State Agencies (CN and SFA Directors)

APPENDIX B.7
SFA Invitation Letter

OMB Number: 0584-0607

Expiration Date: xx/xx/20xx

XX/XX/2018

Dear [FIRST NAME] [LAST NAME]:

2M Research and its partner, Mathematica Policy Research, are conducting a national survey for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) as part of a study called the Child Nutrition Program Operations Study II (CN-OPS-II). This is the fourth year of the study. The CN-OPS-II study is being conducted to understand and address the current policy issues related to Child Nutrition program (CNP) operations.

The goal of this study is to improve the implementation of the Child Nutrition program by examining:

• Child Nutrition program (CNP) characteristics to help FNS respond to questions about the CN programs in schools;

• program administration data from State and SFA perspectives for designing and revising program regulations, managing resources, and reporting requirements; and

• program operations data to help FNS develop and provide training and technical assistance for School Food Authorities and State Agencies responsible for administering the CN programs.

The CN-OPS-II survey is easy to complete on the web. The survey is designed to be completed by the SFA Director or designated members of your staff and should take about 2 hours to complete. We included a hardcopy of the survey with this letter for planning purposes. We encourage you to circulate the survey among appropriate staff, if necessary, to obtain all responses. We have also included frequently asked questions and a web survey information sheet to assist you.

Please note that your cooperation in this study is encouraged under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Section 305 of that Act states:

States, State educational agencies, local educational agencies, schools, institutions, facilities, and contractors participating in programs authorized under this Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C 1771 et seq.) shall cooperate with officials and contractors acting on behalf of the Secretary, in the conduct of evaluations and studies under those Acts.

Therefore, let me encourage you to complete the study by [date]. Your organization is part of a nationally representative sample. Your responses will only be used for statistical purposes, including summary tabulations, and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose unless required by law. This means that your personal information (name, telephone number, etc.) and the responses you provide will be kept private under the Privacy Act to the extent required by law.

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 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: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Services, Office of Policy Support, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1014, Alexandria, VA 22302, ATTN: PRA (0584-0607).  Do not return the completed form to this address.

To access the survey, please log on to http://www.2mresearch.com/cnops2sfa. You will be asked for your Login Identification and Password, which are indicated below.

Login Identification: [Username]

Password: [Password]

We thank you in advance for your important contribution to this research. For assistance with the survey, you may use our toll-free help line and our email help desk. The help desk number is 1-844-503-7045 and the email help desk is CNOPS2@2mresearch.com.

Sincerely,

Anne Gordon, Project Director

Enclosed: CN-OPS II Web Survey Information Sheet, Frequently Asked Questions, and SFA Director Survey.

Child Nutrition Program Operations Study II (CN-OPS II)

Frequently Asked Questions

SFA Director Survey

Q	Why is FNS conducting a survey of School Food Authority (SFA) Directors?
A	This survey is being conducted to provide nationally representative information about Child Nutrition programs available in public school districts. The goal of the CN-OPS II is to understand the policy and operational issues surrounding the Child Nutrition Programs. Specifically, survey topics inform preparation of the program budget, development and implementation of program policy and regulations, and identification of areas for provision of technical assistance and training.
Q	Who is invited to participate in CN-OPS II?
A	For school year (SY) 2018-19, 55 State Child Nutrition Program Directors and 2,188 School Food Authority Directors are invited to participate.
Q	Why is participation by your SFA important?
A	The survey provides national estimates. All SFAs need to respond to preserve the validity of the study. Furthermore, this study is authorized under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 and your cooperation in the study is encouraged in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Section 305 of that Act states that: “States, State educational agencies, local educational agencies, schools, institutions, facilities, and contractors participating in programs authorized under this Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C 1771 et seq.) shall cooperate with officials and contractors acting on behalf of the Secretary, in the conduct of evaluations and studies under those Acts.” There is no requirement to complete a survey to continue participation in the CN programs or to receive any Federal benefits.
Q	How long is the data collection period?
A	Because of the time sensitive nature of data that are being collected, we expect to receive all completed surveys within 11 weeks.
Q	How does FNS protect the privacy of the information that I provide?
A	Your answers about operations may be used for descriptive purposes, including tabulations by State. Any personal information you provide about yourself or specific individuals in your agency (name, telephone number education, etc.) may not be disclosed or used in identifiable form unless otherwise compelled by law. The federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved the survey (OMB Number: 0584-0607. Expiration Date: xx/xx/20xx).
Q	What types of information should I be prepared to provide in this survey?
A	You should be prepared to provide the following information for your SFA: School participation and student enrollment numbers in NSLP/SBP for SY 2018-19, breakfast prices in SY 2018-2019, lunch prices in SY 2018-19, number of schools operating under special provisions in SY 2018-19, number of students directly certified as of October 31, 2018, money owed as a result of unpaid meals, number of staff meeting training requirements, and revenues and expenditures for SY 2017-2018.
Q	Who should I contact if I have questions about the study or the survey?
A	If you have any questions about this survey, please contact the Help Desk at 1-844-503-7045 or email the help desk at CNOPS2@2mresearch.com.

W eb Survey Information Sheet

Getting Started with Your SFA Director Survey

Step 1: Go to the web browser on any computer with Internet access and enter the web site address below in the web browser address bar to access the study’s data collection site. Do not enter the address into a search engine.

Survey Address: https://www.2mresearch.com/cnops2sfa

Login Identification: Username

Password: Password

Step 2: Click on the survey link to reach the login page.

Step 3: Look at the letter you received with this instruction sheet to find your user login and password. Enter this information into the corresponding boxes and click the login button to access your account, where you will see the introduction page of your district survey. All staff responding to the survey will need to use the same user login and password.

Step 4: The first time you log into the survey you will be directed to the Menu page, which lists each survey section.

Step 5: Prior to responding to the web survey, we recommend that you review the hardcopy of the survey to get a general sense of the survey content and to help identify which individuals are in the best position to complete survey sections. You can also access a PDF copy of the survey by clicking the link labeled “PDF Version of the Survey” in the survey header (which appears on every page after you log in).

We also recommend that you review the Frequently Asked Questions document before responding to the survey. You can access this document by clicking the link labeled “Frequently Asked Questions” in the survey header.

Step 6: Once you have completed all sections of the SFA Director Survey, click on the "Submit Survey" button (on the Menu page).

Questions about the completing the survey?

Toll-free Helpline: 1-844-503-7045

Email Helpdesk: CNOPS2@2mresearch.com