Representation of developing interview guides in advance of hosting discovery.

1. INTERVIEW GUIDE
MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
McKean: v1.4 | FSD Interview Guide Draft Page 1
Discovery Questions | District Food Service Directors
Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today.
― As you're aware, we'd like to understand your current experiences & challenges you
may have encountered facilitating serving student meals over the last year.
― Also, we would like to discuss your goals for the upcoming summer and school year.
― The information we collect will help us understand what’s working and what’s not, so
we can make recommendations for a more impactful and rewarding community
program.
― Our conversation today will be recorded (with your permission) so we may be accurate
in tabulating your responses. May we record the session?
[ ] Yes [ ] No
Great, let's get started, the topics we will cover today include:
Review Note: * Blue boldface questions denote primary interview questions.
--- ADMINISTRATOR ROLE ----------------------------------------------------------------------
• Name, title, contact email + phone
• Tell us about your role? Your team?
• How is your own performance measured?
• What defines success for you in this meal program role? How can we make you more
successful?
• Who is responsible for reporting results to the state? What metrics are collected?
• How is program participation data and metrics captured (process, systems)?
• What does management of the program at the state-district-school level look like?
1. The Administrator Role 2. Program Awareness 3. Participation Barriers
4. Enrollment & Participation 5. Participant Characteristics

2. INTERVIEW GUIDE
MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
McKean: v1.4 | FSD Interview Guide Draft Page 2
--- PROGRAM AWARENESS ----------------------------------------------------------------------
• How do families and parents generally find out about the program?
• Within your own district, what communications outreach has been conducted over the past
year?
• From your past experience, what do you think is the best way to reach out to the community for
expanded awareness, interest and participation?
• What has worked in the past? What didn't work?
• What information or resources would help you be more successful?
• What challenges exist to reinforce positive community perceptions and increased participation?
--- PARTICIPATION BARRIERS --------------------------------------------------------------------
• What questions do parents commonly have about the program? Students?
• What blocks people from taking advantage of the program, e.g., perceptions of free meals,
food not nutritious, kids dislike of served food and menus, etc.?
• Are parents or students concerned about potential stigmas associated with the program?
• If so, what are they, e.g., free program, for poor families, other?
• Do any of these stigmas create barriers for greater enrollment? How have you overcome these
stigma barriers in the past?
• Have any formal or informal surveys been conducted to understand community sentiments?
• Do you have recommendations to overcome any potential stigmas or barriers to enrollment?
--- ENROLLMENT & PARTICIPATION PROCESS -----------------------------------------------
Resource: Meal Locator Map (SFSP - Meet Up and Eat Up): https://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/schoolnutrition/
• What is the process for a student to start getting meals, e.g., universal open access
enrollment, application or enrollment form, online website portal, telephone signup, other?
Interviewer Note: No Kid Hungry process > no application or registration, just pick up and go.
• To your knowledge, do differences exist within each district? Have you documented your own
process? Can you share it?
• How do participants receive meals, e.g., student ID card, meal card, other describe?
• Where do students get meals, e.g., school cafeterias, designated pickup locations, school bus
stops, other?

3. INTERVIEW GUIDE
MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
McKean: v1.4 | FSD Interview Guide Draft Page 3
• Is there transportation support for families in need to pick up meals at designated locations?
• What are the programs currently offered, e.g., breakfast, lunch, dinner, after school snack,
summer food service, food pantries and backpack programs, other?
• Are there any partners you are working with in support of growing participation and access to
student meals?
• Do students need to sign up for individual programs, or one sign up for all?
• What are the benefits of having multiple programs?
• Are meals available every school day? 3 meals per day or more? 7 days per week? Holidays?
Other? When may they not be available?
--- PARTICIPANT CHARACTERISTICS -------------------------------------------------------------
• What are the general participant characteristics of past students? Household socio-
demographics. Lifestyles. Community dynamics.
• How many students are currently participating in your district for meal programs?
• Is there a larger percentage of participation among certain age groups? Family characteristics?
Life circumstances? Family residence location? Socio-economic factors? Demographics?
• Statewide, meal program participation dropped in 2020, why do you think this occurred?
• Has participation seen a month-over-month increase since the start of the COVID pandemic?
Have motivations for participation changed? Are families expressing a greater need? If so, what
are the changes observed?
• To your knowledge is any of this information being collected at the state or district level?
• Are you governed by what information you can collect? If so, what are the guidelines?
• What are the preferred communications channels of active participants? School events?
Newsletters? Word of mouth? Email? Text? Social media? Websites? Other?
• How often does your own district communicate with active participants? What methods? Who
has district responsibility for managing such communications?
• Again, from your own experience, what's the most important message for your community to
hear relative to the availability of the meal programs and encouragement to participate?
--- END ---
WE WANT TO THANK YOU FORYOURTIME AND CONSIDERATION.
YOURRESPONSES WILL BE ANONYMOUS AND TABLUATED INAGGREGATE TO HELPUS PLANAND
PROMOTE THE NEW MICHIGANSCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM.
DO YOU HAVE ANY REMAINING QUESTIONS FORUS?