State, Local, and Tribal Government - State Child Nutrition Agency, SFA, and Schools

Appendix C11. Recruitment 011--SFA Follow-Up Discussion Guide (School Sample Notification)

OMB Number: 0584-0530

Expiration Date: XX/XX/XXXX

SFA Follow-Up Discussion Guide

(School Sample Notification)

This discussion guide is to be used by APEC IV recruiters when contacting SFAs. All initial calls should be made within one week of sending the SFA School Sample Notification Email. What follows are talking points for the recruiters to: 1) confirm the SFA received notification of the schools selected; 2) gain cooperation from SFA director to encourage school participation; and 3) gather information about schools that may prove challenging during enrollment.

When Speaking with Point of Contact:

• Introduce yourself and explain that you are part of the APEC IV study team calling to confirm receipt of the email sent to them on [DATE], which listed which of their schools were selected to participate in APEC IV.

  • [If did not receive letter] Tell them you will resend it, and confirm their email address. Explain that you will call again in a few days after they have had a chance to read the letter. [End call.]

• Ask if they have had an opportunity to contact their selected schools about their potential participation in the APEC IV study?

  • [If contacted all schools] Thank them for notifying their schools.

• [If has not contacted all selected schools] Ask when they think they will be able to contact all of their selected school(s).

• [If has not provided contact information for schools] Collect the contact information for their selected schools.

• [If unable to provide contact information for schools during call] Ask when they will be able to provide Westat with full contact information and collect at least the name of the correct contact person for each school.

• Ask for their suggestions on the mode of contact for their schools and the preferred timing.

• Remind them to contact the study team and/or visit the study website as questions arise.

• Thank them for their participation and cooperation. [End call.]

When a Call Goes to Voicemail:

• Provide the following information:

  • Your name

  • Where you’re calling from (Westat, a research organization in Rockville, MD)

  • Reason for call (to confirm receipt of study notification letter sent via email and ask if willing to participate)

  • Call-back number

• When to leave voicemails

  • Call #1 and #5 (do not leave voicemail on calls 2-4).

  • If no response after five calls, inform supervisor and do not attempt to contact again.

If the Point of Contact No Longer Works at the SFA:

• Ask the secretary/administrative assistant whom you can talk to, and obtain their contact information.

• Send the notification letter via email to the suggested person, and follow up by phone one week later.

This information is being collected to provide the Food and Nutrition Service with key information on the annual error rates and improper payments for the school meal programs. This is a voluntary collection and FNS will use the information to examine school meal error rates and inform future APEC studies. This collection requests personally identifiable information under the Privacy Act of 1974. 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 0584-0530. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 0.25 hours (15 minutes) per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. 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 22306 ATTN: PRA (0584-0530). Do not return the completed form to this address.

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