Daycare centers that participate in CACFP are indicated as providing quality care. CACFP is the federal food program that reimburses daycare centers for providing healthy food to children and adults, positively reflecting on the quality of care they provide, and making them accessible to low-income families by not having them pay for food for their children.
Does your center participate in CACFP?
Here's what you need to know!
What is CACFP and How Does it Work?
One of the priorities of the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is to provide citizens with access to nutrition. It began CACFP with the same goal to support child daycare and adult daycare centers providing healthy meals to eligible children and adults.
CACFP, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, is administered by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to reimburse daycare centers for serving nutritious meals to children in their centers.
Who can Receive CACFP Benefits?
CACFP reimburses child daycare centers, emergency shelters, after-school care programs as well as adult care programs for serving eligible meals to children and youth residing or enrolled there and adults (60 or above) with a disability.
Individuals cannot apply for CACFP as it is only available to centers, not individuals. However, an individual may be eligible to benefit from this program in the form of nutritious meals if their center participates in it. Parents often consider CACFP participation as a criterion when sending their children to daycare, and ask about it.
Preschoolers or young children enrolled in early Headstart programs, foster children who are court-appointed or the state's responsibility, and homeless children can automatically benefit from this program through their facilities.
Click here to see CACFP's reimbursement rates!
Organizations and centers sponsoring and operating the program are approved, monitored, and assisted by state agencies to ensure the proper working of the program. These sponsoring organizations train and supervise daycare centers and nurseries. Thus, a daycare can participate in the CACFP through a sponsoring organization.
You can contact your state Department of Education in this regard and can find contact information about organizations sponsoring the program on the FNS website.
The website also contains information about the dietary guidelines and the nutrition standards for meals to be served to children under your care in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and Meal Patterns documents, respectively.
Why Your Daycare Center Should Participate in CACFP?
As discussed above, the CACFP program plays a crucial role in improving the quality of care provided by daycares and making them more accessible to disadvantaged people who cannot afford to pay for food. Every day, CACFP serves around 4.2 million children and over 138,000 adults with nutritious food.
CACFP participation means contributing to the health, well-being, and development of children, youth, and older adults with disabilities. Being a CACFP participant also provides your daycare center with the opportunity to promote healthy habits in preschoolers which is a healthy life's foundation.
In addition to providing meals, CACFP makes after-school programs more attractive to vulnerable children and teens. Meals and snacks further engage students in fun and safe learning activities. Children and teens who are homeless can also receive meals in shelter homes that participate in the CACFP.
The information so far must have convinced you to participate in the CACFP program. Keep yourself updated about the CACFP program through the FNS website. For further assistance, and to learn more about its benefits, join Standout Daycare, where the team is committed to helping daycares to get ahead of others through training and coaching, as well as providing a wide range of resources and tools.
For more information, and to become a member, contact Standout Daycare now!
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