[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]
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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.
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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.
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\1\ USDA is also conducting demonstrations of Summer Electronic
Benefits for Children Household-Based demonstrations. Those
demonstrations are not part of this Information Collection.
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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.
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Number of Estimated
Type of respondent Respondent type Type of instrument respondents Frequency of annual Time per Annual burden
(annual) response responses respondent hours
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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.
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Total Annual Cost to .................. .................. 3,260 .............. 3,260 .............. 3,260
Respondents.
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Dated: December 23, 2010.
Julia Paradis,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-106 Filed 1-6-11; 8:45 am]
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