Healthy Tots provides funding and resources to support child care facilities’ ability to serve nutritious meals and to offer high-quality wellness programming. The Healthy Tots Act of 2014 became effective on Feb. 26, 2015. Child care facilities that participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) are automatically eligible to receive the Healthy Tots reimbursements.

Fiscal Year 2025 Local and Values-Based Purchasing Pilot (LVPP) Grant

The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) is soliciting applications for the Local and Values-Based Purchasing Pilot (LVPP) Grant to build the capacity of early childhood education (ECE) facilities and public and public charter schools in the District of Columbia operating child nutrition programs (CNP). This grant will help increase the quantity, variety and/or frequency of local foods served and increase the use of values-based procurement methods in purchasing locally sourced and unprocessed foods. View the grant information here.

The Major Components of the Healthy Tots Act:

• Child and Adult Food Program Expansion
• Add10
• Local5
• Full Day4

Healthy Tots Information

• Healthy Tots Act Part 1 (pages 45-49)
• Healthy Tots Act Part 2 (HTA CACFP Participation Waiver) (pages 98-99)
• HTA CACFP and Enhanced Reimbursement Regulations

Healthy Tots Wellness Grant Information

The Healthy Tots Wellness Grant concluded after fiscal year 2024 and is no longer being administered. For additional grant opportunities eligible to CACFP operators, please visit the District Grants Clearinghouse and/or the OSSE School Year Grant Forecast website.

• FY2018 Informational Materials
• FY2019 Informational Materials
• FY2020 Informational Materials
• FY2021 Informational Materials
• FY2023 Informational Materials

OSSE Wellness Guideline Information

• Healthy Tots Wellness Grant Metrics and Sustainability
• Healthy Tots Wellness Grant: Post Award Grantee Orientation
• OSSE Wellness Guidelines for Child Development Facilities

Healthy Tots Wellness Grant Training Materials

• FY24 Healthy Tots Wellness Grant, Quarterly Meeting 

Farm to Early Childcare Education (ECE) Roadmap

OSSE, FRESHFARM and DC Food Policy Council developed the Farm to ECE Roadmap thanks to a generous two-year Farm to Early Care and Education Implementation Grant (FIG) from the Association of State Public Health Nutritionists (ASPHN). The three organizations formed a coalition that also included members of DC Health, DC Hunger Solutions, DC Association for Education of the Young Child and UDC SNAP-Ed and implemented root-cause analysis brainstorming sessions to create the framework for the Roadmap that includes barriers, tactics and strategies.

Early Learning Local Food Resources

Use these resources and to help you learn about, source, access, and purchase local food.

• USDA Farm to Preschool Factsheet
• USDA Farm to CNP Local Procurement Guide (CACFP program pages 92-94)
• USDA Local Foods in CACFP Policy Memo
• USDA Grow It! Try It! Like It! Nutrition Education Kit
• Toolkit for Procuring Local Foods in Child Nutrition Programs
• 2023 Ward 7 & 8 Resource Guide, DC Greens
• Farm to Care and Education Resources, National Farm to School Network
• Farmer’s Market Locator, DC Government
• A Budget Friendly Guide to Eating Seasonally and Locally
• Market Share for Early Learners
• SNAP Ed's Seasonal Produce

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