California Department of Public Health CalFresh Healthy Living COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions
Updated on:
This Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) document provides CalFresh Healthy Living (CFHL) Local Health Departments (LHD) with responses relevant to CFHL Integrated Work Plan (IWP) activities and COVID-19. Please note LHD staff should continue to connect with your assigned Project Officer and Contract Manager, as appropriate.
California Department of Public Health (CDPH), CFHL will continue to add FAQ responses as they become available.
Topics in this FAQ include:
•IWP Activities and Connectivity with COVID-19
•Curriculum and Resources
•Policy, Systems and Environmental Change (PSE)
•Evaluation – Defining and Reporting(PEARS) and Impact OutcomeEvaluation (IOE)
•Reporting COVID-19 Impacts on IWP Activities and Biannual ProgressReport FFY 20 Year End Reporting
•Branding
IWP ACTIVITIES AND CONNECTIVITY WITH COVID-19
Question:
What are some suggested allowable CFHL activities that support IWP activities during COVID-19?
Answer:
Guidance has been provided on the CDPH, NEOPB COVID-19 response webpage for CDPH, CFHL work. Additionally, the following are examples of allowable CFHL IWP activities during COVID-19:
•Share social media posts on LHD and partner social media pages.
•The CDPH, CFHL created COVID-19 social media content highlighting healthy eating and physical activity.
•Work on developing or strengthening a PSE sustainability plan for CFHL work.What are the action steps and priorities taken to ensure CFHL work will continue?
•Visit the SNAP-Ed Toolkit to review Survey and Data Collection Tools:Sustainability Assessments and Developing/Implementing a Sustainability Plan.
•Contact your assigned Project Officer to identify resources to assist LHDs indeveloping a sustainability plan.
•Provide online activities to participants using approved curriculum, see theCurriculum and Resources section below and the CFHL, CDPH IWP Activitiesin response to COVID-19 webpage for more information regarding allowableonline activities.
•Please work with your assigned Project Officer to determine whether or not anonline activity is allowable. Note: creating ‘new’ nutrition education materials isunallowable.
•Engage in PSE activities that adhere to state, local, and institutional guidancesuch as hosting online meetings of PSE intervention partners or supportingCOVID-19 related healthy eating and active living policies.
•Work with CalFresh and other food access partners to highlight how to accessfood resources within the community.
•Enter evaluation data (PEARS, SLAQ or survey), analyze data, and use data foraction planning.
•Participate in online training such as those found on the CFHL StatewideTraining website or continuing education to support CFHL IWP activities.
•Write the annual PSE Success Story in PEARS. See Success Story PEARSInstructions.
•Plan for future Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2021 and 2022 activities.
CURRICULUM AND RESOURCES
Question:
What are the general guidelines on conducting online nutrition education classes?
Answer:
LHDs may use various online educational formats (e.g., Zoom, YouTube, WebEx, GoTo Meeting or other) to provide direct education and indirect education using any approved curriculum available on the CA CFHL Integrated Curricula List. Prior to using online educational formats please check with your management to ensure compliance with your department’s guidance.
For questions on what is considered online direct education vs. indirect education activities and entering COVID-19 related online education activities into PEARS, refer to Guidelines for Entering Interventions Impacted by COVID-19 in PEARS.
To ensure curriculum fidelity, LHDs should not develop online classes that are not part of an evidence-based curriculum as listed on the CA CFHL Integrated Curricula List. If modifications are necessary, refer to the Curriculum Modification Guidance Tools on the CDPH, NEOPB website.
Update: The Curriculum Modification Guidance – Table is now updated and includes guidance on delivering in-person curriculum virtually (see page 12). For more information on available approved online curricula and COVID-19 approved resources see the CDPH, NEOPB COVID-19 website, and the CFHL IWP Activities during COVID-19 website.
For questions regarding online classes, curriculum, and use of resources, please contact your assigned CDPH, CFHL Project Officer.
Question:
For online nutrition education classes, do we still have to implement the entire curriculum or can we use standalone lessons?
Answer:
Yes, to ensure curriculum fidelity, it is important to adhere to the appropriate delivery method. Within the CA CFHL Integrated Curricula List there are three ways to identify methods that lessons can be delivered, single session, series-based or both. In the CA CFHL Integrated Curricula List each target population tab includes this information in the Delivery Method column. Another option is to search the CA CFHL Integrated Curricula List, select the Topic and Delivery Method tab and search a one page list of approved curricula to identify delivery methods for all curriculum by single, series, or both.
