Program Delivery & Evaluation

Program delivery methods may include, but are not limited to:

• direct teaching to groups
• newsletters and displays
  
• basic food and nutrition demonstrations at eligible sites (see Eligibility Decision Tree)
  

Each program year, projects are designated in the state plan for that year’s evaluation focus. The impacts from these selected projects are reported in the yearly final report submitted to DHS and FNS. Focus projects are decided by staff input and SNAP-Ed guidance. For program year 2011-2012 (October 1, 2011 – September 30, 2012) the following designated projects are:

• Stretching Your Food Dollar (adults)
• Bee-Yond the Basics (parents with children)
• Pick a Better Snack and ACT/Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (youth)
• Banking on Strong Bones (youth)
• Go Wild with Fruits and Veggies (youth)
  

Education efforts beyond the yearly designated projects is anticipated to be a part of each educator’s unique programming. It is an expectation that for PY 2012, each educator surveys in at least two of the five chosen projects. This ensures strong impact numbers reported annually to our funding agencies.

Allowable Activities

FNP educators are paid with federal funds designated for SNAP-Ed; therefore every task done on FNP time needs to be an allowable activity as specified in the federal SNAP-Ed guidance. 

Allowable activities* include:

• Health promotion to help establish healthy eating habits and a physically active lifestyle
• Health promotion activities and interventions aimed at primary prevention of disease
• Distribution of printed materials (newsletters, etc.) of approved content to the target audience or to a potential target audience
• Participation in health fairs and other events that target the limited resource audience
  

Some activities are not inherently allowable but are allowable with considerations:

• Encouraging physical activity for a healthy lifestyle to complement programming promoting healthy eating behaviors
• Nutrition education within the context of a garden setting and/or using gardening as a way to teach about and encourage acceptability of fresh fruits and vegetables
• Food preservation taught as part of programming that focuses on promotion of healthy eating behaviors (e.g. more fruits and vegetables) and considering the limited resources of the audience
  

Other activities, while beneficial, are explicitly not allowable as SNAP-Ed activities:

• Health assessments of recipients, obtaining clinical data on nutritional status, and chronic disease or chronic disease risk assessments
• Secondary prevention interventions including activities that help people who already have a chronic disease cope with and control these conditions and prevent additional disability
  
• E.g. Dining with Diabetes, targeted food allergy education
  

• Primary breastfeeding education

*See “Subject Matter” for a more detailed list of specific allowable content areas.

Program Costs

Costs to the program need to be reasonable, necessary and allocable to FNP in order to be allowable. Costs should support allowable activities.  Allowable costs include:

• Food purchases (for samples or recipe samples) that reflect the Dietary Guidelines (fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, lean protein) and support key behavioral outcomes.

• Nutrition education reinforcement materials costing $4.00 or less per item that contain or convey nutrition messages and promote good nutrition practices and increased physical activity.

For a more detailed list of allowable and unallowable costs associated with SNAP-Ed activities, see Allowable/Unallowable Expenses on the Program Purchases page.

Outreach and Recruitment

FNP staff are encouraged to recruit participants through referrals and through participation in other community and food assistance program activities. Outreach and participation in community groups that target and serve the low resource audience is an allowable activity.

Close coordination with the county social services staff is a vital part of program planning, recruitment and delivery. For tips and tricks on how to connect with county social service staff, see Building a Strong Partnership with Social Services.

Social marketing is the systematic application of marketing, along with other concepts and techniques, to achieve specific behavioral goals for a social good. This form of outreach can reach a broader audience though audience targeting can be a challenge. For social marketing efforts to be allowable:

• A “brief message about the SNAP, its benefits, and how to apply” is required, such as:

• “The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, offers financial assistance to those in need to buy food. To find out more information and if you are eligible, contact your local county social services office, or go online to www.nd.gov/dhs/services/financialhelp. Here you will find applications and more information about SNAP.”

• A brief message about the Family Nutrition Program and who you program to is recommended.
  

• The following is allowable for social marketing efforts:

• Local radio and television announcements of nutrition education events for SNAP eligible.
• Appropriate social marketing campaigns that target nutrition messages to SNAP eligibles and are delivered, with an approved exclusivity waiver, in areas where at least 50% of persons have incomes equal or lesser than 185% of poverty guidelines

Program Evaluation

To measure the impact of the FNP, data will be collected in various ways. Evaluation may involve:

• Face-to-face interviews with participants
• Written surveys
• Pre and post evaluations
• Advisory groups
  

Evaluation is designed to:

• measure knowledge gained by program participants

• identify behavior changes participants have adopted because of the program

• determine strengths and weaknesses of the program and its presentation

Program Surveys

Each staff member is expected to conduct lessons in program focus areas and survey participants using the surveys according to the curriculum protocol. Additionally, requests for surveys from State Specialist should be honored. State Specialists can continue to develop and support curricula in part because of the surveys they receive from the programming you do using their content.

• All surveys should be sent to the State FNP office where they will be routed accordingly.
• Surveys conducted for the FNP audience should be kept separate from other Extension educators. Every individual survey needs to have County indicated.
• If you need survey data for Stretching Your Food Dollar or the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program contact the State Coordinator. For Go Wild with Fruits and Vegetables, contact Abby Gold at Abby.Gold@ndsu.edu. For all other survey data contact Stacy Wang at Stacy.Wang@ndsu.edu.

Reporting Qualitative Impacts (“Success Stories”)

Qualitative reporting (success stories), adds depth and emotional appeal to impact reporting, and is an important aspect of program evaluation. “Success Stories” are formally recorded on the quarterly Report of Activities. See the Qualitative Stories Outline for an overview of capturing success stories. For more in-depth information, see CDC Success Story Workbook (PDF).