State Agencies

OMB Control Number: 0584-0607

Expiration Date: xx/xx/20xx

FROM: [STUDY EMAIL]

TO: [SA CN DIRECTOR EMAIL]

EMAIL SUBJECT: USDA/FNS School Meals Operations (SMO) Study Survey

Dear [SA CN DIRECTOR]:

Mathematica is conducting a fifth year of the School Meals Operations (SMO) Study under contract with the USDA Food and Nutrition Service. I’m writing with information about this year’s data collection activities, which will begin soon.

Like last year, you’ll receive:

• A 30-minute web survey (later this month)

• A request for disaggregated administrative data reported on the FNS-10, FNS-418, and FNS-44 (in March 2025)

Unlike last year, we will not collect data from School Food Authorities.

The 68 State agencies that administer the Federal Child Nutrition Programs in the 50 States, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands are required to participate in this collection.

This year’s data collection will be about school year 2023-2024 and summer 2024 – a period with major policy changes (meal pattern requirements for NSLP and SBP), program changes (the establishment of non-congregate summer meals), and a new program (Summer EBT). The information you provide will help USDA to make evidence-based decisions about program policies and budgets, identify technical assistance needs, and track important program operation information across time. These actions will help ensure the Child Nutrition Programs contribute to a healthy future for all children—a goal we all share.

For more information on SMO, please see the attached brochure. If you have questions about the study, please contact Mathematica at 1-833-440-9475 or [email protected].

Thank you for your assistance with this important study!

Sincerely,

Veronica Severn

Survey Director

Mathematica

Attachment: Brochure

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is collecting this information to understand how State agencies operated CN Programs in SY 2023-2024. This is a mandatory collection. FNS will use the information to inform its planning, policy, and guidance related to the Child Nutrition Programs. 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 read this email is estimated to average 3 minutes (0.05 hours). 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).