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Child And Adult Care Food Program
New Online: CACFP Participation Trends 2009 (pdf)
SAVE THE DATE - 2010 CACFP Leadership Conference (pdf)
CACFP Grants Summary (pdf)
The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a key source of support for serving nutritious meals and snacks in child care centers, family child care homes, Head Start, after-school programs, shelters and adult day care centers. The program provides reimbursement for food and meal preparation costs, ongoing training in the nutritional needs of children, and onsite assistance in meeting the program's strong nutritional requirements. CACFP plays a vital role in creating and maintaining quality, affordable care for preschool and school-age children.
History
CACFP was founded in 1968 to provide federal funds for healthy meals and
snacks served in child care centers and family child care homes. Congress
has expanded CACFP to support children in a variety of new settings including
at-risk after-school programs and homeless, domestic violence and runaway
shelters. In addition, CACFP has been made available to adult day care
centers serving chronically impaired adults or people over age 60.
Participation
In FY 2008, CACFP served over 3 million children daily in child
care centers, family care homes, and after-school programs; served over
105,000 elderly persons in Adult Day Care; and provided approximately 1.8
billion meals and snacks.
Benefits
CACFP is a well-documented success. Studies have shown that children in
CACFP receive meals that are nutritionally superior to those served to
children in child care settings without CACFP. Children in participating
institutions have higher intakes of key nutrients, fewer servings of fats
and sweets, than children in non-participating care. Research cites participation
in CACFP as one of the major factors influencing quality care, reporting
that 87 percent of the family child care homes considered to be providing
quality child care participated in CACFP.
Eligibility
To be eligible for participation in CACFP, a sponsor must be a licensed
or approved child care provider or a public or nonprofit private school
which provides organized child care programs for school children during
off-school hours. Any child up to age 12 or adult attending a participating
adult day care facility is entitled to meals. Programs eligible for participation
include non-residential child or adult care institutions such as group
or family child care, child or adult care centers, Head Start, recreation
centers, settlement houses and after school programs. For profit child
care centers serving 25 percent or more low-income
children are also eligible.
Reimbursement
Participating programs are required to provide meals and snacks according
to the nutrition standards set by USDA. The reimbursement rates vary based
on the type of meal (lunches have a higher reimbursement rate than snacks),
and the type of institution. Child and adult care centers and family child
care homes have means-tested reimbursement systems that provide higher
levels of reimbursement for low-income families: centers have a three-tiered
and homes have a two-tiered reimbursement rate structure. At-risk
after-school programs and homeless, domestic violence and runaway shelters
are assumed to be serving low-income children and are reimbursed at the
highest rate.
Funding
CACFP is an entitlement program. In FY 2008, the total federal cost
for CACFP was $2.3 billion.
The Child Care Wellness Tool Kit: Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is for advocates, state child care subsidy, CACFP and licensing agencies, state and local health promotion and obesity prevention initiatives, child care providers, policy makers and other key stakeholders. The tool kit focuses on innovative and effective CACFP best practices and strategies for implementing good nutrition and physical activity policies and standards at the state and local level. This is the first phase of the tool kit, which includes
- Model wellness policies reflecting important best practices including:
- Nutrition standards for assuring only healthy meals and snacks fully consistent with current nutritional science and the U.S. Dietary Guidelines are served.
- A recommended minimum for the amount of daily physical activity, recommended types of activities, and limitations on the amount of time spent watching TV or videos.
- Plans for nutrition and physical activity education for children, teachers and parents.
- Best practice models that provide the steps to success for developing and implementing effective new nutrition and wellness policies on the state or local level. (e.g., recommendations for stakeholders to include in the process and for factors to consider before creating the wellness policy.)
- Tools for assessing the current nutrition and physical activity environment in child care settings including a sample self-assessment and a complicated evaluation tool.
- Nutrition and physical activity resources for child care providers including materials to share with parents such as newsletters or fact sheets.
For assistance contact Geraldine Henchy, ghenchy@frac.org, (202)986-2200 ext. 3025.
State Initiatives
Documents are pdf unless otherwise noted.