NEW Question:
For virtual education, what are the minimum CFHL requirements to include in classes?
Answer:
The following should be included in all virtual classes, as applicable.
• Use of approved curriculum from the CA CFHL Integrated Curricula List
• Follow CFHL Branding Guidelines
• Post or display the And Justice for All poster
• Include SNAP-Ed funding and non-discrimination statements
• If recorded, include closed captioning
• Sources must be appropriately documented
• Consult with your county copyright laws
PSE
Question:
What should we do in regards to our PSE work during the circumstances around COVID-19?
Answer:
CDPH recognizes that CDPH, CFHL funded LHD staff and their partners are currently working to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, implementing IWP activities in a response-relevant and meaningful way, or some combination of both. In an effort to support these activities, CDPH, CFHL has released several approaches to assist LHDs to take a broader look at their CFHL IWP PSE connectivity specifically with COVID-19.
On April 4, 2020, CDPH released the document, “Ideas for potential alignment between COVID-19 and CalFresh Healthy Living IWP Blueprint PSE Strategies”, followed by the release of the CDPH, NEOPB COVID-19 website, CFHL IWP Activities during COVID 19 website.
The purpose of this document and website is to assist LHDs and their partners with resources to identify potential connectivity. Please continue to visit the CFHL IWP Activities during COVID-19 website to check on updates to help support current and future PSE work.
LHDs may also take this time to work on developing or strengthening a PSE sustainability plan for CFHL work. What are the action steps and priorities taken to ensure CFHL work will continue? Visit the SNAP-Ed Toolkit to review Survey and Data Collection Tools. Sustainability Assessments and Developing/Implementing a Sustainability Plan.
Update:
LHDs are encouraged to continue engaging in PSE activities that adhere to state, local, and institutional guidance, such as hosting online meetings of PSE intervention partners, considering new policy approaches, providing training and technical assistance and other activities as appropriate. This can also include addressing PSE work at the organizational and community level as most sites are inaccessible. As priorities emerge, CDPH, CFHL will continue to work to address specific sub-strategies.
For technical assistance regarding PSE work and how LHDs can continue to provide support, contact your assigned CDPH, CFHL Project Officer.
EVALUATION–DEFINING AND REPORTING COVID-19 ACTIVITIES IN PEARS
Question:
How do we track direct education conducted online (via Zoom or other online format) in PEARS?
Answer:
The Guidelines for Entering Interventions Impacted by COVID-19 in PEARS resource provides CFHL PEARS users with guidance to help LIAs report COVID-19 impacted interventions into PEARS in a consistent manner, and in accordance with the SNAP-Ed Guidance. Please refer to the Guidelines for Entering Interventions Impacted by COVID-19 in PEARS.
Please send specific questions to EvaluateSNAPEd@ucanr.edu and your CDPH, CFHL Project Officer.
Question:
If we were to develop webinars and disseminate them to our listserv, will that count toward direct education?
Answer:
No. The Guidelines for Entering Interventions in PEARS provides definitions explaining the difference between direct and indirect education. CDPH, CFHL does expect a
decline in direct education and an increase in indirect education reported during this period. Per the guidance, recorded webinars and recordings are listed as an example of indirect education. However, if the video or webinar is accompanied by interaction between the educator and participants, that may qualify as direct education. Please refer to the above mentioned guidance for qualified direct education activities.
Please send specific questions to EvaluateSNAPEd@ucanr.edu and your CDPH, CFHL Project Officer.
Question:
Do you have any suggestions regarding sign-in sheets/data cards for online classes?
Answer:
The Guidelines for Entering Interventions Impacted by COVID-19 in PEARS provides LIAs suggestions for how to collect demographics for online classes, including the use of data cards as a survey in PEARS.
For adults, obtain demographics from participants in one of the following ways:
•Use the “Attach Survey” page to add participant data cards to the activity, then send a link or QR code to participants to complete their demographics. Note: LHDs interested in this feature must create the Program Activity prior to starting in order to distribute the survey link to participants.
•Educator can interview the participant remotely and enter as usual
•Visual estimate of webinar participants
•Use webinar polling features to ask demographic questions, without sharingresults with the class
This list is intended to help educators find a way that works for them, but other options may exist. If and educator has other options to obtain demographic data for their class, they are free to do that as well.
Please send specific questions to EvaluateSNAPEd@ucanr.edu and your CDPH, CFHL Project Officer.
