Cooperative games take the sting out of the competition by reducing aggression and increasing pro-social skills. Here are two variations of cooperative tag that are sure to help your CACFP participants blow off some steam and have a blast, without any tears.
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August 23, 2022 The CACFP is a cornerstone to operations at many child care centers, adult day cares and day care homes. However, many people have never even heard of this crucial program! This blog is for those people. Send this quick guide to parents of children under your care, new employees who are onboarding…
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Genia Boutwell manages the CACFP meals served through the Poarch Creek Indians Boys & Girls Club, and she’s a champion for child nutrition.
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Wendi Huntley is the president of Connecting Kids to Meals in Toledo, Ohio where one out of every four kids faces hunger.
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Our top recommendations for ways to celebrate autumn at your CACFP site, from fall-themed recipes to autumn books and crafts.
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This easy sink or float STEM activity can be done using items you already have and is suitable for most early childhood to preschool ages.
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In April, over 50 Industry and nonprofit organizations will feature their resources at the 2025 National Child Nutrition Conference in Dallas. Their commitment and contributions are central to the conference’s mission of fostering innovation, education and networking among over 2,000 attending professionals and stakeholders in the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and SUN MEALS (Summer Food Service Program).
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Check out these virtual events coming up this month at NCA!
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The National CACFP Association (NCA) is pleased to announce the continuation of its annual scholarship program for the 2025 National Child Nutrition Conference (NCNC) in Dallas, Texas.
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Check out these virtual events coming up this month at NCA!
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Registration is now open for the 2025 National Child Nutrition Conference, the premier annual event held by the National CACFP Sponsors Association, bringing together professionals from child care centers, home providers, sponsoring organizations, school districts, afterschool programs, Head Start programs, Food Banks, tribal nations and State Agencies.
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When two entities focus on a common mission, anything is possible. The National CACFP Sponsors Association (NCA) sees its mission align with the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children (TXAEYC) without a hint of deviation: To ensure those serving children are provided with the resources needed to help them sprout to unimaginable heights.
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The USDA released a memorandum to clarify the updated regulatory requirement for program operators to accept medical statements from registered dietitians. The change requiring program operators to accept medical statements from registered dietitians must be implemented by July 1, 2025, for school meal programs and Oct. 1, 2025, for CACFP.
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The USDA released a memorandum to provide updated guidance on the provisions of the 2024 final rule that apply to the grains requirements in the CACFP, which included adding a definition for whole grain-rich into CACFP regulations; changing product-based limits for breakfast cereals and yogurts from total sugars to added sugars; and updating guidance on substituting vegetables to meet the grains requirements for eligible program operators.
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The new year is just around the corner, which means this is the perfect time to reflect. What you do matters. Take a moment and really think about how your work impacts those that you serve, whether it’s the children or adults in your care, providers that you support, or sponsoring organizations you work with. Share your story with NCA!
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USDA released a Notice of Funding Opportunity on December 10, 2024, for State agencies to access funds to purchase and distribute local foods for schools and CACFP child care providers in their state. USDA has committed $188.6 million specifically for institutions participating in the CACFP. State agencies must submit a proposal in order to access these funds for the schools and CACFP providers in their state and there can only be one application per state. Funds will be awarded through a non-competitive process based on a formula using the meal counts of participants of the CACFP in each State. Cooperative agreements will be for a period of three years from the time of award.
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November 7, 2024 The USDA released a memorandum to provide additional information and clarification on the state agency monitoring process regarding the: 1) Child nutrition (CN) label, 2) Watermarked CN label, and 3) manufacturer’s Product Formulation Statement (PFS). This memorandum also reflects updates to the CN Label Verification System and provides clarification on the date…
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CACFP and SFSP operators that primarily serve American Indian or Alaska Native participants can substitute ½ cup of any creditable vegetables or 1 cup of raw leafy greens for 1 oz eq of grains. Vegetables substituting as grains can be used to meet the whole grain-rich requirement in the CACFP. There is no limit to the number of times per week that vegetables may be substituted for the grains requirement.
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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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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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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 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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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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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.
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How many CACFP meal types can be reimbursed when serving at-risk afterschool programs?
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Can zucchini bread credit towards the vegetable component?
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Is apple cider juice creditable in the CACFP?
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Are brown rice noodles creditable in the CACFP?
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Can second servings be claimed for reimbursement in family style dining?
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Is popped sorghum creditable in the CACFP?
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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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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
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 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
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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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.
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The “Characteristics of Emergency Shelters Participating in the CACFP” study by USDA seeks to better understand the characteristics of CACFP emergency shelters, who they serve, how CACFP fits into their operations, and their challenges with CACFP. The study was conducted in 2023 and collected data from 242 emergency shelters that participate in CACFP in Fiscal Year 2023.
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A survey was administered in the spring of 2023 of licensed California family child care homes (FCCH) to assess the perceived impacts of the increased reimbursement during the Covid-19 pandemic on CACFP participation and anticipated challenges with reinstated tiered rates.
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The USDA recently released a study on the “Characteristics of Adult Day Care Centers that Participate in the USDA’s Child and Adult Care Food Program” which seeks to better understand key characteristics of adult day care centers participating in CACFP.
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USDA released a survey report focused on SFSP and SSO sponsors who operated the non-congregate meal service option in qualifying rural areas in summer 2023.
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Afterschool Snack Programs include the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Through NSLP schools can serve one snack afterschool, however through the CACFP schools and sponsoring organizations are able to serve a snack in addition to a supper. This additional supper is an important opportunity to meet children’s nutritional needs after the school day is over. A report by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) found that afterschool supper participation increased from October 2022 to October 2023 by 6%.
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FRAC’s latest report, Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation: Summer Nutrition Status Report 2024, reveals a drop in the number of children receiving nutrition over the summer following the loss of pandemic-era waivers.
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Most people think food banks only provide food boxes for those in need. However, food banks do so much more and may also sponsor one or more federal nutrition programs, such as the CACFP. While most CACFP sponsoring organizations are only responsible for the administration and oversight of the program at their sponsored sites, food banks often provide the meals for their sponsored sites as well. The Central Texas Food Bank (CTFB) is a great example.
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The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs (CTWS) is a sponsor of the CACFP for their early childhood education center that operates a day care program for infants to children aged 3, as well as a Head start program for 3 to 5 year old children. Read about how they operate the CACFP!
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Leah Penna is the President and Founder of FP Assistance, a sponsor of unaffiliated centers and afterschool sites across the state of Texas. Hear from Leah!
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The CACFP is operated any many different settings, including child care, adult care, and emergency shelters. The CACFP also has an At-Risk Afterschool (ARAS) component that allows sites to serve children and teenagers 18 and under up to one snack and a supper. Not only are eligible sites able to serve meals after the school day, but they can also provide a meal and snack on weekends and during school closures.
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Congressman Marc Molinaro visited Jessica’s Daycare in his home district (NY-19) to witness child care and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) firsthand.
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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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