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Meal Pattern Minute: Taking Food Offsite

July 19, 2024

July 19, 2024 View this post on Instagram A post shared by National CACFP Sponsors Assoc. (@nationalcacfp) Serving Child and Adult Care Food Program meals helps children and adults gain access to nutritious foods on a consistent basis. Some centers or family child care home may provide breakfast, lunch/supper, and/or snack to those in their…

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ECE Nutrition and Physical Activity Practices Decreased During Pandemic

July 16, 2024

A report published in the Journal of Public Health Management & Practice examined changes in nutrition and physical activity-related best practices in ECE settings in Illinois from 2019 as compared to 2022.

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Voters Want Support For Child Care

July 15, 2024

The lack of affordable, quality child care is a major area of concern across all demographics, family structures, and income levels in the United States. In fact, it’s the biggest challenge that parents want their elected officials to know about, as parents need child care to support their children’s physical health, emotional well-being, and development of life-long skills.

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Meal Pattern Minute: Serving Nuts and Seeds

July 12, 2024

Can peanuts, tree nuts, seeds or soy nuts be served to meet the full meat/meat alternate component for a meal?

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What’s Causing the Inequity in Reimbursement for Centers Vs. Homes 

July 11, 2024

CACFP reimbursement rates were recently released for the 2024-2025 program year. While rates increased for both centers and family child care homes, you may have noticed that centers received a larger reimbursement bump than homes. This is a result of changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) which is a measure, estimated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the average change over time in the prices of goods and services.

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2024-2025 CACFP Reimbursement Rates

July 10, 2024

The USDA has released the Reimbursement Rates for 2024-2025. Rates are effective from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.

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Upcoming Virtual Events in July

July 1, 2024

Check out these virtual events coming up this month at NCA!

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CACFP Virtual Summit Registration is Live!

June 25, 2024

The 2024 CACFP Virtual Summit is back and registration is live! Don’t miss the biggest online training event of the year!

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Call for Presentations: 2025 National Child Nutrition Conference

June 20, 2024

Join us as a presenter in Dallas! We are now accepting presentation proposals for the 2025 National Child Nutrition Conference, set to take place at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas from April 14 to April 18.

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NCA is Heading to the TASN 2024 Annual Conference

June 17, 2024

Over 13 million children leave school not knowing if there is supper at home, or if their next meal won’t be until the next day when they are at school. Serving meals and snacks to children in At-Risk Afterschool and Out-of-School-Time doesn’t have to be hard or complicated.

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Upcoming Virtual Events in June

May 30, 2024

Check out these virtual events coming up this month at NCA!

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Upcoming Virtual Events in May

May 2, 2024

Check out these virtual events coming up this month at NCA!

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Early Implementation of Meal Pattern Requirements

June 24, 2016

Early Implementation of the updated CACFP Meal Pattern Requirements will allow opperators to ask questions and better plan for success.

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The Use of Share Tables

June 22, 2016

Reduce waste and improve nutrition by implementing the use of share tables.

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Congressional CACFP Awareness Campaign

January 21, 2016

NCA send postcards to increase the awareness of the benefits and impact of the CACFP.

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More Native Foods Added to the Food Buying Guide

September 6, 2023

The Child and Adult Care Food Program has new creditable foods listed on the USDA Food Buying Guide! If you are new to the FBG, this interactive tool allows for easy display, search, and navigation of food yield information. In addition, users can compare yield information, create a favorite foods list, and access tools, such as the Recipe Analysis Workbook (RAW) and the Product Formulation Statement Workbook.

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We’re Expanding Our Spanish-Language Resources!

August 2, 2023

The Child and Adult Care Food Program community asked for more Spanish resources to be available on the National CACFP Sponsors Association website and we heard you! Available now in Spanish are more resources to help sponsors and providers with meal pattern requirements, best practices, and so much more!

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Program Comparison Chart: CACFP At-Risk Afterschool and SFSP

June 21, 2023

Serving meals to young people year-round benefits children, families, and care providers. To do this, many providers transition from operating the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) At-Risk Afterschool (ARAS) during the school year to the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) while school is out. For an overview of the main differences between SFSP and CACFP ARAS, see the comparison chart below.

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NCA Support as Covid-19 Flexibilities Come to an End

June 16, 2023

NCA understands that the end of flexibilities will cause challenges for many CACFP sponsors and providers and we commend your continued commitment to providing nutritious meals and snacks to the children or adults in your care. In preparation for the end of the additional reimbursement, we have collected the following resources to help you successfully provide meals even if your available budget decreases.

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New Feature Available on the Exhibit A Grains Tool

March 22, 2023

The Exhibit A Grains Tool has a new feature that allows users to select their Program and Meal to filter the search results to only creditable grain items for their specific Program.

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New Factsheet for ECE Providers from the CDC

March 16, 2023

CDC created three new fact sheets for Early Care and Education (ECE) providers about Early Child Nutrition and Feeding. The fact sheets offer tips and best practices for supporting breastfeeding families, information about safe storage and handling of breastmilk, and strategies for introducing solid foods.

Read More

Meal Pattern Minute: Taking Food Offsite

July 19, 2024

July 19, 2024 View this post on Instagram A post shared by National CACFP Sponsors Assoc. (@nationalcacfp) Serving Child and Adult Care Food Program meals helps children and adults gain access to nutritious foods on a consistent basis. Some centers or family child care home may provide breakfast, lunch/supper, and/or snack to those in their…

Read More

Meal Pattern Minute: Serving Nuts and Seeds

July 12, 2024

Can peanuts, tree nuts, seeds or soy nuts be served to meet the full meat/meat alternate component for a meal?