California
- California's Child Care Strategic Assessment Recommendations from the Advisory Group
- Keeping Children Healthy & Active in the Child Care Environment
- California Child Care Nutrition Education
Colorado
- Child Care Champions of Colorado
- Colorado Physical Activity and Nutrition Program's Early Childhood Task Force (Web page)
- Colorado Physical Activity and Nutrition Program Grants
- Colorado Early Childhood Strategies and Action Steps in the Colorado Physical Activity and Nutrition State Plan
Connecticut
- Connecticut CACFP Nutrition and Physical Activity Project
- Summary of Connecticut's Child Care Nutrition and Physical Activity Assessment Survey
Delaware
- New Food Policy Changes Memo
- Best Practices for Healthy Eating: A Guide to Help Children Grow Up Healthy which is being used to implement the Delaware CACFP food policy changes. (Web page)
Florida
- Florida Child Care Food Program Promotes Improved Nutrition with Education and Higher Standards
- Additional State Meal Pattern Requirements for Children
- CCFP nutrition requirements
- CCFP education initiatives
Maryland
- Maryland Model Health
- Maryland ABC Child Care Guidelines
- Instructions for Implementing Nutrition Guidelines
- Maryland Nutrition Guidelines Without Infants
- Maryland Nutrition Guidelines With Infants
- Maryland CACFP Nutrition Checklist
Missouri
- Missouri Eat Smart Guidelines for Child Care
- Eat Smart Guidelines Overview
- Eat Smart Guidelines - Child Care
New York
- New York Eat Well Play Hard Child Care Flyer
- New York Eat Well Play Hard Child Care Curriculum
- New York Eat Well Play Hard Community Initiatives
- Healthy Infant Meal Pattern (Child Care)
- Healthy Infant Meal Pattern (Home)
- Healthy Child Meal Pattern (Child Care)
- Healthy Child Meal Pattern (Home)
- Healthy Adult Meal Pattern
New York City
- Child Care Nutrition and Physical Activity Regulations At-A-Glance
- Child Care Nutrition and Physical Activity Law: Amendments to the New York City Health Code
South Dakota
- South Dakota Fit from the Start Initiative
- Fit from the Start Initiative Brochure
- Physical Activities and Healthy Snacks for Younger Children
- Policies and Best Practices for Nutrition and Physical Activity in Early-Childhood Settings
Wisconsin
Local Farm to Child Care Initiatives
- Farm to Child Care - Oregon Child Development Coalition Ecotrust
- Healthy Meal Preschool Project Los Angeles
Local CACFP Nutrition Partnerships
CentroNia: A Best Practice in DC
Ohio's Children's Hunger Alliance CARES about Nutrition and Physical Activity
Partnership for Children's Child Care Nutrition Consultation Project in Durham, North Carolina
- The Child Care Nutrition Consultation Project in Durham County, North Carolina
- Durham's Partnership for Children Child Care Nutrition Consultation Project
- Child nutrition project gives caregivers insight into healthy meal planning (Web page)
Creating a Healthy Environment in Sacramento County, CA
Shasta County Healthy Beginnings
Contra Costa Child Care Council Improves Nutrition and Physical Activity in Child Care
- Good Health and Nutrition Resources
- CHOICE: Creating Healthy Opportunities in Child Care Environments
Child Care Wellness Policies
Iowa Quality Rating System includes CACFP Participation Criteria
Addressing Childhood Obesity Prevention Through State Child Care Licensing Regulations
Self Assessment Tools
Child Care Nutrition and Physical Activity Self Assessment Questionnaire
Maryland Nutrition Guidelines With Infants
Nutrition and Physical Activity Resources
Color Me Healthy (Web page)
I am Moving, I am Learning (Web page)
My Pyramid for Preschoolers (Web page)
USDA Team Nutrition: New Education Materials (Web page)
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Nutrition Education (SNAP-Ed) (Web page)
Healthy Child Care America (Web site)
Healthy Chid Care in America Resource Library (Web site)
Federal Food Programs | Hunger in the U.S.
FRAC's Building Blocks Project | Campaign to End Childhood Hunger
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