CACFP Family Day Care Home Participation Study
July 5, 2024
The “USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Family Day Care Home Participation Study” focuses on current and former CACFP participants among FDCH providers. These providers serve a critical need within the child care system, frequently offering longer hours of care (often at a lower cost) than other types of providers to children in their own communities and neighborhoods. This study is the first national study to ask former providers why they left. The study spans 2019–2023, which coincides with the COVID-19 public health emergency, so it provides a unique look at FDCHs during that time.
Why It Matters
This study helps the CACFP community understand the perception of the program from the perspective of Family Day Care Homes and why providers stop participating in the CACFP. In particular, the reasons for providers leaving the program offers insight into areas for program improvement that would make it easier for FDCHs to participate in the program.
Key Findings
- Of Family Day Care Home (FDCH) providers who had left CACFP since 2019, over 70 percent were no longer operating FDCHs in 2022. The survey suggests that declines in CACFP participation may result from declines in FDCH providers.
- Current and former providers alike viewed CACFP positively, finding the program easy to enroll in and praising it for helping provide food to more children.
- Two-thirds or more of current and former providers cited CACFP’s training and technical assistance as a benefit of participation.
- Seventy percent of former providers and 62 percent of current providers reported one or more challenges with CACFP. The most frequently reported challenge for both groups was that reimbursements did not cover food costs, which aligns with the program’s intention to help offset food costs, not necessarily fully cover them.
- Challenges related to paperwork and administrative tasks were more common among former participants.
CACFP Participation
The study examines the exit rate and timing among providers participating in CACFP before the COVID-19 public health emergency. It confirms the continued decline in CACFP FDCH providers during the COVID-19 public health emergency, despite COVID-19 changes to CACFP that effectively increased the meal and snack reimbursement rate for many providers and increased flexibilities (including fewer in-person monitoring visits and other changes) for all providers between 2021 and 2023 (USDA FNS, 2021b).
Of those FDCH providers who had left CACFP since 2019, most were no longer operating FDCHs. Less than a third of former CACFP FDCH providers were still operating FDCHs.
Many former providers said they left CACFP because they closed their business due to personal circumstances or the challenges of operating during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Perception of CACFP
Current and former providers largely perceived CACFP positively, finding the program easy to enroll in and praising it for helping provide food to more children.
While over half of current and half of former providers said that parents seemed to know little about CACFP before enrolling their children, a majority of current and former providers said that after enrollment, parents thought CACFP reduced their stress and helped them feed their children healthy foods.
Over a quarter of current providers and a quarter of former providers said they had not experienced any issues while participating in CACFP.
Perception of Sponsors
Current and former providers also reported few issues with their sponsors. In many cases the providers’ main contact in CACFP is through their relationship with their sponsor, which may greatly impact providers’ experience in CACFP.
Less than 5 percent of former providers reported leaving CACFP because their sponsor no longer participated in CACFP or because their sponsor did not provide enough guidance and support or because their sponsor did not have staff who spoke their primary language.
Under 3 percent of current providers reported not getting enough support from their sponsor or having difficulty finding sponsor staff who spoke their primary language.
Desired Program Improvement
Over half of current and half of former providers who experienced challenges said that meal and snack reimbursements did not cover their food costs. It should be noted that reimbursements are not designed to completely cover food costs, and providers also cited the fact of CACFP reimbursements as a benefit of the program. However, many providers indicated that they felt that current reimbursements were insufficient. This response aligns with the findings of the Study of Nutrition and Activity in Childcare Settings I, which focused on child care centers and HeadStart programs in 2016 and 2017 (Logan et al., 2021).
Over one-third of providers who experienced issues said that unannounced monitoring visits were disruptive to child care.
Over one-quarter of providers who experienced issues reported difficulty attending in-person trainings.
Provider Recommendation for Policy Changes
- Over 80 percent of current and former FDCH providers recommended increasing the meal and snack reimbursement rate (this would require an act of Congress).
- About a third of current and former providers recommended replacing some in-person monitoring visits with remote monitoring visits.
- Over a third of current and former providers endorsed the program offering remote trainings.
Implications
Overall, the study suggests that policy and programmatic challenges may not be the primary reason FDCHs leave CACFP. However, changes in these areas may make it easier for FDCH operators to serve children in their local communities and enhance the nutrition safety net.
For more information, visit USDA’s webpage, read a summary of the report, or read the final report. The report was written by Owen Schochet, Rebecca Franckle, Maria Boyle, Sophia Navarro, and the Childcare and Meal Provision Data Analysis Team and published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in June 2024.