Read More

Meal Pattern Minute: Writing Medical Statements

July 5, 2024

Who is able to write a medical statement?

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Meal Pattern Minute: Medical Statements

June 28, 2024

What is a medical statement, and why might one be needed in the CACFP?

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Meal Pattern Minute: Frozen Fruit Juice Bars

June 14, 2024

Can frozen fruit juice bars be credited for reimbursement in the CACFP?

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Meal Pattern Minute: Amaranth

June 7, 2024

What is amaranth and how is it used in the CACFP?

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More Native Foods Added to the Food Buying Guide

September 6, 2023

The Child and Adult Care Food Program has new creditable foods listed on the USDA Food Buying Guide! If you are new to the FBG, this interactive tool allows for easy display, search, and navigation of food yield information. In addition, users can compare yield information, create a favorite foods list, and access tools, such as the Recipe Analysis Workbook (RAW) and the Product Formulation Statement Workbook.

Read More

We’re Expanding Our Spanish-Language Resources!

August 2, 2023

The Child and Adult Care Food Program community asked for more Spanish resources to be available on the National CACFP Sponsors Association website and we heard you! Available now in Spanish are more resources to help sponsors and providers with meal pattern requirements, best practices, and so much more!

Read More

Program Comparison Chart: CACFP At-Risk Afterschool and SFSP

June 21, 2023

Serving meals to young people year-round benefits children, families, and care providers. To do this, many providers transition from operating the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) At-Risk Afterschool (ARAS) during the school year to the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) while school is out. For an overview of the main differences between SFSP and CACFP ARAS, see the comparison chart below.

Read More

NCA Support as Covid-19 Flexibilities Come to an End

June 16, 2023

NCA understands that the end of flexibilities will cause challenges for many CACFP sponsors and providers and we commend your continued commitment to providing nutritious meals and snacks to the children or adults in your care. In preparation for the end of the additional reimbursement, we have collected the following resources to help you successfully provide meals even if your available budget decreases.

Read More

New Feature Available on the Exhibit A Grains Tool

March 22, 2023

The Exhibit A Grains Tool has a new feature that allows users to select their Program and Meal to filter the search results to only creditable grain items for their specific Program.

Read More

New Factsheet for ECE Providers from the CDC

March 16, 2023

CDC created three new fact sheets for Early Care and Education (ECE) providers about Early Child Nutrition and Feeding. The fact sheets offer tips and best practices for supporting breastfeeding families, information about safe storage and handling of breastmilk, and strategies for introducing solid foods.

Read More

ECE Nutrition and Physical Activity Practices Decreased During Pandemic

July 16, 2024

A report published in the Journal of Public Health Management & Practice examined changes in nutrition and physical activity-related best practices in ECE settings in Illinois from 2019 as compared to 2022.

Read More

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.

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CACFP Participation Among U.S. Childcare Providers

June 26, 2024

The “USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program Participation Among U.S. Childcare Providers” examines the characteristics of childcare centers and day care home providers by whether they participated in CACFP or not.

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Healthy Tots Helps Address Food Insecurity in D.C.

April 18, 2024

Across the nation, racial inequities have impacted access to federal nutrition programs for people of color. The report by D.C. Hunger Solutions aims to address how racial inequities contribute to hunger and poverty among residents of color in the District of Columbia and to lack of access to federal nutrition programs.

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Leveraging CACFP for Farm to ECE

February 5, 2024

When combined, the CACFP and Farm to Early Care Education (Farm to ECE) activities can have an extraordinary impact on children, child care providers, and local communities. FRAC’s report aims to support child care providers to access CACFP and utilize it for eligible Farm to ECE activities by highlighting the mutually beneficial synergy between these initiatives.

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CACFP Indicator for State-Level Obesity Prevention

December 19, 2023

The CACFP is an indicator for state-level obesity prevention. The inclusion of the CACFP as an indicator for obesity-prevention shows that the CACFP is an important, recognized factor for proper development in the earliest stages of life.

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Sponsor Spotlight: Beth Carlton of Child Care Links

July 2, 2024

Beth Carlton is the Executive Director of Child Care Links , a sponsoring organization in Kansas that sponsors approximately 170 family child care homes and two centers that serve meals to around 1,800 children. Hear from Beth!

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On a Mission to Feed Children and Adults in Care

May 29, 2024

Hear from three outstanding CACFP sponsoring organizations about the work that they do with CACFP providers to ensure the children and adults in their care receive nutritious meals.

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Sponsor Spotlight: Kate Abernathy of Providers Choice

April 15, 2024

Kate Abernathy is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Providers Choice which is a state-wide sponsoring organization of 3,000 family child care homes and 90 centers in Minnesota. Hear from Kate!

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Sponsor Spotlight: Rache Cross of Caring People Alliance

March 26, 2024

Rache Cross is the Senior Director of CACFP at Caring People Alliance which sponsors family child care homes, child care centers, and At-Risk Afterschool sites in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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Celebrate Child Care Providers Serving Nutritious Meals in Your Community

March 7, 2024

Next week is National Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Week! Over 138,000 child and adult care providers serve nutritious meals to over 4.5 million children and adults every day with the help of 24,000 supporting institutions. Join us in celebrating throughout the week.

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Sponsor Spotlight: Alix Pasillas of Food For Kids, Inc.

March 5, 2024

Alix Pasillas is the Executive Director of Food For Kids, Inc. which sponsors 137 child care centers, family child care homes, and adult care centers across Nevada. Learn why Alix thinks Food For Kids is a successful sponsor.

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