Identification and Validation of Knowledge,
Skills, and Competencies of Sponsor Monitors
of Family Day Care Homes Participating in
the Child and Adult Care Food Program

Charlotte B. Oakley, PhD, RD, FADA; and Deborah H. Carr, PhD, RD

The purpose of this study was to identify a comprehensive set of knowledge, skill, and competency statements needed by sponsor monitors working with family day care homes (FDCHs) participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Sponsor monitors serve as a direct link between the FDCH provider and a sponsoring organization. The sponsor monitor is the child nutrition professional who may have the greatest impact on the quality of nutrition care that is provided in the FDCH. Therefore, the identification of knowledge, skills, and competencies needed by sponsor monitors to effectively perform job duties was undertaken to establish standards for competent sponsor monitors.

This study was Phase III of a three-phase research project conducted by the National Food Service Management Institute (NFSMI). Job function areas and job duties of sponsor monitors were identified during Phases I and II. These job duties and a search of the literature formed the basis for the identification of knowledge, skills, and competencies for sponsor monitors.

In this study, 154 knowledge statements and 161 skill statements were developed. Previous work that identified the knowledge, skills, and competencies of child nutrition program (CNP) managers and directors served as models for writing the current statements (Sneed & White, 1993; Gregoire & Sneed, 1994), and a survey process was used to validate the statements. A written questionnaire containing the knowledge and skill statements was mailed to a panel of 85 CACFP professionals, with a response rate of 26 out of 85 (30.5%). The respondents were asked to react to each statement, and they reported a high level of agreement to accept or accept with modification for most statements.

Those surveyed were asked to provide comments when modifications were deemed necessary. Several statements were combined or modified to produce 143 knowledge and 145 skill statements. As a result, 20 competency statements were written to support knowledge and skills by job functional areas. The same CACFP expert panel that was convened during Phase II reviewed and validated the suggested competencies. The seven-member panel received the survey via e-mail, and a Likert-type scale was used to determine the level of agreement.

A conference call facilitated a second review of the competencies for clarification of comments and suggestions for modifications. A consensus approach determined the final version of the remaining 19 competency statements. This study produced research-based knowledge, skills, and competencies needed for effective sponsor monitors, which can serve as the basis for national standards of practice and training opportunities for sponsor monitors.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) (Public Law 95-627) was established in 1975 as an amendment to the National School Lunch Act to meet the food and nutrition needs of pre-school children in child care (Phillips, Kent, & Oakley, 1999). The CACFP is available to child care centers, schools, and family day care homes (FDCHs) that receive reimbursement for two meals and a snack served to enrolled children. In 1999, according to the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, 36% of all children from birth to 3rd grade were being cared for in a home other than their own. In 2001, 2,708,127 children from birth to age 13 participated in the CACFP, with approximately 720 million meals served in a FDCH (USDA, 2001).

Research needs related to CACFP were identified during the 1999 National Food Service Management Institute (NFSMI) Research Agenda Conference, (NFSMI, 1999). The availability of competent child care nutrition program professionals emerged as a strong research thread for NFSMI's Applied Research Division (ARD). Sponsor monitors were selected as the focus of this study because they are the direct link between the FDCH provider and the sponsoring organization. In order for a FDCH to participate in the CACFP, it must be under the sponsorship of a sponsoring organization recognized by the state agency that administers the program. The sponsor monitor represents the sponsoring organization to FDCH providers.

NFSMI recognized that the sponsor monitor is the child nutrition professional (CNP) who may have the greatest impact on the quality of nutrition care provided in the FDCH. Therefore, identification of knowledge, skills, and competencies needed by sponsor monitors to effectively perform job duties was undertaken as a first step in ensuring competent nutrition professionals in child care. Additionally, in recent years the integrity of the CACFP in the FDCH setting has been questioned (Garnett, 2001; General Accounting Office [GAO], 1999; USDA/Office of the Inspector General, 1999;). Well-trained, competent sponsor monitors are needed to help sponsoring organizations effectively manage the program and accurately report claims to the state agency.

When reviewing job descriptions of sponsor monitors from 33 sponsoring organizations, NFSMI-ARD identified job duties of sponsor monitors (NFSMI, 2001a), including those involving data collection processes cited by GAO (1999) as critical to the management of the program. These important job duties included collecting data on the number of meals claimed, the number of children enrolled, and the licensed capacity of the FDCH.

Much of the work done in identifying the competencies of CNPs has been in the area of school nutrition programs. NFSMI identified competencies, knowledge, and skills of CNP managers and directors (Sneed & White, 1993; Gregoire & Sneed, 1994; Rainville & Carr, 2002) based on the Master Plan for Education and Professional Development (ASFSA, 1987). Results were published in Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills of Effective School Nutrition Managers (NFSMI, 1995), and Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills of Effective School Nutrition Directors/Supervisors (NFSMI, 1996). Sneed and White (1993) and Gregoire and Sneed (1994) reported similar work in the health care and teaching professions; however, no works related to the child care environment were reported.

