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Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
What is the Child and Adult Care Food Program?
What are the benefits of participating in the program?
What type of institutions and facilities can participate?
What is involved in operating a Child and Adult Care Food Program?
What are the nutritional requirements for the program?
Who is eligible to receive meals served in CACFP?
How much do institutions get reimbursed?
How can we get assistance?
Whom do we contact?
What family day care homes are participating in CACFP?*
What centers are participating in CACFP?*
What is the Child and Adult Care Food Program?
The CACFP provides financial reimbursement to licensed child and adult day care facilities and sponsored day care homes that serve healthy meals and snacks to children 12 years of age and under, and in afterschool centers, children up to 18 years of age. In addition, the program provides meals and snacks to functionally impaired adults who receive care in nonresidential adult day care centers. As of January 2009, the District of Columbia has four family day care home sponsors, with 80 individual homes; 41 independent child and adult day care centers; and 26 sponsors of centers with 161 individual facilities participating.
 
What are the benefits of participating in the program?
CACFP plays a vital role in improving the quality of day care and making it more affordable for many low-income families. CACFP reaches even further by providing meals to children residing in emergency shelters, and snacks to youths participating in eligible after school care programs. In addition to providing well-balanced meals and snacks to children and functionally impaired adults, benefits to an organization participating in CACFP include, but are not limited to:
- Monthly reimbursements
- Training and technical assistance
- Nutrition education and food safety
- Public or private non-profit organizations providing licensed, non-residential child care services.
- Public or nonprofit private organizations entirely responsible for the administration of facilities under its auspices.
- Family day care homes that are licensed to provide non-residential child care can participate through approved sponsoring organizations.
- Family day care home relative care providers that are approved by the DC Department of Human Services (DHS).
- For-profit child care centers receiving compensation under Title XX of the Social Security Act for at least 25 percent of enrolled children or 25 percent of the center license capacity, whichever is less. Or, in which 25 percent of the enrolled or participating children are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals.
- Public or private nonprofit nonresidential adult day care centers; or
- For-profit adult day care centers receiving compensation under Title XIX or Title XX of the Social Security Act for at least 25 percent of enrolled adults. However, the adult day care center’s primary function must be to provide day care services to the chronically impaired adults with an individualized plan of care that includes health, social and related support services.
- At-risk afterschool programs located in a geographic area served by a school, in which at least 50 percent of the enrollment is eligible for free or reduced price school meals.
- Homeless and domestic violence shelters serving meals to children from birth to 12 years of age.
What is involved in operating a Child and Adult Care Food Program? The Child and Adult Care Food Program must be open to all enrolled participants. Meals served to eligible participants are reimbursed at rates based upon the child or adult participant’s eligibility for free, reduced-price or paid meals according to family size and income information. Meals served must meet the nutritional standards established by USDA. Records must be kept to document that participating facilities follow the CACFP Federal and state rules. Some of the records that must be kept are:
- Facility license
- Enrollment form signed by parent or adult participant
- Daily menus, including quantity served
- Daily attendance
- Number of meals, by type (breakfast, lunch, supper, or supplements), served to enrolled participants each day
- Verification of children's/adult participant’s eligibility category
- Civil rights data
- Internal control system
What are the nutritional requirements for the program?
CACFP meals are planned to include foods from USDA’s Food Pyramid Guide. Meals can be simple or more elaborate and should incorporate healthy and appealing food items appropriate for the ages of the child and/or adults. Participating organizations must serve meals that fulfill the USDA meal pattern requirement.
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Breakfast
(Three items) |
Lunch or Supper
(Five items) |
Snacks
(Two of four groups) |
- Milk
- Fruit or Juice or Vegetable
- Grains or Bread
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- Milk
- Meat or Meat Alternative
- Grains or Bread
- Two Different Servings
of Fruit and/ or Vegetable |
- Milk
- Meat or Meat Alternative
- Grains or Bread
- Fruit or Juice or Vegetable
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Reimbursement is provided for up to two meals (breakfast, lunch, and/or supper) and a snack per day per enrollee. This monetary supplement can help balance your meal service costs.
Who is eligible to receive meals served in CACFP?
All enrolled and eligible participants are entitled to receive meals served in CACFP. Institutions receive reimbursement rates (free, reduced-price, paid) based on participants meeting the income and family size criteria. Eligibility determinations are made by an institution official based on information provided on an application submitted by a parent, guardian and/or adult participants. Income eligibility guidelines* are derived from the federal poverty guidelines and are updated annually. How much do child care facilities get reimbursed?
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Child and Adult Care Food Program Centers
July 1, 2008 - June 30, 2009 |
| Breakfast |
$1.40 |
$1.10 |
$0.25 |
| Lunch/Supper |
$2.57 |
$2.17 |
$0.24 |
| Supplement(snack) |
$0.71 |
$0.35 |
$0.06 |
At family day care homes, providers are reimbursed based on a two-tier system established on the residential location or income of the provider. Those providers located in low-income areas or whose own household is low income, are reimbursed at a higher rate (tier 1 reimbursement rate) and other providers will be reimbursed at a lower rate (tier 2 reimbursement rate).
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Family Day Care Homes
July 1, 2008-June 30, 2009
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| Breakfast |
$1.17 |
$0.43 |
| Lunch/Supper |
$2.18 |
$1.31 |
| Supplement(snack) |
$0.65 |
$0.18 |
How can we get assistance? Nutrition Services program specialists are available to provide institutions with free technical assistance on how to operate a Child and Adult Care Food Program. Training is available on such topics as menu planning, proper food storage and preparation, record keeping and reporting, and clarifying Federal and local regulations.
Whom do we contact? For information on the Child and Adult Care Food Program, contact the District of Columbia, Office of the State Superintendent of Education, Nutrition Services Department, 51 N Street, NE, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC, 20002 or phone (202) 727-2824 between 8 am through 4:30 pm. |
