d or e ] #32, 46, 52 or 60: Nationwide Waiver to Extend Area Eligibility
Waivers ................................................................................................................. 9
[1.2 = c or d] #14, 48 or 64: Nationwide Waiver to Allow Area Eligibility for
Closed Enrolled Sites in SFSP and the NSLP Seamless Summer Option .......... 10
[1.2 = e or f] #58 or 68: Nationwide Waiver of Area Eligibility in the Child and
Adult Care Food Program At-Risk Afterschool Care Component ........................ 11
[1.2 = a, b or c] #29: Nationwide Waiver of Onsite Monitoring Requirements in
the School Meals Programs ................................................................................. 12
[1.2 = d] #30 or 42: Nationwide Waiver of Onsite Monitoring Requirements for
Sponsoring Organizations in the Summer Food Service Program ...................... 13
[1.2 = d ] #15, 49 or 65: Nationwide Waiver to Waive First Week Site Visits in
the Summer Food Service Program ..................................................................... 14
14
[1.2 = a or b] #72 Nationwide Waiver for Selected Child Nutrition Program
Reporting Requirements ....................................................................................... 15
[ALL] #6 or 82: Nationwide Waiver of Community Eligibility Provision Deadlines
in the NSLP and SBP ........................................................................................... 16
[ALL] #18: Nationwide Waiver of Local School Wellness Policy Triennial
Assessments in the NSLP and SBP ..................................................................... 17
[1.2= a through d] #19 or 71: Nationwide Waiver of Food Service Management
Contract Duration in the National School Lunch Program and Summer Food
Service Program ................................................................................................... 18
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
ANSWER IF USED DISTRIBUTION OF A FULL WEEK (5 DAYS) OF MEALS AT ONE TIME (1.18I = 1
OR 2):
1.22.
During SY 2020–2021, many SFAs offered bulk food packages containing items that could
be used for multiple meals or portion sizes. Which of the following meal components did
your SFA offer in bulk?
Select all that apply:
Fruits ..................................................................................................................... 1
Vegetables ............................................................................................................ 2
Meats/meat alternates .......................................................................................... 3
Grains ................................................................................................................... 4
Milk ....................................................................................................................... 5
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
ANSWER IF USED DISTRIBUTION OF A FULL WEEK (5 DAYS) OF MEALS AT ONE TIME (1.18I = 1
OR 2):
1.23. Did your SFA give families information to make sure they could clearly identify meals
delivered as bulk food items? For example, did the bulk items have information on
portion sizes?
Select all that apply:
No information was provided ................................................................................ 0
Information included in the package ..................................................................... 2
Information available online .................................................................................. 3
Information distributed via email ........................................................................... 4
Other (Specify)...................................................................................................... 99
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
15
ANSWER IF USED DISTRIBUTION OF A FULL WEEK (5 DAYS) OF MEALS AT ONE TIME (1.18I = 1
OR 2):
1.24.
Did bulk food packages typically include foods that required the following types of
preparation?
Select all that apply:
Reheating (such as frozen meals) ........................................................................ 1
Cooking or baking (such as uncooked meat or unbaked dough) ......................... 2
Cutting (such as whole vegetables, fruits, or meats)............................................ 3
Assembling (such as components of a sandwich) ................................................ 4
Other ..................................................................................................................... 99
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
ALL ANSWER:
1.25.
During SY 2020–2021, what meal counting methods did your SFA use?
Used for inschool meal
service
a. Standard point-of-service system
Used for meal
service outside
of school
building
Did not use
Don’t know
1
2
0
3
1
2
0
3
1
2
0
3
d. Clickers
1
2
0
3
e. Other counting method (specify)
1
2
0
3
b. Mobile technology (for example,
laptop, tablet, or cell phone apps)
c.
Paper rosters
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
16
ALL ANSWER:
1.26.
During SY 2020–2021, did your SFA experience challenges meeting any of the following
meal pattern requirements (including meal component and nutritional requirements)
while providing meals?
[Show only CN programs from 1.2 if = 1, 2, 3, or 4]
[If j is selected for any column, no other option can be selected]
Select all that apply:
NSLP, including
SSO
SBP, including
SSO
SFSP
CACFP At-Risk
Afterschool
Meals
component
a. Milk
1
2
3
4
b. Fruits
1
2
3
4
c.
Vegetables
1
n.a.
3
4
d.
Meats/meat
alternates
1
n.a.
3
4
e.
Grains
1
2
3
4
f.
Whole grainrich foods
1
2
3
4
g.
Calories
1
2
3
4
h.
Sodium
1
2
3
4
i.
No challenges
meeting meal
pattern
requirements
1
2
3
4
j.
Other
1
2
3
4
n.a. = not applicable
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
17
ANSWER IF 1.26 = A THROUGH H, OR J = 1, 2, 3, OR 4:
1.27.
During SY 2020–2021, did your SFA use the nationwide waivers to allow meal pattern
flexibility for any meal components in the NSLP, SBP, SSO, SFSP, or CACFP At-Risk
Afterschool meal patterns?
Select all that apply:
NSLP, including
SSO
SBP, including
SSO
SFSP
CACFP At-Risk
Afterschool
Meals
component
a. Milk
1
2
3
4
b. Fruits
1
2
3
4
c.
