| Reach: number, proportion, and representativeness of eligible students who participated in programs during COVID-19 |
Determine the number and proportion of children who receive meals during COVID-19 school closures. Determine representativeness among children receiving meals during COVID-19 closures of (1) children receiving free meals through the Free and Reduced-Price Meals program or the Community Eligibility Provision and (2) children who had not previously participated in the Summer Meals Program, with attention to race/ethnicity, immigration status, income, and rurality. Describe methods used by state and local authorities to recruit children/families to participate.
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| Effectiveness: impact of programs on participating students’ quality of life and economic outcomes, including variability across subgroups |
Compare food insecurity trends between states and localities to describe the variable impact of programs. Identify the impact of other complementary programs (eg, pandemic electronic benefits transfer) on adoption, reach, and implementation of school meals programs. Describe unintended consequences for students (eg, lower nutritional quality of meals, reallocation of funds to nonmeal programs).
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| Adoption: number, proportion, and representativeness of local authorities who operated during COVID-19 |
Describe organizational characteristics (eg, personnel, readiness, leadership) and geographic distribution of local authorities who mobilized during COVID-19 compared with those who did not. Determine representativeness among local authorities who operated during COVID-19 closures compared with authorities who had previously opened during summer periods.
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| Implementation: local authorities’ implementation of program requirements and waiver changes, including consistency, time, costs, and adaptations/fidelity |
Describe common implementation strategies (eg, grab-and-go, delivery, multiple meals) allowable by waivers and used by local authorities. Identify innovative or culturally specific implementation strategies and adaptations used by local authorities serving subpopulations with high rates of food insecurity (eg, rural areas). Describe operational costs of various implementation strategies.
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| Maintenance: whether student impact is sustained and whether program operations during COVID-19 become part of routine practice |
Compare long-term child food insecurity trends between states and localities to describe the variable impact of programs. Describe the extent to which implementation strategies fit within the capacity of sites/sponsors during and beyond the waiver period. Describe long-term costs associated with unanticipated mobilization of sponsors/sites during COVID-19 closures.
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