The American Dietetic Association (ADA) has published several position papers (1996, 1999a, 1999b) that address foodservice and nutrition program standards for children, including child care centers and FDCHs. While various organizations have published foodservice and nutrition standards for child care, we could not identify national standards or universal expectations for sponsor monitors carrying out the monitoring process. Research objectives of this study were to:

• Identify and validate a comprehensive list of knowledge and skill statements based on job duties performed by sponsor monitors.

• Identify and validate competencies to describe effective sponsor monitors.
  

Knowledge and Skills Questionnaire
A nationally representative sample of sponsoring organization directors and a proportional sample of sponsor monitors identified four job functional areas, which were validated by an expert panel during Phases I and II (Carr & Conklin, in preparation). Participants in this study were selected to represent state agencies, child care sponsoring organizations, and sponsor monitors. Sponsoring organization directors were selected from a list provided to researchers by state agencies responsible for administration of the CACFP in each state, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories (NFSMI, 2002).

Existing foodservice and nutrition standards provided guidance in the formulation of statements of knowledge and skills needed by sponsor monitors. The Standards of Accreditation of the ADA Commission on the Accreditation for Dietetics Education (ADA, 2001) include knowledge, skills, and competencies for entry-level dietitians, and was a helpful resource in wording statements for this study.

Similar research by NFSMI related to CNP managers and directors served as a model for the study (NFSMI, 1995, 1996). A number of other related standards and parallel research in other child nutrition areas provided the basis for content and wording of statements (Code of Regulations, 2001; Federal Interagency, 2001; Graves, Suitor, & Holt, 1997; ADA, 1996, 1999a, 1999b; Keys to Excellence, ASFSA, 1995; Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills of Effective School Nutrition Directors/Supervisors, NFSMI, 2001b; Program Performance Standards for Operations on Head Start Programs by Grantees and Delegate Agencies, Code of Federal Regulation, 2001; and National Health and Safety Performance Standards--Guidelines for Out-of-Home Child Care Programs, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, 1992).

Researchers used a similar approach developed by Sneed and White (1993) and Gregoire and Sneed (1994) when identifying knowledge and skill statements for school nutrition managers and school nutrition directors. Efforts were made to develop statements that covered every aspect of each job duty. Statements were not written to reflect any particular level of difficulty, such as entry-level and beyond entry-level.

Researchers developed 154 knowledge statements to cover all expected areas of expertise related to the 30 job duties in four functional areas performed by sponsor monitors identified during Phases I and II of the study. All knowledge statements began with the verb "knows," which is consistent with similar work. A total of 161 skill statements were written, each beginning with an action verb.

A questionnaire was used to validate the knowledge and skills for effective sponsor monitors. Researchers identified 85 child care professionals with similar experiences and knowledge of the monitoring process, who participated in Phase I and II of the research study, to receive the questionnaire. Subjects had experience with developing educational standards and the day-to-day context of the child care environment in the FDCH. They were directed to read the knowledge and skill statements related to the job duties, then take an action, choosing one of four options: "accept/leave," "delete," "modify," or "add." An initial agreement level of 80% of those responding was used as the first criterion for acceptance of statements. All written suggestions for modification in wording, combining, or deletion of statements were considered for the additional acceptance of statements.

Competencies Questionnaire
The seven-member expert panel involved in Phase II was asked to validate competency statements for sponsor monitors. The expert panel included state agency staff, the sponsoring organization director, and the CACFP Sponsors Association president. Six of the seven panel members participated. Researchers articulated 20 competency statements consistent with the validated knowledge and skill statements. Proposed competencies were sent via e-mail, and panel members were asked to either "strongly disagree," "disagree," "agree," or "strongly agree" with each competency statement relative to the following characteristics:

1. "The competency adequately reflects the content of the duties for the related job functional area";
2. "The competency adequately encompasses the knowledge and skills under the related job functional area"; and
3. "The competency is stated clearly and accurately." Participants were asked to "accept," "accept with modifications," or "delete" the proposed competency statements.
   

A final conference call was conducted to gain clarification and reach consensus.

Knowledge and Skills for Sponsor Monitors
Of the 85 CACFP professionals receiving the questionnaire, 26 responded, for a 30.5% return rate. An example of the survey results is reported in Table 1. A complete listing of the statement results and revised statements is available from NFSMI (2002). Once statements were modified, deleted, or combined as suggested by the panel, the number of knowledge statements was reduced from 154 to 143, and the skill statements reduced from 161 to 145. A 100% agreement was reported for 103 knowledge statements and 106 skill statements. Respondents made suggestions for modification, and these modifications were applied in the final version of the knowledge and skill statements. For example, all skill statements beginning with verbs such as "ensures" and "develops" were deemed a reflection of tasks or performance at the sponsor director level. Thus, verbs such as "assists" and "implements" replaced "ensures" and "develops."

