I.1_LA Invite

OMB Control Number: 0584-XXXX

Expiration date: XX/XX/XXXX

APPENDIX I.1:
email invitation to local agencies

CC: State Agency Director

Dear WIC Local Agency,

Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that your local agency has been selected to participate in the WIC Nutrition Education Study (NEST), a study funded by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). The purpose of the study is to better understand how local agencies and their sites provide nutrition education and how WIC’s nutrition education services affect participants. The study provides an excellent opportunity for local agencies and sites to provide information to help strengthen and enhance WIC nutrition education and highlight the efforts across the country to promote healthy eating and physical activity behaviors among WIC participants. Additional information, including a study brochure and Frequently Asked Questions document, is provided at the link to the survey.

The first part of the study is a survey of nutrition education policies and practices at 1,000 local agencies and between one and three of their WIC sites. This survey will be followed by the selection of 80 local sites to take part in telephone interviews to further discuss nutrition education services. The information will be used to prepare a comprehensive, nationally representative description of WIC nutrition education.

Completion of the survey is required by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-296, Sec. 305), which requires WIC State and local agencies to cooperate in studies or evaluations conducted by or on behalf of USDA. Although survey responses will be identifiable to FNS, the responses will not be used for compliance or monitoring activities. Local agencies, sites, and individual respondent names will not be identified in any study reports or publications.

The survey will be conducted in two parts—a Local Agency Survey and a Site Survey. Both the Local Agency Survey and the Site Survey for each selected site must be completed by MM/DD/YY. Your State agency identified you as the contact person for communication about the surveys. If you would prefer to designate a different person to be contacted regarding the surveys, please contact the Nutrition Education Survey Help Desk at the phone number or email address included below.

Local Agency Survey

The Local Agency Survey consists of questions about policies and processes for all sites operated by your local agency (e.g., staff classifications and training, modes of nutrition education used). The individual who responds to this survey must have comprehensive knowledge of nutrition education policies and services across all WIC sites operated by the local agency. Possible job titles for this individual include, but are not limited to, Local WIC Director, WIC Manager, WIC Coordinator, Nutrition Director/Manager, Regional Nutrition Coordinator/Consultant, Competent Professional Authority, or WIC Nutrition Education Coordinator.

• To start the Local Agency Survey, click on the link below or copy and paste it into your Web browser.

[Insert link to the Local Agency Survey]

• A copy of the Local Agency Survey questions is available to view on the survey link. A copy of the survey brochure and a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) are attached to this email.

• If you are not the appropriate person to respond to the Local Agency Survey questions, the online survey provides instructions regarding how to allow another individual to complete it.

• The Local Agency Survey will take about 45 minutes to complete. Although we recommend completing all questions at one time, the survey provides instructions for saving a partially completed survey and returning at a later time to complete unanswered questions.

• If you cannot complete the Local Agency Survey online, please contact the Survey Help Desk to request a paper copy to complete and mail in.

Site Survey

At the end of the Local Agency Survey, the list of between one and three sites selected for the Site Survey will be displayed. For each site, there is a place to enter the name and contact information of an individual recommended to answer the questions about the site (e.g., number and type of staff, space for nutrition education, and nutrition education methods used). The individual who completes the Site Survey must have comprehensive knowledge of the nutrition education services provided at the site (and could be the same person that completed the Local Agency Survey). Possible job titles for this individual include, but are not limited to, Local WIC Director, Site/Clinic Supervisor, Site WIC Coordinator, Regional Nutrition Coordinator/Consultant, Nutrition Education Coordinator, Competent Professional Authority, or Senior or Lead Nutritionist.

• The individual designated to complete the Site Survey for each site will receive an email with instructions about completing the online survey. A paper copy of the survey and prepaid return envelope will be mailed to sites that are unable to complete the survey online.

• The Site Survey will take about 45 minutes per site. Although we recommend completing all questions at one time, the online survey provides instructions for saving a partially completed survey and returning at a later time to complete unanswered questions.

• The Site Survey can be completed by more than one individual, if appropriate. The online survey instructions explain how to allow additional individuals to respond.

We ask that you please complete the Local Agency Survey within 2 to 3 weeks of receiving this email.

Phone Interviews

We will contact the 80 selected sites and their local agencies and ask them to participate in an interview that will be scheduled at a convenient time for them during MM/YY and MM/YY. The 30-minute telephone interview will focus on details of how sites provide nutrition education.

If you have any questions about the survey, please contact:

Nutrition Education Survey Help Desk
Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Email: xxxxx@xxxxxx.xxx

Thank you for your participation in the WIC Nutrition Education Study (NEST)!

Sincerely,
TBD
Altarum Institute

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 45 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.

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