[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 229 (Tuesday, November 29, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73582-73584]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-30667]
========================================================================
Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
========================================================================
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 229 / Tuesday, November 29, 2011 /
Notices
[[Page 73582]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request--Community Eligibility Option Evaluation
AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA).
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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
information collection for the Community Eligibility Option Evaluation.
DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received by January 30,
2012.
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: John
Endahl, Senior Program Analyst, Office of Research and Analysis, Food
and Nutrition Service, USDA, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1004,
Alexandria, VA 22302. Comments may also be submitted via fax to the
attention of John Endahl at (703) 305-2576 or via email 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: To request more information on the
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans,
contact John Endahl, Senior Program Analyst, Office of Research and
Analysis, Food and Nutrition Service/USDA, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room
1004, Alexandria, VA 22302; Fax: (703) 305-2576; Email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Community Eligibility Option Evaluation.
OMB Number: 0584-NEW.
Expiration Date of Approval: Not yet determined.
Type of Information Collection Request: New information collection.
Abstract: Section 104(a) of the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act (the
Act) of 2010 provides the Community Eligibility Option (the CE Option)
for Local Educational Authorities (LEAs) and schools, as an alternative
to household applications for Free or Reduced Price meals. Under the CE
Option, families are not required to submit applications for free or
reduced-price meals, and schools are required to provide free meals to
all students. The Act sets a reimbursement formula based on the
percentage of students directly certified or otherwise approved without
application (the Identified Student Percentage or ISP). The potential
benefits are that more students participate, meals are more nutritious,
and LEAs may experience reductions in administrative burden and errors.
In order to understand how the CE Option is implemented, incentives and
barriers for LEAs and schools, as well as the impacts on LEAs, schools
and children, Congress has mandated that FNS conduct an evaluation of
the CE Option. The objectives of the study are:
To estimate the number of eligible LEAs and schools that
do not choose the CE Option;
To assess the barriers to participation in the CE Option
in non-participating but eligible LEAs and schools;
To describe the LEAs and schools participating in the CE
Option;
To examine the impacts of the CE Option on (1) Program
integrity, (2) availability of School Breakfast Program, (3)
nutritional quality of meals, (4) program participation by students,
(5) program administration, (6) foodservice revenues and costs; and
To provide input to FNS deliberations about the key
parameters for the CE Option: The multiplier for determining the
percentage of meals reimbursed at the free rate (currently 1.6 times
the ISP) and the threshold value of the ISP for determining eligibility
to implement the option.
The activities to be undertaken subject to this notice include:
Interviews with State Child Nutrition (CN) Directors, LEA
Foodservice Directors, School Cafeteria Managers, and School
Administrators
Telephone Survey of State CN Directors
Web based Implementation Survey of LEA Foodservice
Directors (participating, eligible non-participating, and near
eligible)
Participation, Enrollment, Attendance, and Revenue Web
Survey of LEA Foodservice Directors
Pre-visit LEA Foodservice Director Questionnaire
Pre-visit School Information Questionnaire (School
Cafeteria Managers)
Menu Survey
Data abstraction from certification records
Cashier observations
Meal counts and claims review
Affected Public: State and Local Governments.
Type of Respondents: 51 State CN Directors, 1400 LEA Foodservice
Directors, 353 School Cafeteria Managers, and 125 School
Administrators.
Estimated Total Number of Respondents: 1,929.
Frequency of Response: Each instrument will be administered once to
each respondent with two exceptions. State CN Directors in seven of
eleven States will be interviewed twice over the course of the study
(once annually);
[[Page 73583]]
State CN directors in four States will be interviewed once. School
cafeteria managers will complete the Menu Survey on each day of the
five-day site visit.
Estimated Annual Responses: 4,300.
