Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request-Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Sponsor and Provider Characteristics Study, 23317-23319 [2014-09541]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Food and Nutrition Service

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 81 (Monday, April 28, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23317-23319]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-09541]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request--Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Sponsor and 
Provider Characteristics Study

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 general public and other public agencies to comment 
on the proposed information collection. This is a new information 
collection for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Sponsor 
and Provider Characteristics Study.

DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received by June 27, 
2014.

ADDRESSES: Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection 
of information is necessary for the proper performance of Agency 
functions, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the Agency's estimated burden of the 
proposed information collection, 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 information collection on 
respondents, including use of appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological methods of data collection.
    Written comments may be sent to: Richard Lucas, Acting Deputy 
Administrator, Office of Policy Support, Food and Nutrition Service, 
USDA, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1014, Alexandria, VA 22302. Comments 
may also be submitted via fax to the attention of Richard Lucas at 703-
305-2576 or via email to richard.lucas@fns.usda.gov. Comments will also 
be accepted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to https://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

[[Page 23318]]

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 Allison Magness, Ph.D., R.D. Social Science Research Analyst, 
Special Nutrition Evaluation Branch, Office of Policy Support, Food and 
Nutrition Service, USDA, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1014, Alexandria, 
VA 22302. Comments may also be submitted via fax to the attention of 
Allison Magness at 703-305-2576 or via email to 
allison.magness@fns.usda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Sponsor and 
Provider Characteristics Study.
    Form Number: N/A.
    OMB Number: 0584-NEW.
    Expiration Date: Not yet determined.
    Type of Request: New collection.
    Abstract: The objective of CACFP Sponsor and Provider 
Characteristics Study is to provide FNS, the Congress, advocates, and 
others interested in the CACFP with information that accurately 
documents the current program. The CACFP has changed considerably since 
the last study of program sponsors and providers was completed in 1997. 
There have been multiple legislative and regulatory actions, including 
the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010, which changed the CACFP in 
ways affecting the characteristics of sponsors and providers since 
1997. Even a cursory look at the available CACFP administrative data 
shows that the characteristics of sponsors, participating centers and 
family day care homes (FDCHs), and the children they serve are quite 
different from those reported in the 1997 study. For example, 42 
percent of the children participating in the program were in child care 
centers, and 58 percent were in FDCHs in 1997 (Glantz, et al., 1997). 
In contrast by Fiscal Year 2012, 74 percent of the children were served 
in centers, while only 26 percent were served in homes (USDA, 2013). 
Major shifts like this require an examination of the CACFP as it exists 
today.
    The goal of this study is to conduct a national survey of CACFP 
sponsors and providers that will provide policy-makers, advocates, and 
the general public with up-to-date information about who is sponsoring 
child care providers; the type of training and technical assistance 
sponsors receive from their State Child Nutrition (CN) Agency; how 
often and what aspects of the program States monitor; how sponsors 
operate and manage the program to ensure its integrity, as well as 
compliance with Federal and State regulation; and what types of 
providers do sponsors serve. Similarly, the study will provide up-to-
date information on the characteristics of the children served by each 
type of CACFP provider. It will examine four key characteristics of 
children served by each type of provider:
    1. Demographic characteristics including the age distribution and 
racial/ethnic composition.
    2. Household characteristics including the income distribution of 
households; poverty level and income eligibility status (for centers) 
and tiering status (reimbursement level for FDCHs); and other Federal 
benefits received.
    3. Amount of time children spend in care including hours per day, 
days per week, and total amount of time spent in care over the course 
of a typical week.
    4. Number of each of the types of meals and snacks served to 
children while in care (e.g., morning snack, breakfast, lunch, 
afternoon snack, etc.).
    It will also examine how each type of provider operates and 
administers the CACFP; staff training; sponsor provided training and 
monitoring; and providers' funding sources.
    This study will provide useful information for responding to 
congressional inquiries about the program and for the development of 
FNS budget proposals. However, it is the importance of the CACFP that 
underlies the need for this study. The program provides food benefits 
for millions of children, most of them from low-income households. By 
subsidizing meals, the CACFP makes it possible for more child care 
providers to operate than would otherwise be the case.
    The study activities subject to this notice include extracting data 
from the administrative records of a nationally representative sample 
of 20 State CN Agencies, and conducting Web/mail/telephone surveys of a 
nationally representative sample of approximately:
     54 State CN Directors,
     200 directors of independent (self-sponsored) child care 
centers (ICCC),
     200 directors of child care center sponsor organizations,
     612 directors of sponsors of at-risk after-school centers,
     270 directors of Head Start sponsors,
     480 directors of family day care home sponsor 
organizations,
     200 directors of sponsored child care centers,
     812 directors of at-risk after-school centers,
     270 directors or lead teachers from Head Start Centers, 
and
     400 family day care providers.
    Each respondent will be sent an email invitation to participate in 
the study with a link to a web survey. The invitations will also 
include a toll-free number for respondents to call if they have any 
questions or need additional information. Respondents without access to 
the internet will be sent a mail survey to complete. Respondents that 
fail to complete the Web/mail survey after several follow-up attempts 
will be called and given the opportunity to complete the survey as a 
telephone interview.
    Affected Public: State, Local or Tribal Government (54) and 
Business-not-for-profit (4,088) sponsors of CACFP child care centers 
and FDCHs, and participating centers and homes.
    Type of Respondents: State CN Directors, child care center 
sponsors, FDCH sponsors, child care center directors, and FDCH 
providers.
    Estimated Total Number of Respondents: 4,142.
    Frequency of Response: Once annually.
    Estimated Annual Responses: 4,142.
    Estimate of Time per Respondent and Annual Burden: The total public 
reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated at 
3,449 hours. The estimated burden for each type of respondent is given 
in the table below. Across all study respondents and non-respondents 
the estimated average burden is 0.84 hours (about 50 minutes).
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[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN28AP14.150


    Dated: April 18, 2014.
Yvette S. Jackson,
Acting Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-09541 Filed 4-25-14; 8:45 am]
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