MEMORANDUM

DISCUSSION:

Memoranda IM-#5, dated 1/21/2011, and IM-#28, dated 5/11/2011 introduced and discussed the Summer Electronic Benefit for Children (SEBTC) demonstration grant authorized by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). During this demonstration, 2500 school-age children eligible for free or reduced school lunches in the Kansas City area were randomly selected to receive SEBTC benefits. The goal of the SEBTC demonstration project was to test alternative methods to feed low-income children during the summer months when far fewer children participate in the Summer Feeding Program.

2011 SEBTC

The following information summarizes the 2011 SEBTC Demonstration Project.

• In February 2011, consent letters were mailed to over 12,000 households in the Kansas City area who contained children receiving free and reduced lunch, notifying them of the SEBTC opportunity.
• Households that did not want to participate in the program were asked to mail back an opt-out enclosure.
• From the group of households that did not opt out, 2505 children from 1446 households were randomly selected to receive the SEBTC benefit.
• An additional 2500 children were randomly selected to participate in the research project, but not receive benefits.
• In April 2011, SEBTC staff loaded the benefits to EBT cards through the Administrative Terminal (www.ebtEdge.com). The benefits were not posted in FAMIS.
• Also in April 2011, Abt Associates conducted a survey of selected households from the benefit group and the control group to form a baseline of normal spending and eating practices.
• Benefits became available to SEBTC households on May 31, 2011, at 5:00 p.m. for the month of June. Households were given $60 for each participating child.
• Benefits for July became available on June 30, 2011, and prorated benefits in the amount of $32 for each participating child were available on July 31, 2011 for August.
• During the benefit period, additional children who were living in the household with children in the benefit group but were not attending the same school were added to households.
• On August 16 at 11:59 p.m., all SEBTC benefits that had not been spent were expunged from the EBT cards.

End of project statistics:

• 2,538 children in 1,477 households received SEBTC benefits.
• 832 of these households were Food Stamp households.
• The total amount of benefits issued was $386,136.
• $37,984.67 in benefits were expunged. This is 9.84% of benefits issued.

The Sesame Street Workshop also provided 1400 "Food for Thought" tool kits for the state to give to SEBTC households. Photos of SEBTC children using the tool kits were posted on the Sesame Street website.

2012 SEBTC

In December 2011, USDA announced that Missouri had received the SEBTC demonstration project grant to continue the 2011 demonstration administered in 3 school districts in Kansas City into 2012. Missouri was also approved to expand the project to the Saint Louis Public School District. The continuation and expansion will include issuing benefits to 10,600 children this year; 5300 children will be selected from the Kansas City area and 5300 will be selected from the St. Louis area. The project is a $2 million investment for Missouri - $1 million for St. Louis and $1 million for Kansas City. In addition to assisting low-income households, the investment will generate substantial local economic benefits for grocers, farmers' markets, and other food retailers.

In 2012, the project operates as a collaborative effort between the Department of Social Services (DSS); the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS); the Local Investment Commission (LINC) in Kansas City; Area Resources for Community and Human Services (ARCHS) in St. Louis; and the Center, Hickman Mills, Kansas City, and St. Louis Public school districts.

Letters are in the process of being sent to households in the four school districts. Households will be able to opt-out of the program if they do not wish to receive SEBTC benefits.

Households who participated in 2011 and who are still in the project areas and still eligible for the free and reduced school meals will also receive SEBTC benefits in 2012. Other eligible school age children in one of the four school districts mentioned above, up to 10,600 total, will be randomly selected using the same process as in 2011.

Households selected for the project with pre-K through 12th grade children that are eligible to receive free and reduced school meals will receive the following for each eligible child:

• a prorated amount of benefits for May, dependent on the last day of school for each project area (Kansas City and St. Louis);
• $60 per month for each eligible child in June and July; and
• a prorated amount of benefits for August, dependent on the first day of school for each project area.

Certain households will be selected to be in the control group to participate in the research project, but will not receive benefits.

Local county office staff will not be required to issue benefits or take applications. SEBTC staff will be responsible for manual case approval, benefit issuance, and case maintenance. SEBTC benefits will be added to FAMIS this year, beginning with an automatic case creation for most SEBTC cases using a file combining school district data and date provided to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. SEBTC benefits will appear on the Payment History (FM5F / PAYHIST) screen and staff with access to this screen will be able to see the benefits. Another memorandum will be issued when the programming in FAMIS is complete.

As part of the project implementation, just as in 2011, the USDA will execute an independent evaluation of this project. The evaluation will determine whether the model implemented in Missouri offers an effective method to improve food security among children during the summer. At the conclusion of the evaluation a report will be made available to Congress and the public.

NECESSARY ACTION:

• Review this memorandum with all appropriate staff.

RT