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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Check out these virtual events coming up this month at NCA!
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What is a medical statement, and why might one be needed in the CACFP?
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Learn how to identify gluten-free foods and get a yummy gluten-free snack recipe.
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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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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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Check out these virtual events coming up this month at NCA!
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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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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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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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Check out these virtual events coming up this month at NCA!
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Check out these virtual events coming up this month at NCA!
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Since 2019, Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA) and Nemours Children’s Health have partnered to create geographic information system (GIS) technology story maps to visualize CACFP participation and highlight communities that could be considered for CACFP expansion.
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During the entire month of August, every congressional elected official will be back in their home state or district. Don’t miss this opportunity to advocate for CACFP! Showcasing your program is one of the most impactful ways to advocate for the CACFP.
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Child Nutrition Program Integrity Final Rule codified the requirement for an annual reconciliation of bank account activity and accounting of reported actual expenditures with Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) payments. This memorandum provides a summary of each provision and instructions for how to complete the annual verification of bank account activity and actual expenditures.
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This memorandum provides a detailed explanation of the expanded geographic preference option. CNP operators, State agencies purchasing for CNPs, and the USDA Department of Defense Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (USDA DoD Fresh) may use local as a specification and continue to set a geographic preference when soliciting or buying unprocessed agricultural products.
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While summer is a time for relaxation and vacation for some, it is a time of great uncertainty for many children who experience food insecurity. Afterschool and on the weekend, children are also unsure of where their meals will come from. That’s where Child Nutrition Programs step in.
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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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What is a medical statement, and why might one be needed in the CACFP?
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Can frozen fruit juice bars be credited for reimbursement in the CACFP?
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What is amaranth and how is it used in the CACFP?
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Are all foods listed on the Exhibit A Grains Chart creditable in the CACFP?
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Is a manufacturer required to report if a nut-free product was made in a facility that processes nuts?
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Where can you find allergens listed on a food’s packaging?
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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.
Read More
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.
Read More
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.
Read More
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
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.
Read More
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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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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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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The University of Colorado College of Nursing published their 2022 Annual Report on Achieving a State of Healthy Weight. The report determines how state regulations support obesity prevention in licensed ECE programs. It also highlights state successes and identifies opportunities for ECE regulations to improve support of obesity prevention in young children.
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A study was published in October 2023 by the UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health to explore federal and state policies and practices that support or discourage CACFP participation among child care centers. The report approaches: program outreach and administration, barriers that make CACFP participation challenging, and recommendations to expand access to CACFP for eligible providers.
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Lina Araiza Flores at Child-Parent Centers, Inc plans creative menus to meet the needs of multiple delivery channels in southeastern Arizona.
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Lisa Mack was surprised with an award for her decade of dedicated service as the Executive Director of the NCA at the National Child Nutrition Conference.
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The NCA named winners in the CACFP Inspire Awards which celebrate the incredible individuals and organizations who reimagined and executed the CACFP during the pandemic, especially those who overcame public health challenges and went above and beyond expectations to continue to provide for the children and adults they serve.
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Cindy Long, USDA Food and Nutrition Services Administrator, will be presented with the Friend of CACFP award at the 2022 NCNC.
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Rebekah Dawson and her staff at Feeding the Gulf Coast worked tirelessly to continue to provide kids with the meals they need to be successful and to grow their partner sites with more funding and food access.
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Coe is recognized as a finalist in this category for the enormous scope of his work and that of his center.
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NCA Response – Proposed Rule for the Serious Deficiency Process
In February 2024, USDA released the proposed rule Serious Deficiency Process in the CACFP and SFSP. After meeting with members and extensive research NCA has submitted our response to USDA stating our position on the proposed changes.
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