EVALUATION-DEFINING AND REPORTING COVID-19 ACTIVITIES IN PEARS, Continued
NEW Question:
When using online educational formats to deliver virtual education, how do you recommend targeting SNAP-Ed eligible participants?
Answer:
LHDs and CFHL funded providers should consider recruiting efforts for CFHL activities through approved sites and/or other sites that serve the SNAP-eligible population. If this is not possible, then you can ask questions in an online survey to qualify individuals based on residence within an eligible census tract or eligibility for/use of other services. Activities must be consistent with the current approved IWP.
Question:
What are the expectations for continuing evaluation of CFHL program activities?
Answer:
LHDs should continue to track CFHL program interventions using PEARS and existing methods of evaluation. The Guidelines for Entering Interventions Impacted by COVID-19 in PEARS resource provides CFHL PEARS users with guidance to help Local Implementing Agencies (LIA) report COVID-19 impacted interventions into PEARS in a consistent manner, and in accordance with the SNAP-Ed Guidance. Please refer to the Guidelines for Entering Interventions Impacted by COVID-19 in PEARS for guidance on defining and entering direct, indirect, and PSE COVID-19 related activities.
Please send specific questions to EvaluateSNAPEd@ucanr.edu and your CDPH, CFHL Project Officer.
NEW Question:
Is there a specific amount of minutes required for direct education?
Answer:
Although the EARS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Federal Fiscal Year 2020 Reporting does identify a minimum of 20 minutes for single sessions that are not part of a series, all CFHL LIAs are encouraged to report all activities that qualify as direct education in PEARS regardless of the time/duration of the activity.
Question:
We want to continue evaluating our direct education classes, but we are not sure how to do this remotely. Are there any tools available to do this?
Answer:
Using PEARS, you can send a link to an online survey so that participants complete it remotely. Many surveys, like the Food Behavior Checklist, are already available as PEARS surveys. If the survey you use is not already in PEARS, it is easy for you to add it. You will also want to use the demographic data cards (also already available in PEARS) to collect demographics from your participants. A number of articles to help you use surveys in PEARS can be found in PEARS help.
EVALUATION-IOE
Question:
Where should I go for guidance as it relates to completing my FFY 20 IOE?
Answer:
Official guidance on completing your FFY 20 IOE can be found on CDPH’s NEOPB COVID-19 website under Evaluation Guidance; Guidance for FFY 20 Impact Outcome Evaluation (IOE) Completion.
Additional resources can be found on the IOE Collaborative Site. The recording and PowerPoint from the April 21, 2020 Quarterly Call addresses COVID-related IOE issues. These resources can be found in the Discussion and Documents Sections of the IOE Collaboration Site.
For unique situation or to the questions, contact Amanda Linares, amlinares@ucanr.edu.
Update Question:
Where should I go for guidance as it relates to completing my FFY 21 Impact Outcome Evaluation (IOE)?
Answer:
Official guidance on completing your FFY 21 IOE can be found on CDPH’s NEOPB COVID-19 website under Evaluation Guidance; Guidance for FFY 21 Impact Outcome Evaluation (IOE) Completion.
Additional resources can be found on the IOE Collaborative Site. The recordings and PowerPoints from both the July 14, 2020 Quarterly Call and the September 14, 2020 EATS Online Survey Administration Training address COVID-related IOE issues. These resources can be found in the Discussion and Documents Sections of the IOE Collaborative Site.
For unique situation or to the questions, contact Amanda Linares, amlinares@ucanr.edu.
REPORTING COVID-19 IMPACTS ON IWP ACTIVITIES AND BIANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT FFY 20 YEAR END REPORT
Question:
What happens if we are unable to complete planned IWP activities for the current fiscal year, need to add new activities, postpone activities, modify activities, or cancel activities due to COVID-19?
Answer:
CDPH, CFHL has directed LHDs to assist locally as directed by their LHD to support the local response effort. Additionally, we recognize COVID-19 will alter some IWP activities. CDPH is directing staff to hold off revising IWP activities until the FFY 2021 revision period. Please note that Minor/Green IWP revisions can be made at any time during the fiscal year. LHDs will be asked to report COVID-19 specific IWP activity impact in their FFY 2020 Biannual Progress Report, Year End Report.
BRANDING
Question:
Are there specific guidelines around branding/messaging for online classes?
Answer:
LHDs should continue to follow the CalFresh Healthy Living Brand Guidelines as posted on the CalFresh Healthy Living website.
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