1
n.a.
3
4
d. Meats/meat
alternates
1
n.a.
3
4
e. Grains
1
2
3
4
f.
1
2
3
4
Vegetables
Did not use
waiver for any
meal
components
n.a. = not applicable.
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
ANSWER IF 1.26 = A THROUGH H, OR J = 1, 2, 3, OR 4:
1.28. During SY 2020–2021, what other actions, if any, did your SFA take to address challenges
with the meal pattern requirements?
Select all that apply:
Worked with current food vendors and suppliers to get the foods
we needed ............................................................................................................ 1
Worked with new food vendors and suppliers to get the foods we
needed .................................................................................................................. 2
Obtained needed items through USDA Foods ..................................................... 3
Received technical assistance from State agency ............................................... 4
No actions taken ................................................................................................... 5
Other ..................................................................................................................... 99
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
18
ALL ANSWER:
1.29.
During SY 2018–2019, SY 2019–2020, or SY 2020–2021, in which schools, if any, did your SFA
serve produce from school gardens in meals?
Elementary
Middle
High
Other
Did not
serve
produce
from school
gardens
a. SY 2018–2019
1
2
2
3
0
b. SY 2019–2020
1
2
2
3
0
c.
1
2
2
3
0
SY 2020–2021
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
ALL ANSWER:
1.30.
During SY 2020–2021, did your SFA experience any operational challenges providing meal
service, such as challenges related to meal delivery methods, equipment, staffing, storage,
food safety, or food availability and packaging?
Yes ........................................................................................................................ 1
No ......................................................................................................................... 0 GO TO 2.0
NO RESPONSE .................................................................................................. M GO TO 2.0
19
ANSWER IF 1.30 = 1:
1.31.
During SY 2020–2021, what factors contributed to operational challenges your SFA
experienced providing meal service?
Select one response per row:
Yes
No
Not applicable
a. Using different Child Nutrition Programs to provide
meals
1
0
2
b. Identifying meal site locations
1
0
2
c.
Obtaining approval for new meal sites
1
0
2
d. Establishing new or alternative meal service
methods or new meal delivery methods
1
0
2
e. Obtaining needed meal delivery equipment
1
0
2
f.
1
0
2
g. Staffing meal sites and using alternative meal
delivery methods
1
0
2
h. Ensuring staff safety or obtaining personal
protective equipment
1
0
2
i.
Managing meal service during staff absences
1
0
2
j.
Food shortages or supply chain issues
1
0
2
k.
Obtaining meal packaging
1
0
2
l.
Availability or distribution of USDA Foods
1
0
2
1
0
2
n. Untimely guidance from FNS or the State
1
0
2
o.
1
0
2
1
0
2
m.
Obtaining needed storage facilities
Unclear guidance from FNS or the State
Not enough technical assistance from the State
p. Other (Specify)
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
20
ALL ANSWER:
1.32. During SY 2020-2021, did you face challenges providing enough meal sites or meal delivery
options to reach all potential participants?
Yes ........................................................................................................................ 1
No ......................................................................................................................... 0
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
ALL ANSWER:
1.33. Please describe the types of challenges you faced reaching all potential participants during
SY 2020-2021, including the types of locations you were challenged to reach or
characteristics of participants in those locations.
NO RESPONSE .................................................................................................. M
PRETEST RESPONDENT: Please list the time you finished this section here
Please check this box if you were interrupted for any length of time while
completing this section.
21
2. FINANCIAL IMPACTS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON SFAS
These next questions ask about the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on your SFA during
SY 2020–2021.
PRETEST RESPONDENT: Please list the start time for the section here:
SKIP TO SECTION 3 IF NO CN PROGRAMS USED (1.2 = 0 FOR ALL CN PROGRAMS)
2.1.
During SY 2020–2021, did your SFA experience any financial challenges providing meal
service?
Yes ........................................................................................................................ 1
No ......................................................................................................................... 0 GO TO 2.3
NO RESPONSE .................................................................................................. M GO TO 2.3
ALL ANSWER:
2.2.
During SY 2020–2021, did any of the following factors contribute to the financial challenges
your SFA experienced providing meal service?
SELECT ONE
RESPONSE PER ROW
Yes
No
a. Meal packaging costs
1
0
b. Increased food costs
1
0
c.
1
0
d. Purchasing equipment for alternative meal service approaches
1
0
e. Additional storage for alternative meal service approaches
1
0
f.
1
0
g. Staff turnover
1
0
h. Staff training
1
0
i.
Purchasing personal protective equipment for staff
1
0
j.
Fixed staff-related costs, such as salaries or benefits
1
0
k.
Other fixed costs, such as those related to utilities, maintenance, or
vendor contracts
1
0
l.
Decreased federal reimbursement due to decreased participation
1
0
1
0
Meal transportation or delivery costs
Staff overtime or hazard pay
m. Other (Specify)
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
22
ANSWER IF ANY “1’” RESPONSE TO 2.2:
2.3
During SY 2020–2021, which of these factors had the greatest impact on your SFA’s
finances?
