C1_FNS Email Notification to Regional Offices_7.20.21

C1. FNS Email Notification to Regional Offices

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FNS Email Notification to Regional Offices

Sent to: [FNS Regional Office Liaison]

Subject: USDA’s Study of Nutrition and Activity in Child Care Settings II (SNACS-II)

Dear [FNS Regional Office Liaison],

FNS is sponsoring the second Study of Nutrition and Activity in Child Care Settings (SNACS-II) in the 2022-2023 program year. This important study will look at nutrition and wellness policies and activities in child care centers, family day care homes and before and after school programs across the country. It will help providers, sponsors and USDA understand how CACFP operates so that it can better help children learn and grow. SNACS-II will provide an updated picture of CACFP and examine how key outcomes have changed since updated meal pattern requirements went into effect to encourage healthier eating. Mathematica and its partner, Westat, are conducting SNACS-II for USDA.

Your region’s support for SNACS-I during the 2016-2017 program year was important to its success. We hope that you can provide the same assistance and support for this study. The table below identifies the States in your region that are included in the national sample for SNACS-II. We would appreciate it if you could contact the State Child Nutrition (CN) Directors to describe the study, inform them that the contractor will request lists of CACFP providers within their States so that a sample can be selected, and encourage their support of the study. You can also let State CN Directors know that they will be contacted by the study team in the coming weeks who will provide them with additional information about the study and directly enlist their support. I have attached a copy of the study FAQs, sample text that you can use in your email to State CN Directors, and an endorsement letter from USDA that you can also forward to the State CN Directors.

List of Sampled States

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2.

3.

If you have questions about the study, feel free to contact me at [Phone] or [Email]. You can also call the project team toll-free at [study phone], email [study email], or visit [URL]. Thank you in advance for your assistance with this important study!

Sincerely,

[Name]

[Position]

Attachments: [Study FAQs, Regional Office Email Notification to States]