Job duties and perceived training needs of sponsor monitors of family child care programs participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

The purpose of this study was to identify the perceived job duties and training needs of sponsor monitors of Family Day Care Homes (FDCHs) involved in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), a federally funded nutrition assistance program designed to provide healthful meals and snacks. Sponsor monitors are employed by sponsoring organizations to work with the FDCH providers to assure compliance with program regulations and program quality. Researchers performed a content analysis of written job descriptions (n=33) for the sponsor monitor position received from a national sampling (n=94) of sponsoring organizations. Two preliminary survey instruments were developed subsequently to collect data from directors and monitors employed by the sponsoring organization. An expert panel reviewed and validated the content of the three-part survey instruments, identifying the job duties and perceived training needs of sponsor monitors and selected demographic characteristics. The intent was to assess the level of agreement between directors and monitors relating to job duties and training needs of FDCH monitor positions. Surveys were mailed to all sponsoring organizations (n=1,045) in the United States, the District of Columbia, and three U.S. territories, generating a 33% (n=349) rate of return for directors and a 24% (n=499) rate of return for sponsor monitors. There was a 96% agreement between the directors and monitors regarding the top 50 job duties and an 80% agreement on the top five training needs for sponsor monitors. An expert panel reviewed the survey results. Commonalties and redundancies were reduced to a total of 30 job duties in four functional areas: Training and Technical Assistance, Meal Service, Administrative Duties, and Professional Behavior and Development. These study results can assist in the development of competencies, knowledge, and skills needed to develop training curricula for the professional effectiveness of monitors employed by approved sponsoring organizations to oversee FDCHs involved in the CACFP. Competencies, knowledge, and skills can provide a basis for the development of professional standards for those who oversee FDCHs operating within the guidelines of the CACFP.