[Show only factors identified in Q2.2]
Select up to 3 factors that had
the greatest impact on finances
a. Meal packaging costs
1
b. Increased food costs
2
c.
3
Meal transportation or delivery costs
d. Purchasing equipment for alternative meal service approaches
4
e. Additional storage for alternative meal service approaches
5
f.
6
Staff overtime or hazard pay
g. Staff turnover
7
h.
8
Staff training
i.
Purchasing personal protective equipment for staff
9
j.
Fixed staff-related costs
10
k.
Other fixed costs
11
l.
Decreased federal reimbursement due to decreased participation
12
m.
Other (Specify)
NO RESPONSE .................................................................................................. M
23
ALL ANSWER:
2.4.
What were the most expensive meal service methods for your SFA during SY 2020–2021?
[Show only methods selected in 1.12]
SELECT UP TO THREE:
Cafeteria service .................................................................................................. 1
Grab-and-go tables or kiosks in school buildings ................................................. 2
Meals in the classroom ......................................................................................... 3
Walk-up sites outside of school buildings or in other locations ............................ 4
Curbside pickup/drive-through service ................................................................. 5
Mobile sites at which a bus or van delivers meals at preset times ....................... 6
Delivery with stops at individual homes ................................................................ 7
Other methods for providing home delivery of meals ........................................... 8
Distributing a full week (5 days) of meals at one time .......................................... 9
Distributing 2–3 days of meals at one time .......................................................... 10
Distribution of weekend meals.............................................................................. 11
Distribution of bulk food packages........................................................................ 12
Distribution of frozen meals .................................................................................. 13
Distribution of shelf-stable meals .......................................................................... 14
Allowing parents/guardians to pick up meals without children present ................ 15
Allowing other adults (not parents/guardians) to pick up meals without ............. 16
present
Other (Specify)...................................................................................................... 99
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
24
children
ALL ANSWER:
2.5.
Which, if any, additional funding sources or methods did your SFA use to cover costs during
SY 2020–2021?
Select all that apply:
Used no additional funding sources or methods .................................................. 0
District general fund .............................................................................................. 1
State revenue matching funds in excess of the State revenue matching
fund requirement .................................................................................................. 2
Other State or local government funds ................................................................. 3
Local contributions or charitable funding from the community (excluding
school or district fundraising) ................................................................................ 4
District or school fundraising ................................................................................ 5
Revenue from meals or services not funded through the nonprofit school
food service account (for example, revenue from adult meals, competitive
foods, and/or catering or contracting services that operate from a separate
account) ................................................................................................................ 6
Remaining funds in school meal accounts of students no longer enrolled .......... 7
Used volunteer staff to provide meal service ....................................................... 8
Used volunteer and/or paid students to provide meal service.............................. 9
Used other district or school staff (not employed by the SFA) to provide meal
service .................................................................................................................. 10
Other (Specify)...................................................................................................... 99
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
ALL ANSWER:
2.6
Did your SFA receive one or more Child Nutrition Emergency Operational Costs
reimbursement payments?
Yes ........................................................................................................................ 1
No, not eligible for payment ................................................................................. 0
No, declined payment .......................................................................................... 2
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
25
ANSWER ONLY IF 2.6 = 2, IF 2.6 = 0 SKIP TO 2.13 , IF 2.6 = 1 SKIP TO 2.9
2.7
Did your SFA decline one or more Child Nutrition Emergency Operational Costs
reimbursement payment(s)?
School Programs .............................................................................................. 1
CACFP ............................................................................................................. 2
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
ANSWER ONLY IF 2.6 = 2, IF 2.6 = 0 SKIP TO 2.13 , IF 2.6 = 1 SKIP TO 2.9
2.8
If you declined your Child Nutrition Emergency Operational Costs reimbursement
payment(s), for what reason did you do so?
Meal service operations suspended with no intent to resume ......................... 1
Sufficient funds already available/no financial stress ....................................... 2
Concerns about possible reporting or monitoring tied to receipt of funds ....... 3
Other (please specify) ...................................................................................... 99
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
ANSWER ONLY IF 2.6 = 1 OR 2
2.9
For which programs did you receive a Child Nutrition Emergency Operational Costs
reimbursement payment?
School Programs .............................................................................................. 1
CACFP ............................................................................................................. 2
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
ANSWER ONLY IF 2.6 = 1 OR 2
2.10
For what types of expenses did you use, or are planning to use the Child Nutrition
Emergency Operational Costs reimbursement payment(s) that you received? (Select all that
apply)
Food costs ........................................................................................................ 1
Labor (e.g. salaries/benefits) ............................................................................ 2
Supplies/Equipment ......................................................................................... 3
Operations/Administrative ................................................................................ 4
Other (please specify) ...................................................................................... 5
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
26
ANSWER ONLY IF 2.6 = 1 OR 2
2.11
How effective were the Child Nutrition Emergency Operational Costs reimbursement
payment(s) you received in covering fixed operational costs and/or making up for lost
revenues during the public health emergency in spring 2020?
Highly Effective .............................................................................................. 1
Somewhat Effective ....................................................................................... 2
Minimally Effective ......................................................................................... 3
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
ANSWER ONLY IF 2.6 = 1 OR 2
2.12.
