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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.
Each day, more than 2.6 million children and almost 60,000 older adults participate in CACFP. Through CACFP, participants' nutritional needs are met on a daily basis. The program plays a vital role in improving the quality of child care and making it affordable for low-income families.
In addition to day care, CACFP helps make afterschool programs more appealing to at-risk youth. By offering nutritious and tasty snacks in programs serving low-income areas, centers can increase participation and know that youth are getting a healthy snack.
Homeless children and children from temporarily displaced families can also receive up to three meals each day through shelters that operate the program.
Who is eligible for CACFP meals?
What kinds of meals are served?
CACFP facilities follow meal patterns established by USDA.
Breakfast consists of a serving of milk, fruits, or vegetables, and grains or bread.
Lunch and dinner require milk, grains, or bread, meat or meat alternate, and two servings of fruits or vegetables.
Snacks include two of the four components:milk, fruits/vegetables, grains/bread or meat/meat alternate.
How does CACFP work?
CACFP reimburses participating centers and child care homes for serving nutritious meals. It is administered at the Federal level by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The State education or health department administers CACFP in most States. State afencies approve sponsoring organizations and independent center to operate the program on the local level. The State also monitors the program and provides guidance and assistance to assure that sponsors and centers are meeting requirements.
Sponsoring organizations play a critical role in supporting home child care providers and centers, through training, technical assistance and monitoring. All family or group child care homes must come into the program under a sponsoring organization. Several types of organizations are approved by the States to serve as sponsors-community action groups, nonprofit organizations and churches.
CACFP Facilities
Many different facilities operate CACFP, all sharing the common goal of bringing nutritious meals and snacks to participants.
Child Care Centers:Licensed or approved public or private nonprofit child care centers, Head Start programs, and some for-profit centers serve meals to large numbers of children.
Family Child Care Homes:Small groups of children receive nonresidential child care in registered private homes.
Afterschool Care Programs:Centers in low-income areas provide free snacks to school-aged children and youth.
Homeless Shelters:Emergency shelters provide residential and food services to homeless children.
Adult Day Care Centers:Public, private nonprofit, and some for-profit adult day care facilities provide structured, comprehensive services to functionally impaired, nonredident adults.
CACFP
USDA Food and Nutrition Headquarters
Partners
Regional FNS Office
State CACFP Agency
Independent Centers
Sponsoring Organizations
Centers
Child Development Homes
Contacts
If you are a parent of children receiving child care, or if you are a child care facility interested in participating in the CACFP, or have questions about the Program, the USDA or the State Agency or your child care facility can help. For information call USDA at (703)305-2590, or contact the Iowa State Agency at the address below.
Iowa Department of Education
Bureau of Food and Nutrition
Grimes State Office Building
Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0146
Phone: (515)281-4760
USDA Web site-click
Or Contact your child care institution listed below:
Peck Child Development Center
513 E 5th St N
Newton, Iowa 50208
641-792-7228
CACFP is available equally to all regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability.
To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.c. 20250-9410 or call (202)720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
