CEO E8 Recruiting Letter to LEAs for web & PEAR surveys

CEO E_8rev Recruiting Letter to LEAs for web & PEAR surveys

Letter LEAs to Recruit for Web Survey and PEAR Survey

OMB Clearance # 0584-XXXX

Expiration Date: XX/XX/20XX

DATE, 2012

Dear :

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has recently contracted with Abt Associates to conduct an Evaluation of the Community Eligibility (CE) Option. This evaluation was mandated by Congress in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) of 2010. As specified in the authorizing legislation, the evaluation has the following objectives:

1. To examine the characteristics of eligible schools that participate in the CE Option and those that choose not to participate

2. To examine the incentives and barriers to participation and implementation of the CE Option

3. To estimate CE Option impacts on local education agencies (LEAs), schools and children, including impacts on program administration, nutritional quality and foodservice costs and revenues

To accomplish this, we selected a sample of up to 1400 LEAs across the 7 States participating in the CE Option in SY 2012/13, based on information provided to us by the States’ CN Directors. We have selected your LEA to complete a Web survey focusing on experiences and opinions of the CE Option. The survey, expected to take about 24-30 minutes to compete, will be completed with participating LEAs, those that are eligible but not participating, and those in the near eligible category.

We have also selected your LEA to participate in a web-based survey on Participation, Enrollment, Attendance and Revenue (PEAR). This survey will collect data for four school years 2009-10 through 2012-13. The State Agency will provide some of the data needed for the evaluation to reduce your burden. You will have the option of completing a paper version of the survey. In the next week or two, you will receive an e-mail invitation with a link to the implementation Web survey and the PEAR survey.

As indicated in the enclosed study overview, we need your help in making this a successful study. We hope that you will agree to participate in this study. Section 305 of the HHFKA requires LEAs participating in the NSLP to cooperate with program evaluations.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in this important study. In the meantime, if you have any questions regarding the project, feel free to call me at (855) 759-5752 or via email at CommunityEligibility@abtassoc.com. You may also contact John Endahl, the FNS Project Officer, at (703) 305-2127 or via email at john.endahl@fns.usda.gov.

Sincerely,

Patty Connor

Project Director

Abt Associates

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB 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 3 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 the Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Research and Analysis, 3101 Park Center Drive, Alexandria, Virginia 22302.