To what extent did the Child Nutrition Emergency Operational Costs reimbursement
payment(s) you received impact your ability to continue operating one or more of the Child
Nutrition Programs?
High impact: The payment was an important or determining factor in our ability
to continue program operations ............................................................................ 1
Significant impact: Stabilized or substantially improved financial health of our
food service operation .......................................................................................... 2
Minimal impact: Did not substantially affect our ability to continue program
operations ............................................................................................................. 3
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
ALL ANSWER:
2.13.
On June 30, 2021 (the end of SY 2020–2021), what was the status of your nonprofit school
food service account?
Positive fund balance (revenue exceeded spending)........................................... 1
Negative fund balance (spending exceeded revenue) ......................................... 2
Balanced budget (broke even) ............................................................................. 3
Don’t know ....................................................................................................................... 4
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
ALL ANSWER:
2.14.
On June 30, 2019 (the end of SY 2018–2019), what was the status of your nonprofit school
food service account?
Positive fund balance (revenue exceeded spending)........................................... 1
Negative fund balance (spending exceeded revenue) ......................................... 2
Balanced budget (broke even) ............................................................................. 3
Don’t know ....................................................................................................................... 4
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
PRETEST RESPONDENT: Please list the time you finished this section here
Please check this box if you were interrupted for any length of time while
completing this section.
27
3. FOOD SERVICE MANAGEMENT COMPANY (FSMC) CONTRACTS
Next, we have a few questions about your SFA contracts with FSMCs and any changes you may have
made during SY 2019–2020 or SY 2020–2021.
PRETEST RESPONDENT: Please list the start time for the section here:
ALL ANSWER:
3.0.
During SY 2019–2020 or SY 2020–2021, did your SFA have a contract with an FSMC at any
point?
Yes ........................................................................................................................ 1
No ......................................................................................................................... 0
NO RESPONSE .................................................................................................. M
ANSWER 3.1 IF 3.0 = 1, IF 3.0 = 0 SKIP TO 4.1
3.1.
During SY 2019–2020 or SY 2020–2021, did your SFA extend, amend, or negotiate a new
contract with its FSMC at any point because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic?
If 0 is selected, 1 or 2 cannot be selected
Select all that apply:
Yes, extended contract ......................................................................................... 1
Yes, amended contract ......................................................................................... 2
Yes, negotiated a new contract using the non-competitive procurement
method .................................................................................................................. 3
No ......................................................................................................................... 0
NO RESPONSE .................................................................................................. M
ANSWER IF 3.1 = 1:
3.2.
How long was the contract extension for?
Through end of SY 2020–2021 ............................................................................ 1
Through end of SY 2021–2022 ............................................................................ 2
Other time period (Specify)
NO RESPONSE .................................................................................................. M
28
ANSWER IF 3.1 = 1:
3.3.
Why did your SFA decide to extend its FSMC contract?
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
ANSWER IF 3.1 = 2:
3.4.
During SY2019-2020, or SY2020-2021, why did your SFA decide to amend its FSMC contract?
NO RESPONSE .................................................................................................. M
ANSWER 3.5 IF 3.1 = 3, OTHERWISE SKIP TO 4.1:
3.5.
During SY 2019–2020 or SY 2020–2021, why did your SFA decide to negotiate a new contract
using the non-competitive procurement method with its FSMC?
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
PRETEST RESPONDENT: Please list the time you finished this section here
Please check this box if you were interrupted for any length of time while
completing this section.
29
4. PROGRAM OPERATIONS FROM OCTOBER THROUGH DECEMBER 2021
Now we have a few questions about your SFA’s program operations from October through December
2021, in SY 2021–2022.
PRETEST RESPONDENT: Please list the start time for the section here:
ALL ANSWER:
4.1.
From October through December 2021, which instructional model was most commonly
used by your SFA’s schools?
Hybrid (some students virtual, some in person) ................................................... 1
Virtual .................................................................................................................... 2
In person ............................................................................................................... 3
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
ALL ANSWER:
4.2.
From October through December 2021, did any schools in your SFA participate in the
following Child Nutrition Programs?
YES
NO
a. National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
1
0
b. School Breakfast Program (SBP)
1
0
c.
1
0
d. NSLP Seamless Summer Option (SSO)
1
0
e. Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) At-Risk Afterschool Meals
component
1
0
f.
1
0
g. Special Milk Program
1
0
h. Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)
1
0
NSLP Afterschool Snack Service
CACFP Outside-School-Hours Care snacks or suppers
i.
USDA Department of Defense Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (USDA
DoD Fresh)
1
0
j.
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP)
1
0
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
30
ALL ANSWER:
4.3.
From October through December 2021, what methods did your SFA use to provide meals to
children?
[Programmer Note: Include the following hover text definitions for the underlined text:
Bulk food packages: Food packages that contain items that could be used for multiple meals or
portion sizes.]
