[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 14, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15037-15038]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-6150]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request--Special Nutrition Program Operations Study (SNPOS)

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), United States Department of 
Agriculture (USDA).

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice invites the the general public and other public agencies to 
comment on this proposed information collection. This collection is a 
revision of a currently approved information collection for the Special 
Nutrition Program Operations Study (SNPOS).

DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received by May 14, 
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: Special Nutrition Program Operations Study (SNPOS).
    OMB Number: 0584-0562.
    Expiration Date of Approval: 09/30/2014.
    Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of a currently 
approved collection.
    Abstract: The objective of the Special Nutrition Program Operations 
Study is to collect timely data on policies, administrative, and 
operational issues on the Child Nutrition Programs. The ultimate goal 
is to analyze these data and provide input for new legislation on Child 
Nutrition Programs as well as to provide pertinent technical assistance 
and training to program implementation staff.
    The Special Nutrition Program Operation Study (SNPOS) will help the 
Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) better understand and address current 
policy issues related to Special Nutrition Programs (SNP) operations. 
The policy and operational issues include, but are not limited to, the 
preparation of the program budget, development and implementation of 
program policy and regulations, and identification of areas for 
technical assistance and training. Specifically, this study will help 
FNS obtain:
    [ssquf] General descriptive data on the Child Nutrition (CN) 
program characteristics to help FNS respond to questions about the 
nutrition programs in schools;
    [ssquf] Data related to program administration for designing and 
revising program regulations, managing resources, and reporting 
requirements; and
    [ssquf] Data related to program operations to help FNS develop and 
provide training and technical assistance for School Food Authorities 
(SFAs) and State Agencies responsible for administering the CN 
programs.
    The activities to be undertaken subject to this notice include:
    [ssquf] Conducting a multi-modal (e.g. paper, Web, and telephone) 
survey of approximately 1,500 School Food Authority (SFA) Directors.
    [ssquf] Conducting a paper survey of all 56 State Agency Child 
Nutrition Directors.
    [ssquf] On-site data collection at 125 School Food Authorities from 
the School Foodservice Managers.
    Affected Public: State, Local and Tribal Governments.
    Type of Respondents: 1,500 School Food Authority (SFA) Directors, 
125 School Foodservice Managers, and 56 State Child Nutrition Program 
Directors.
    Estimated Total Number of Respondents: 1,681.
    Frequency of Response: Once annually.
    Estimated Annual Responses: 1,681.
    Estimate of Time per Respondent and Annual Burden: Public reporting 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average sixty 
(60) minutes per Self Administered Survey for the SFA Directors and the 
State Agency Child Nutrition Directors (this includes 30 minutes for 
data gathering and 30 minutes to respond to the questionnaire). 
Respondents in the SNOPS include 1,500 School Food Service Directors, 
125 School Foodservice Managers involved in the onsite data collection, 
and 56 State Child Nutrition Program Directors. The annual reporting 
burden is estimated at 1,681 hours (see table below).

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                                                                                                                                           Total annual
                                                                             Estimated     Frequency of    Total annual       Average         burden
         Data collection activity                    Respondents             number of       response        responses     burden hours      estimate
                                                                            respondents                                    per response       (hours)
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Self Administered/Web/Telephone Survey....  School Food Authority (SFA)            1,500               1           1,500               1           1,500
                                             Directors.

[[Page 15038]]

 
Self Administered/Telephone Survey........  State Agency Child Nutrition              56               1              56               1              56
                                             Directors.
On-site Data Collection...................  School Food Service Managers             125               1             125              16           2,000
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    Total.................................  ............................           1,681  ..............           1,681  ..............           3,556
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    Dated: March 6, 2012.
Audrey Rowe,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-6150 Filed 3-13-12; 8:45 am]
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