- TO:
- ALL COUNTY OFFICES
- FROM:
- ALYSON CAMPBELL, DIRECTOR
- SUBJECT:
- 2012 SEBTC DEMONSTRATION PROJECT SUMMARY
DISCUSSION:
Income Maintenance Memoranda IM-#17, dated February 29, 2012, and IM-#25, dated March 15, 2012, discussed the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer for Children (SEBTC) demonstration project. During 2012, Missouri expanded the SEBTC project to include additional children from three districts that had participated in the Kansas City area last year, as well as including the St Louis school district. In the 2012 demonstration project, more than 10,600 school-age children eligible for free or reduced school lunches from the two project areas were randomly selected to receive SEBTC benefits.
The following information summarizes the 2012 SEBTC Demonstration Project:
- Households from the Kansas City area who participated last year were automatically selected, unless the household opted out of the program or became ineligible for 2012.
- From the group of households that did not opt out, a total of 10,678 children from 6390 households were randomly selected to receive the SEBTC benefit (benefit group).
- Additional children were randomly selected to participate in the research project, but not receive benefits (control group).
- In April 2012, Abt Associates began conducting a survey of selected households from the benefit group and the control group to form a baseline of normal spending and eating practices.
End of project statistics for Kansas City project area:
- 5364 children in 3033 households received SEBTC benefits.
- The total amount of benefits issued was $901,902.
- $831,890.43 was spent. This is 92.2% of benefits issued.
End of project statistics for St Louis project area:
- 5314 children in 3357 households received SEBTC benefits.
- The total amount of benefits issued was $863,384.
- $804,521 was spent. This is 93.2% of benefits issued.
The Sesame Street Workshop provided 10,000 "Food for Thought" tool kits for the state to give to SEBTC households.
The SEBTC program will be expanded for 2013. More information regarding the project will be sent at a later date.
NECESSARY ACTION:
- Review this memorandum with appropriate staff.
RT