Policy
One Year After Vital Supports Ended: Disheartening Drop in CACFP Participation
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Keep Kids Fed Act provided flexibilities that were critical for the ability to continue to provide nutritious meals and maintain operation of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).
Read MoreWhat is Advocacy
Advocacy might seem scary, some of our most active advocates admit to being intimidated by advocacy before they got started, but it can be simple. Advocacy can be as simple as telling your friend about your job or posting a picture of the meals you make on social media (really!).
Read MoreAdvisory on Parent and Caregiver Mental Health and Well-BeingÂ
The United States Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, released an Advisory on the mental health and well-being of parents, stating an urgent need to support parents, caregivers, and families. Surgeon General’s Advisories are public statements that call the American people’s attention to a critical public health issue that require immediate awareness and action.
Read MoreUSDA Request for Comment: Documentation Related to Meal Pattern Final Rule
USDA FNS is seeking input from CACFP and SFSP operators on the documentation requirement for operators serving primarily American Indian or Alaska Native children to show their eligibility for the menu planning option allowing them to serve vegetables to meet the grains requirement.
Read MoreCollection of Race and Ethnicity Data Q&A #2
FNS issued this memorandum to provide further clarification on earlier published guidance documents regarding the collection of race and ethnicity data. In addition, this guidance includes examples of challenges Program operators may encounter and best practices that may be used to collect race and ethnicity data for the CACFP and SFSP.
Read MoreVoters Want Support For Child Care
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.
Read MoreWhat’s Causing the Inequity in Reimbursement for Centers Vs. HomesÂ
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.
Read More2024-2025 CACFP Reimbursement Rates
The USDA has released the Reimbursement Rates for 2024-2025. Rates are effective from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.
Read MoreJuly Policy Update
Since our last policy updated, there are new opportunities for you to advocate, in addition USDA has released two final rules, two pieces of guidance, and a data report on CACFP.
Read MoreNCA Report: The State of the Child and Adult Care Food Program
NCA surveyed its CACFP sponsoring organization and provider members to obtain feedback on their experiences with the food program. NCA analyzed information collected from the survey in the State of the Child and Adult Care Food Program report.
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