State, Local, or Tribal Government Responsive

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Appendix K.1.

WIC State agency recruitment email from the research study team

Public Burden Statement

This information is being collected to assist the Food and Nutrition Service to better understand the implementation and impact of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) modernization efforts on WIC State and local agencies, WIC vendors and WIC participants. This is a voluntary collection and FNS will use the information to monitor and strengthen WIC program modernization efforts. This collection does not request any 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-[xxxx]. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average .5167 hours/31 minute 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, Evidence, Analysis, and Regulatory Affairs Office, 1320 Braddock Place, 5th Floor, Alexandria, VA 22306, ATTN: PRA (0584-xxxx). Do not return the completed form to this address.

To: [WIC State agency director]

From: The research study team

Subject: Welcome to the WIC Modernization Evaluation!

Dear [WIC State agency director],

You should have received an email last week from [FNS contact] about the WIC & FMNP Outreach, Innovation, and Modernization Evaluation (WIC Modernization Evaluation). The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) contracted with Mathematica, an independent research and consulting firm, and partners, MEF Associates and Nutrition Policy Institute (NPI), to conduct this evaluation. We are looking forward to learning together about the impact of your transformative work to modernize WIC!

The evaluation includes 1) annual interviews with WIC State agency staff, 2) one-time experience surveys with WIC staff, WIC vendor staff, and WIC participants, and 3) local agency case studies that include in-person local WIC staff and vendor staff interviews and participant focus groups, conducted by the study team.

We would like to set up a time to discuss the evaluation with you, including introductions, how best to partner with your agency over the next few years on evaluation activities, data collection activities and timelines, and answers to any questions you may have.

Please let us know if you are available at one of the following times for an initial phone call to discuss the study:

• Date, time 1

• Date, time 2

• Date, time 3

Participation in this study is required for WIC agencies, but your participation in any study activities is voluntary. The information you provide as part of the above data collection activities will be private and will not be maintained or disclosed in identifiable form to anyone, except as otherwise required by law.

Questions about the study?

Please see the attached one-page study description that may help with any initial questions about the study, and we encourage you to attend the informational webinar for State agencies, which will provide important details about the study, on XXX date. Click [HERE] to register for the webinar.

If you have any questions or concerns about the study before we meet, please reply to this email or contact the Mathematica study team at [EMAIL]@mathematica-mpr.com or XXX-XXX-XXXX. You can reach the FNS project officer, Carol Dreibelbis, at [email protected].

Thank you for taking the time to participate in this important study!

Sincerely,

Debbie Reed

Project Director, WIC Modernization Evaluation