C11_Sponsor Recruitment Letter

C11. Sponsor Recruitment Letter

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[Date]

Dear [Sponsor Contact First Name] [Sponsor Contact Last Name]:

One or more of your child care providers was randomly selected to be part of the second Study of Nutrition and Activity in Child Care Settings (SNACS-II). This important study, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) will help providers, sponsors and USDA learn more about how the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) helps children learn and grow. We are requesting your support for and cooperation with the study.

SNACS-II will look at the nutrition and wellness environment and activities of more than 1,300 child care centers, family child care homes and before and after school programs across the country, provide a snapshot of current CACFP operations, and examine how key outcomes have changed since updated meal pattern requirements have gone into effect to encourage healthier eating. USDA selected Mathematica to conduct the study. The enclosed brochure and FAQs provide an overview of the study. We have also enclosed [a letter/letters] in support of the study from USDA [and OTHER ORGANIZATIONS ENDORSING STUDY].

First, please review the attached list of providers and programs we have selected for the study. We got this information from the State child nutrition or child care agency and some of it may be missing or outdated. We ask that you confirm that these providers and programs are still active and give us updated contact information for each one. Someone from our study team will call you soon to review this information and ask for updates on any information that is incorrect or incomplete.

Second, we ask you to encourage providers to participate. Your endorsement is critical to the success of SNACS-II. Under the terms of Section 28 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, institutions participating in CACFP are required to participate in this data collection. Your endorsement will confirm to providers that the study is important and persuade many of them to participate. We ask that you contact providers to introduce the study and encourage them to participate in it. We will provide you with an email template for this purpose.

[If any providers are in the cost sample: Third, we may ask you to provide some cost information about operating CACFP. At least one of the providers your organization sponsors has been selected to be part of the meal cost data collection component of the study. We may need to obtain some information from you about the costs to produce CACFP meals.]

A member of the study team will contact you soon to tell you more about the study, answer your questions, and obtain updated information about providers. If you would like to contact the study team now, please call [study phone] toll free, email [study email], or visit the study website at [URL] using the passcode [sponsor passcode].

Thank you in advance for your support and participation in this important study.

Sincerely,

[SIGNATURE]

Sarah Forrestal

SNACS-II project director

Mathematica