Estimate of Time per Respondent and Annual Burden: Public reporting
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average
forty-five (45) minutes per State CN Director interview, ninety (90)
minutes per LEA Foodservice Director interview, thirty (30) minutes per
School Cafeteria Manager interview, and forty-five (45) minutes per
School Administrator interview. Reporting burden is estimated at twenty
(20) minutes per State CN Director telephone survey. Reporting burden
is estimated at twenty-five (25) minutes per completed implementation
web survey for the LEA Foodservice Directors and one hundred seventy
(170) minutes per completed Participation, Enrollment, Attendance, and
Revenue web survey for LEA Foodservice Directors. The reporting burden
is estimated at ten (10) minutes per completed LEA Foodservice Director
pre-visit questionnaire and fifteen (15) minutes per completed School
Cafeteria Manager pre-visit questionnaire. Estimated reporting burden
for Menu Surveys is forty-five (45) minutes per complete. The burden
for the Data Abstraction Form/Certification Record Review Form is
estimated at thirty (30) minutes per completed form and the Meal
Counting and Claiming Review Form is estimated at forty-five (45)
minutes per completed form. Estimated burden for the Meal and Cashier
Observation form is 10 minutes per completed form. The initial sample
in the School Community Eligibility Study includes 51 State CN
Directors (with 11 completing interviews and survey, plus 40 completing
survey only), 1,400 LEA Foodservice Directors, 353 School Cafeteria
Managers, and 125 School Administrators. We expect responses from 45
State CN Directors, 1,120 LEA Foodservice Directors, 318 School
Cafeteria Managers, and 100 School Administrators. The annual reporting
burden is estimated at 2,573.5 hours (see table below).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average burden
Estimated Frequency of Estimated hours per Total annual
Data collection activity Respondents number of response total annual response (in burden estimate
respondents reponses hours) (in hours)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Implementation Study Interviews State CN Director. Completed......... 11 1 to 2 \1\ 18 0.75 13.5
(telephone).
Attempted......... 0 2 0 0.05 0
State Survey (telephone)....... State CN Director. Completed......... 45 1 45 0.33 15.0
Attempted......... 6 1 6 0.05 0.3
Implementation Web Survey...... LEA Foodservice Completed......... 1,120 1 1,120 0.42 470.4
Directors.
Attempted......... 280 1 280 0.05 14.0
Participation, Enrollment, LEA Foodservice Completed......... 240 1 240 2.83 679.2
Attendance and Revenue Web Directors.
Survey.
Attempted......... 60 1 60 0.05 3.0
Pre-visit LEA Questionnaire.... LEA Foodservice Completed......... 106 1 106 0.17 18.0
Directors.
Attempted......... 27 1 27 0.05 1.4
Interviews..................... LEA Foodservice Completed......... 106 1 106 1.50 159.0
Directors.
Attempted......... 27 1 27 0.05 1.4
School Cafeteria Completed......... 318 1 318 0.5 159.0
Managers.
Attempted......... 35 1 35 0.05 1.8
School Completed......... 100 1 100 0.75 75.0
Administrators.
Attempted......... 25 1 25 0.05 1.3
Data Abstraction Form/ LEA Foodservice Completed......... 106 3 318 0.50 159.0
Certification Record Review Directors.
Form.
Attempted......... 0 1 0 0.05 0
Pre-visit School Information School Cafeteria Completed......... 156 1 156 0.25 39.0
Questionnaire. Managers.
Attempted......... 39 1 39 0.05 2.0
Menu Survey Booklet............ School Cafeteria Completed......... 156 5 780 0.75 585.0
Managers.
Attempted......... 39 1 39 0.05 2.0
Meal and Cashier Observation School Cafeteria Completed......... 156 1 156 0.17 26.5
Form. Managers.
Attempted......... 39 1 39 0.05 2.0
Meal Counting and Claiming School Cafeteria Completed......... 156 1 156 0.75 117.0
Review Form (School). Managers.
Attempted......... 39 1 39 0.05 2.0
Meal Counting and Claiming LEA Foodservice Completed......... 52 1 52 0.50 26.0
Review Form (LEA). Directors.
Attempted......... 13 1 13 0.05 0.7
Total...................... .................. .................. 3,457 - 4,300 0.60 2573.5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Seven States will complete twice, four States will complete once.
[[Page 73584]]
Dated: November 22, 2011.
Jeffrey J. Tribiano,
Acting Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-30667 Filed 11-28-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P