Competencies for Sponsor Monitors
Six of the seven members of the Phase II expert panel responded by returning the survey or participating in a follow-up conference call to clarify agreement and comments made during the first review. Participants responded with a high level of agreement to the three characteristics described above in the methods for all competencies (Table 2). The expert panel assisted with revisions during the conference call. One member of the panel, who was unable to participate in the conference call, provided feedback on the revised competencies by e-mail. One participant asked a co-worker at the state agency to review the competency statements, and their comments were submitted jointly. As with the knowledge and skill statements, some of the competency statements were modified with verbs that more clearly indicate the sponsor monitor's responsibilities. No additional competencies were suggested. Nineteen competency statements identified for sponsor monitors were finalized. These statements are presented in a sample sponsor monitor job description as shown in Table 3.

Impact of Effective Sponsor Monitors
An effective and competent monitoring process depends on sponsor monitors having the required knowledge and skills. Identification of knowledge, skills, and competencies is the first step in establishing national standards of practice for sponsor monitors. Sponsor monitors play a vital role in the success of FDCH providers' efforts to implement the CACFP. Effective sponsor monitors are essential to the improvement of the management of the CACFP.

Ensuring that accurate information is available to the sponsoring organization for preparation of claims to the state agency is just one example of how the sponsor monitor can be a vital player in maintaining the integrity of the CACFP in the FDCH setting (USDA/OIG, 1999; USDA, 2000). Responsibilities of the FDCH participating in the program as outlined in the federal regulations (Public Law 266.18) require oversight by the sponsoring organization. The role of the sponsor monitor in assuring that the CACFP is implemented correctly cannot be underestimated.

Implications for the Sponsoring Organization
The extremely high agreement of sponsoring organization directors and monitors on the job duties and training needs of sponsor monitors served as a solid foundation for the identification and publication of knowledge, skills, and competencies for sponsor monitors. Sponsoring organizations can use these when making staffing decisions.

Job duties, knowledge, skills, and competencies statements were used to write a sample job description for the sponsor monitor position, which is published in the NFSMI Insight (Carr & Oakley, 2002) and on the NFSMI Web site at http://www.nfsmi.org (2002). This job description is available to sponsoring organizations to use in developing job descriptions for their organizations. Additional modifications can be made easily to the job description to reflect duties and requirements that are unique to the organization. A standard job description can serve as a benchmark for sponsoring organizations to use when comparing the role of the sponsor monitor across organizations and for the state agency and others who plan and deliver training.

Training for Sponsor Monitors
To assure the availability of competent sponsor monitors, professional trainers and CACFP agencies at the federal, regional, and state levels should work together to develop training materials and opportunities that focus on the four job functional areas. Basic orientation and training for sponsor monitors would be expected to include opportunities for new monitors to be introduced to the knowledge and skills needed to be effective in the monitoring process. Agencies and organizations can develop educational activities for sponsor monitors based on this research. Results of this research will assist sponsoring organizations in the development of systems for assessing the monitoring process and the level of competence of monitors. Sponsoring organizations and state child nutrition agencies may apply the research findings presented in this report to provide training that can assure that sponsor monitors have the knowledge and skills needed to effectively fulfill their job responsibilities.

Professional Development of Sponsor Monitors
This research should further serve the individual sponsor monitors and other child care professionals in developing strategies for professional and personal growth. Sponsor monitors may choose to use the knowledge, skills, and competencies as a basis for self-assessment and personal professional development planning. Taking advantage of professional growth opportunities based upon these principles should enhance the sponsor monitor's ability to move to higher levels of responsibility within the child care profession and, perhaps, realize enhanced economic opportunities.

Future research efforts might focus on the knowledge, skills, and competencies of sponsoring organization directors. This would lead to training and professional development for directors. The management of the sponsoring organization and the management of the CACFP within the FDCH environment should benefit from more effective sponsoring organization directors as well as sponsor monitors. This research will help to ensure the integrity of the CACFP and the availability of quality care for children.

This publication has been produced by NFSMI, Applied Research Division, located at The University of Southern Mississippi, with headquarters at The University of Mississippi. Funding for NFSMI has been provided with federal funds from USDA/FNS and The University of Mississippi. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of The University of Mississippi or USDA, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. government.

Acknowledgements go to the Food and Nutrition Subcommittee of the Education Information Advisory Committee (EIAC) for their review and approval of the concept paper; to Martha Conklin, PhD, RD, associate professor, Penn State University, for her assistance in planning the study; and to Denise Brown, PhD, RD, director of the Applied Research Division, NFSMI. The authors thank the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and the School of Human Sciences, Mississippi State University; and to the following individuals for the internal review of the manuscript: Rebecca Kelly, PhD, Louise Davis, PhD, Denise Brown, PhD, and Ensley Howell.

Approved for publication as Journal Article No. J10108 of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, Mississippi State University.

Informed Consent
Informed consent procedures established by the Human Subjects Protection Review Committee of The University of Southern Mississippi were followed throughout each phase of the research.

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Oakley is associate professor, School of Human Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS. Carr is research scientist, Applied Research Division, National Food Service Management Institute, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS.