Overview of CACFP

CACFP is the Child and Adult Care Food Program, a Federal program that provides healthy meals and snacks to children and adults receiving day care. It plays a vital role in improving the quality of day care and making it more affordable for many low-income families.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) administers CACFP through grants to States. The program is administered within most States by the State educational agency. In a few States it is administered by an alternate agency, such as the State health or social services department. The child care component and the adult day care component of CACFP may be administered by different agencies within a State, at the discretion of the Governor.

The types of institutions that provide these benefits are:

• Child Care Centers. Public or private nonprofit child care centers, Head Start programs, and some for-profit centers which are licensed or approved to provide day care may serve meals and snacks to infants and children through CACFP. Afterschool care programs in low-income areas can participate in CACFP by providing free snacks to school-aged children and youths through age 18. Reimbursable suppers are also available to children in eligible afterschool care programs in six States--Delaware, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, New York, and here in Oregon.



• Family Day Care Homes. CACFP provides reimbursement for meals and snacks served to small groups of children receiving nonresidential day care in licensed or approved private homes. A family or group day care home must sign an agreement with a sponsoring organization to participate in CACFP. The sponsoring organization organizes training, conducts monitoring, and helps with planning menus and filling out reimbursement forms.



• Homeless After School Programs. Emergency shelters which provide residential and food services to homeless families may participate in CACFP. Unlike most other CACFP facilities, a shelter does not have to be licensed to provide day care.



• Adult Day Care Centers. Licensed day care centers that are operated by public agencies for functionally impaired adults may receive cash reimbursements and commodity foods under the adult component of the CACFP. Private organizations, both non-profit and for-profit, are also eligible if they meet certain criteria for serving low-income people.

CACFP reimburses participating centers and day care homes for their meal costs. Please click here for current reimbursements rates  . Independent centers and sponsoring organizations receive cash reimbursement for serving meals to enrolled children and adults that meet Federal nutritional guidelines. The CACFP meal pattern varies according to age and types of meal served.

Centers and day care homes may be approved to claim up to two reimbursable meals (breakfast, lunch or supper) and one snack, or two snacks and one meal, to each eligible participant, each day. Shelters may serve each child up to three reimbursable meals (breakfast, lunch and supper), each day. Afterschool care programs may claim reimbursement for serving each child one snack, each day.

Reimbursement for centers is computed by claiming percentages, blended per meal rates, or actual meal count by type (breakfast, lunch, supper, or supplement) and eligibility category (free, reduced price, and paid). The administering agency assigns a method of reimbursement for centers, based on meals times rates, or the lesser of meals times rates versus actual documented costs.

Program payments for day care homes are based on the number of meals served to enrolled children, multiplied by the appropriate reimbursement rate for each breakfast, lunch, supper, or supplement they are approved to serve. Sponsoring organizations also receive administrative funds related to the documented costs they incur in planning, organizing, and managing CACFP.

To learn more about CACFP, contact Lynne Reinoso  at the Oregon Department of Education at 503-378-3600, ext. 2616. If you have other questions, you can also contact the FNS Public Information Staff by telephone at 703-305-2286, or by mail at 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 914, Alexandria, Virginia 22302.

Source: USDA Food & Nutrition Service