[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 5 (Friday, January 7, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1129-1130]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-106]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request--Evaluation of the Impact of the Summer Food Service 
Programs Enhancement Demonstrations on Food Insecurity

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment 
on this proposed information collection. This collection is a new 
collection for the purpose of conducting The Evaluation of the Impact 
of the Summer Food Service Programs Enhancement Demonstrations on Food 
Insecurity.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before March 8, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection 
of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions 
of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions that were used; (c) ways to enhance the 
quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and 
(d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.
    Comments may be sent to: Steven Carlson, Director, Office of 
Research and Analysis, Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of 
Agriculture, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1014, Alexandria, VA 22302. 
Comments may also be submitted via fax to the attention of Steven 
Carlson at 703-305-2576 or via e-mail to [email protected]. 
Comments will also be accepted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal. 
Go to http://www.regulations.gov, and follow the online instructions 
for submitting comments electronically.
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for Office of Management and Budget approval. All comments will 
be a matter of public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of this information collection should be directed to Steven 
Carlson at 703-305-2017.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Evaluation of the Impact of the Summer Food Service Programs 
Enhancement Demonstrations on Food Insecurity.
    Form Number: Not yet assigned.
    OMB Number: 0584-NEW.
    Expiration Date: Not yet assigned.
    Type of Request: New Collection of Information.
    Abstract: The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug 
Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2010 (Pub. 
L. 111-80), Section 749(g), directed that the Secretary of Agriculture 
shall carry out demonstration projects to develop and test methods of 
providing access to food for children in urban and rural areas during 
the summer months when schools are not in regular session to reduce or 
eliminate the food insecurity and hunger of children and to improve the 
nutritional status of children. Demonstrations of enhancements to 
existing Summer Food Service Programs (SFSP) will carry out the 
demonstration projects Congress directed USDA to perform in this 
section.\1\ These demonstrations will include the Home Delivery 
Demonstration and the Food Backpack Demonstration. The Home Delivery 
Demonstration will offer breakfast and lunch delivery to the homes of 
eligible children in rural areas. This demonstration will only operate 
in rural areas, and only children identified by school districts as 
eligible for free and reduced-price school meals will be eligible to 
receive delivered meals. Children, age 18 and younger, normally 
eligible to receive meals at SFSP sites, will be eligible to receive 
weekend and holiday meals under the Food Backpack Demonstration 
Project. In addition, the Act directed the Secretary of Agriculture to 
provide for an independent evaluation of the demonstration projects 
using rigorous methodologies. The Evaluation of the Impact of the 
Summer Food Service Programs Enhancement Demonstrations on Food 
Insecurity will carry out the provisions of the Act.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ USDA is also conducting demonstrations of Summer Electronic 
Benefits for Children Household-Based demonstrations. Those 
demonstrations are not part of this Information Collection.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The evaluation of these projects is intended to provide 
policymakers with clear, rigorous and timely findings to make decisions 
about potential changes to Federal summer feeding programs during the 
next Child Nutrition reauthorization cycle. Primarily, the

[[Page 1130]]

evaluation will examine the impact of the demonstration activities on 
program operations, benefit usage within target households, and food 
security. In addition to impact measures, the evaluation will document 
the process and challenges of implementing the demonstrations. The 
results will provide valuable information should the demonstration 
succeed and could lead to policy changes. The evaluation will gather 
data through surveys from sampled eligible households during the summer 
and fall of 2011. A third and final household survey will be conducted 
in summer 2012. In the demonstration areas, roughly the same number of 
households with eligible children will be sampled from each of two 
primary strata: treatment group (participating children who have signed 
up for the summer food program prior to the summer break) and control 
group (nonparticipating children).
    Affected Public: Individuals/Households; State, Local and Tribal 
Government. State or tribal agencies, usually departments of education 
or health, oversee the administration of the SFSP which is most 
frequently conducted by local government, particularly local education 
authorities.
    Respondent Type: the parents/guardians of individual school-aged 
children in each demonstration area; and State and local agency 
officials in each demonstration area.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: The maximum total estimated number 
of respondents, assuming a 100% response rate, is 6,320 (3,160 in 2011 
and 3,160 in 2012). Over both years this includes: 1,580 treatment and 
1,580 control parents/guardians (1 per interviewed household) in each 
year; and 100 State and local agency officials in each year.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: There will be one 
interview per parent/guardian and 1 per State or local official.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 3,260.
    Estimated Time per Response: The estimated average response time is 
60 minutes (1 hour), as shown in the table below.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: The maximum total 
estimated response time is 3,260 hours in 2011 and 3,260 hours in 2012. 
See the table below for estimated total annual burden for each type of 
respondent.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                             Number of                       Estimated
       Type of respondent           Respondent type   Type of instrument    respondents    Frequency of       annual         Time per      Annual burden
                                                                             (annual)        response        responses      respondent         hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Individual/Households...........  Parent-Guardian...  Interviews........           3,160               1           3,160               1           3,160
State and Local.................  State and Local     Interviews........             100               1             100               1             100
                                   Agency Official.
                                                                         -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total Annual Cost to          ..................  ..................           3,260  ..............           3,260  ..............           3,260
     Respondents.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Dated: December 23, 2010.
Julia Paradis,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-106 Filed 1-6-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P