Select all that apply:
Cafeteria service ................................................................................................... 1
Grab-and-go tables or kiosks in school buildings ................................................. 2
Meals in the classroom ......................................................................................... 3
Walk-up sites outside of school buildings or in other locations ............................ 4
Curbside pickup/drive-through services ............................................................... 5
Mobile sites at which a bus or van delivered meals at preset times .................... 6
Delivery with stops at individual homes ................................................................ 7
Other home delivery methods .............................................................................. 8
Distribution of a full week (5 days) of meals at one time ...................................... 9
Distribution of 2–3 days of meals at one time....................................................... 10
Distribution of weekend meals.............................................................................. 11
Distribution of bulk food packages........................................................................ 12
Distribution of frozen meals .................................................................................. 13
Distribution of shelf-stable meals .......................................................................... 14
Allowing parents/guardians to pick up meals without children present ................ 15
Other (Specify)...................................................................................................... 99
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
31
ALL ANSWER:
4.4.
From October through December 2021, what meal counting methods did your SFA use?
Select all that apply:
Used for inschool meal
service
a. Standard point-of-service system
Used for
meal service
outside of
school
buildings
Did not use
Don’t know
1
2
0
3
1
2
0
3
1
2
0
3
d. Clickers
1
2
0
3
e. Other counting method (Specify)
1
2
0
3
b. Mobile technology (for example,
laptop, tablet, or cell phone apps)
c.
Paper rosters
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
ALL ANSWER:
4.5.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, did your SFA make any of the following operational
changes that were still being used from October through December 2021?
If i is selected no other option can be selected
Select all that apply:
a. Increased number or use of centralized kitchens
1
b. Increased number of prepackaged foods
2
c.
3
d. Increased number of grab-and-go tables or kiosks in
school buildings
4
a. Increased meals in the classroom
5
b. Added partnerships with community-based organizations to
support meal production
6
g. Added partnerships with community-based organizations to
support meal distribution
7
8
0
Fewer hot meal offerings
h. Other (Specify)
i.
No operational changes made in response to COVID-19
are still being used in October 2021
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
32
ANSWER IF 4.5 = 1 OR 2 FOR ANY OPTION:
4.6.
Why has your SFA continued to use these operational changes?
NO RESPONSE .................................................................................................. M
ALL ANSWER:
4.7.
In SY 2021–2022, are any of your SFA’s schools using the Community Eligibility Provision
(CEP)?
Yes, all schools ..................................................................................................... 1
Yes, some schools ............................................................................................... 2
No schools ............................................................................................................ 0
NO RESPONSE .................................................................................................. M
ANSWER IF 4.7 = 1 OR 2:
4.8.
In SY 2021–2022, did the number of your SFA’s schools using CEP increase compared to
SY 2020–2021?
Yes ........................................................................................................................ 1
No ......................................................................................................................... 0
NO RESPONSE .................................................................................................. M
ANSWER IF 4.7 = 1:
4.9.
In SY 2021–2022, why did the number of schools using CEP increase?
Select all that apply:
More schools were eligible for CEP...................................................................... 1
Schools’ identified student percentages (ISP) increased ..................................... 2
CEP was easier to implement than the waiver that allows schools to operate
SSO and serve free meals to all children ............................................................. 3
Families expected all students to continue receiving free meals ......................... 4
Additional school(s) added to the SFA ................................................................. 5
Other (Specify)...................................................................................................... 99
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
33
ALL ANSWER:
4.10.
From October through December 2021, did your SFA experience challenges meeting any
of the following meal pattern requirements (including food component and nutritional
requirements) while providing meals?
[Show only CN programs from 4.2 if = 1, 2, 3 or 4]
If i is selected for any column, no other option can be selected
Select all that apply:
NSLP, including
SSO
SBP, including
SSO
CACFP At-Risk
Afterschool Meals
component
a. Milk
1
2
4
b. Fruits
1
2
4
c.
Vegetables
1
n.a.
4
d.
Meats/meat alternates
1
n.a.
4
e.
Grains
1
2
4
f.
Whole grain-rich foods
1
2
4
g.
Calories
1
2
4
h.
Sodium
1
2
4
i.
No challenges meeting
meal pattern requirements
1
2
4
j.
Other
1
2
4
n.a. = not applicable.
NO RESPONSE .......................................................................................................... M
ALL ANSWER:
4.11.
From October through December 2021, did your SFA experience any operational challenges
providing meal service, such as challenges related to meal delivery methods, equipment, or
food availability and packaging?
Yes ........................................................................................................................ 1
No ......................................................................................................................... 0 GO TO 5.1
NO RESPONSE .................................................................................................. M GO TO 5.1
34
ANSWER IF 4.11 = 1:
4.12.
From October through December 2021, what factors contributed to operational challenges
your SFA experienced providing meal service?
Select all that apply:
Yes
No
Not applicable
a. Using different Child Nutrition Programs to provide
meals
1
0
2
b. Identifying meal site locations
1
0
2
c.
Obtaining approval for new meal sites
1
0
2
d. Establishing new or alternative meal service
methods or new meal delivery methods
1
0
2
e. Obtaining needed meal delivery equipment
1
0
2
f.
1
0
2
g. Staffing meal sites and using alternative meal
delivery methods
1
0
2
h. Ensuring staff safety or obtaining personal
protective equipment
1
0
2
i.
Managing meal service during staff absences
1
0
2
j.
Food shortages or supply chain issues
1
0
2
k.
Obtaining meal packaging
1
0
2
l.
Availability or distribution of USDA Foods
1
0
2
Unclear guidance from FNS or the State
1
0
2
n. Untimely guidance from FNS or the State
1
0
2
o
1
0
2
1
0
2
m.
Obtaining needed storage facilities
Not enough technical assistance from the State
p. Other (Specify)
NO RESPONSE .................................................................................................. M GO TO 5.1
ALL ANSWER:
4.13.
From October through December 2021, did your SFA experience any financial challenges
providing meal service?
Yes ........................................................................................................................ 1
No ......................................................................................................................... 0 GO TO 5.1
NO RESPONSE .................................................................................................. M GO TO 5.1
35
ANSWER IF 4.13 = 1:
4.14.
From October through December 2021, did any of the following factors contribute to the
financial challenges your SFA experienced providing meal service?
SELECT ONE RESPONSE PER ROW
Yes
No
a. Meal packaging costs
1
0
b. Increased food costs
1
0
c.
Meal transportation or delivery costs
1
0
d. Purchasing equipment for alternative meal
service approaches
1
0
e. Additional storage for alternative meal service
approaches
1
0
f.
1
0
g. Staff turnover
1
0
h. Staff training
1
0
Staff overtime or hazard pay
i.
Purchasing personal protective equipment for
staff
1
0
j.
Fixed staff-related costs, such as salaries or
benefits
1
0
k.
Other fixed costs, such as those related to
utilities, maintenance, or vendor contracts
1
0
l.
Decreased federal reimbursement due to
decreased participation
1
0
1
0
m. Other (Specify)
NO RESPONSE ................................................................................................... M
PRETEST RESPONDENT: Please list the time you finished this section here
Please check this box if you were interrupted for any length of time while
completing this section.
36
5. FINAL COMMENTS
For the next two questions, tell us anything else you would like FNS to know about the impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic on your SFA, and your SFA’s efforts to provide meal service during SY 2020–2021
and SY 2021–2022.
PRETEST RESPONDENT: Please list the start time for the section here:
ALL ANSWER:
5.1.
What else, if anything, should FNS know about your SFA’s efforts to provide Child
Nutrition Program meal service during SY 2020–2021, or in the months since?
ALL ANSWER:
5.2.
What else, if anything, should FNS know about the financial impacts or other impacts
of the COVID-19 pandemic on your SFA?
PRETEST RESPONDENT: Please list the time you finished this section here
Please check this box if you were interrupted for any length of time while
completing this section.
PRETEST RESPONDENT: Please list the time you finished this survey here:
Please check this box if you were interrupted for any length of time while completing the
whole survey.
Thank-you for completing the pretest! Please keep a copy of this pretest so you can reference it
during the debriefing phone call.
You have finished the survey. Thank you!
37
Appendix C
State Agency Director Debrief Protocols
SMO: SA CN Director Survey Content Review Debrief Protocol
Mathematica
RESPONDENT ID:
INTERVIEWER NAME:
SA DIRECTOR NAME:
STATE:
Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today for the review of the State Agency Child
Nutrition Director survey for the School Meals Operations study. Do you have a copy of the
survey in front of you?
If no: It will help our discussion if you have it in front of you. I can give you a minute to get
it. (I can also email you a new copy of the survey now if necessary.)
As we mentioned, this call should take between 30 and 60 minutes. Our goal today is to get your
feedback on the survey, particularly if anything is confusing or difficult to answer, and your
suggestions for revisions. We will first talk about your reactions to the survey overall, and then
we will ask about specific survey questions. We’ll use your feedback to improve the survey.
Do you have any questions for me before we begin?
Would you mind if I recorded our conversation to make sure I capture everything accurately?
1. First, I want to confirm that you administer [CN Programs from base year sample file]. Is
that still correct?
a.
For context, when you think about your State as a whole, which programs were
typically used to provide meals to children during SY 2020-2021? (E.g. SFSP or
SSO, NSLP and SBP, etc.)
2. Before we get into the questions in the survey you reviewed, I’d like to hear your
thoughts on the SMO State Agency Child Nutrition Director COVID-19 Waiver
Collection survey you completed earlier this spring.
a.
Thinking back, were there any questions or sections of the survey that were
particularly difficult to answer?
b.
Was there anything about the online format that was challenging? And, if so, do
you have any suggestions for changes that would ease survey completion?
3. Turning to the new SMO State Agency Child Nutrition Director survey we sent you to
pretest, I wanted to start by asking you what you thought of the questions overall. Take a
moment to flip through the pages.
a.
What did you think of the organization and flow of questions?
1
SMO: SA CN Director Survey Content Review Debrief Protocol
b.
Mathematica
Were there any questions or response options that might be confusing for
respondents?
i. If yes: What do you think is confusing? How do you think we should
change the question or response options to make it less confusing?
c.
Were there any questions that did not offer a response option you needed?
i. If yes: What response options do you think we should add?
4. Looking at the Waiver List page on page 2, is there anything here that may be confusing
for respondents?
a.
Is it helpful to include the multiple response numbers and the extension numbers
in the waiver names? Is one more helpful than the other?
5. Looking at questions about use of waivers new to SY 2020-2021, sections A through D
ask similar questions to what was asked in the SMO survey you completed this spring.
Would any of these questions be difficult to answer?
a.
Are there any questions you would suggest changing or adding more response
options to in these sections?
6. In A2a and similar questions, we ask how many SFAs used the SFSP/SSO adoption
during SY 2020-2021 waiver. Do you have any concerns about this question?
7. In A6a, we ask about the proportion of SFAs that implemented specific meal delivery
methods, meal options, and meal counting methods. How difficult or easy would it be to
answer this question?
a.
Do you have any suggestions for simplifying this question or making it easier to
answer?
8. Now looking at section E (page 25), which asks about changes to use of waivers by local
program operators since September 2020, are there any questions that may be difficult to
answer in this section?
a.
Is it difficult to answer questions about how things have changed since
September 2020?
b.
Are there any questions you recommend changing or any response options you
suggest adding in this section?
9. Looking at the series of questions beginning at E5 (pages 28-38), which ask about
changes in use of the Nationwide Waiver to Allow Parents and Guardians to Pick Up
2
SMO: SA CN Director Survey Content Review Debrief Protocol
Mathematica
Meals for Children and the Nationwide Waiver to Extend Area Eligibility Waiver since
September 2020, were there any questions that would be difficult to answer in this series?
a.
Were there any questions you recommend changing or adding more response
options to in this section?
10. Looking at the series of questions starting with E21 (pages 39-45), which asks about
changes in use of the Nationwide Waiver to Allow Meal Pattern Flexibility in the Child
Nutrition Programs since September 2020, were there any questions that would be
difficult to answer in this series?
a.
Were there any questions you recommend changing or adding more response
options to in this section?
11. Looking at section F (page 46), which asks about changes to use of monitoring waivers
since September 2020, are there any questions that may be difficult to answer in this
section?
a.
Is it difficult to answer questions about how things have changed since
September 2020?
b.
Are there any questions you recommend changing or any response options you
suggest adding in this section?
12. Questions F3, F5, and F7 (starting on page 47) ask about changes to the types of
monitoring conducted by local program operators in SY 2020-2021 and summer 2021.
Would you be able to answer these when we field the survey this fall? Why or why not?
a.
If no: probe on what information they would be able to provide.
13. Section G (page 47) asks about use of emergency funding. Would any questions in this
section be confusing or difficult to answer when we field the survey?
a.
Are there any questions you recommend changing or any response options you
suggest adding in this section?
14. Section V asks about challenges your State Agency experienced during SY 2020-2021
and summer 2021. Would any questions in this section be confusing or difficult to answer
when we field the survey this coming fall?
15. Lastly, based on your review of this survey and your experience completing the SMO
State Agency Child Nutrition Director survey in the spring, how long do you estimate
this survey would take to complete? (Clarify time to fill out survey vs. time to gather
information)
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SMO: SA CN Director Survey Content Review Debrief Protocol
Mathematica
Those are all the questions I had for you. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thanks again for your feedback and all your help with this study.
4
Appendix D
School Food Authority Director Debrief Protocol
SMO: SFA Director Survey Pre-test Debrief Protocol
Mathematica
RESPONDENT ID:
INTERVIEWER NAME:
SFA DIRECTOR NAME:
SFA NAME:
STATE:
Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today for the pre-test of the SFA Director survey
for the School Meals Operations study. Do you have a copy of the survey in front of you? I also
have a copy of your survey responses too, for reference.
If no: It will help our discussion if you have it in front of you. I can give you a minute to get
it. (I can also email you a new copy of the survey now if necessary.)
As we mentioned, this call should take between 30 and 60 minutes. Our goal today is to get your
feedback on the survey, particularly if anything was confusing or difficult to answer, and your
suggestions for revisions. We will first talk about your reactions to the survey overall, and then
we will ask about specific survey questions. We’ll use your feedback to improve the survey. As a
reminder, your responses you entered in the survey are only for the pre-test and will not be
analyzed or reported.
Do you have any questions for me before we begin?
Would you mind if I recorded our conversation to make sure I capture everything accurately?
1. I wanted to start by asking you what you thought of the questions overall. Take a moment
to flip through the pages.
a.
What did you think of the organization and flow of questions?
b.
Were there any specific questions or response options that might be confusing for
respondents?
i. If yes: What do you think is confusing? How do you think we should
change the question or response options to make it less confusing?
c.
Were there any questions that did not offer a response option you needed?
i. If yes: What response options do you think we should add?
ii. Were there any questions you did not know how to answer?
1. If any questions left blank: I see you left questions [numbers]
blank. Can you tell me why?
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SMO: SFA Director Survey Pre-test Debrief Protocol
Mathematica
2. About how long did it take you to answer the entire survey, including time spent
gathering information?
a.
If more than 60 minutes: did any sections take particularly long to complete?
3. Looking at section 1, Meal Service and Operations in SY 2020-2021, were there any
questions that were difficult to answer in this section?
a.
[Ask only if not recorded on survey] How long did this section take to complete?
b.
Were there any questions that took a long time to answer?
c.
Were there any questions or terminology you recommend changing in section 1?
4. In 1.1, what did you think of the instruction about school types and levels? Probe: Was it
helpful or confusing?
a.
[If respondent selected “Other schools”] Was providing grade levels for Other
Schools in the box provided easy or difficult for you to answer?
5. In 1.3 through 1.5 we asked about factors that influenced your SFA’s decisions to use
SFSP, SSO or NSLP and SBP, what did you think of the list factors provided?
a.
Did they adequately capture factors that influenced your decisions or are there
any other factors or reasons we should include?
b.
Were there any factors listed that seemed odd or did not make sense?
6. In 1.13 through 1.17, we asked about whether your SFA’s schools provided instruction
in-person, virtually, or through a hybrid model in SY 2020-21
a.
[If respondent selected 1 or 2 for 1.14] Can you tell more about how you chose
your answer? What does “students attending full time virtually for all or part of
the year” mean to you in this question?
i. If we were to rephrase option 1 in 1.14 to say, “Yes all or some schools
had all students attending virtually full time all year”, what would that
option mean to you?
ii. Do the phrases, “students attending remotely” and “students attending
virtually” mean different things to you? [If yes], could you please tell me
more about that?
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SMO: SFA Director Survey Pre-test Debrief Protocol
Mathematica
b.
[If respondent selected 1 or 2 for 1.15] Can you tell more about how you chose
your answer? What does “schools using a hybrid model for all or part of the
year” mean to you in this question?
c.
[If respondent selected 0 for both 1.14 and 1.15] Can you tell more about how
you chose your answer? Confirm: Did all students in your SFA attend full-time
in person for the entire year?
d.
Can you tell more about how you chose the answer for 1.16?
i. Was this question easy or difficult for you to answer?
e.
Can you tell more about how you chose the answer for 1.17?
i. Was this question easy or difficult for you to answer?
7. In questions 1.18 and 1.19 we ask about the methods used to provide meals to children
Did the methods listed accurately capture the methods used by schools in your SFA, or
are there others we should include?
a.
Were there any methods listed that seemed odd or did not make sense?
8. Questions 1.22 through 1.24 ask about the bulk food packages.
a.
Were there any questions or terminology you recommend changing in the section
on bulk food packages?
9. Question 1.31 asks about factors that contributed to operational challenges.
a.
Did this list adequately capture factors that contributed to operational challenges,
or are there any other factors we should include?
b.
Were there any factors listed in this question that seemed odd or did not make
sense?
10. Looking at section 2, Financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on SFAs, were
there any questions that were difficult to answer in this section?
a.
[Ask only if not recorded on survey] How long did this section take to complete?
b.
Did you need to refer to financial records to answer this section?
c.
Were there any questions that took particularly long to answer?
d.
Were there any questions or terminology you recommend changing in section 2?
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SMO: SFA Director Survey Pre-test Debrief Protocol
Mathematica
11. Question 2.2 asks about factors that contributed to financial challenges.
a.
Did this list adequately capture factors that contributed to financial challenges, or
are there any other factors we should include?
b.
Were there any factors listed in this question that seemed odd or did not make
sense?
12. Question 2.4 asks about the most expensive meal service methods for your SFA during
SY 2020-2021. Was this question easy or difficult for you to answer?
13. Question 2.5 asks about additional funding sources or methods used by your SFA to
cover the cost of providing meals in SY 2020-2021.
a.
Did this list adequately capture additional funding sources or methods used by
your SFA, or are there any other funding sources or methods we should include?
b.
Were there any funding sources or methods listed in this question that seemed
odd or did not make sense?
14. Questions 2.6 through 2.11 ask about Child Nutrition Emergency Operational Costs
reimbursement payments, were there any of these questions difficult to answer?
a.
Can you tell more about how you chose the answer for 2.11?
i. Was this question easy or difficult for you to answer?
15. Looking at section 3, Food service management company (FSMC) contracts, were
there any questions that were difficult to answer in this section?
a.
[Ask only if not recorded on survey] How long did this section take to complete?
b.
Were there any questions that took particularly long to answer?
c.
Were there any questions or terminology you recommend changing in section 3?
16. Section 4, Program operations, asks about program operations as of October through
December of 2021, since we are planning to conduct this survey in early 2022. Were
there any questions that were difficult to answer in this section?
a.
[Ask only if not recorded on survey] How long did this section take to complete?
b.
Were there any questions that took particularly long to answer?
c.
Were there any questions or terminology you recommend changing in section 4?
4
SMO: SFA Director Survey Pre-test Debrief Protocol
Mathematica
17. Question 4.2 asks about Child Nutrition Programs schools in your SFA participated in
during October through December 2021. Was this question easy or difficult for you to
answer?
18. What did you think of the response options provided in 4.5?
a.
Are there any response options we should add here?
b.
Were there any response options that did not make sense
Those are all the questions I had for you. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thanks again for your feedback. It will be very helpful as we make our revisions.
5
| File Type | application/pdf |
| File Title | Mathematica Memo |
| Author | Veronica Severn |
| File Modified | 2021-09-20 |
| File Created | 2021-07-01 |