April 14-18, 2025
Dallas, Texas
CACFP · Afterschool Meals · Summer Food
Schedule of Events
Registration for the conference includes all hybrid onsite/virtual sessions, both live and on-demand, through April 30, 2025.
Schedule is subject to change. ^ Pre-Registration Required * By Invitation Only
Conference Attendees, join us on Zoom on Tuesday, April 8 from 2:00 pm - 2:30 pm Eastern for a free webinar on Navigating the Conference. The link to register will be emailed to you in April.
All times are listed below are in Central Time.
New this year! Speed sessions are 30-minute information packed sessions that require a presentation. There's no Q&A, just concise and to-the-point content. Perfect for speakers who can deliver impactful information in a short timeframe.
Monday, April 14, 2025
| Onsite Sessions | Hybrid Onsite/Virtual Sessions | ||
| 8:00 am - 12:00 pm | National CACFP Sponsors Association Board Meeting* | ||
| 8:00 am - 8:00 pm | Registration & Information Desk Open | ||
| 10:00 am - 1:00 pm | Preconference Academy^ | ||
| 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm | Industry Partner Exclusive* (for NCA Industry Partners Only) | ||
| 1:15 pm - 1:45 pm | Navigating the Conference Q&A | ||
| 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm | USDA Listening Session for State Agencies* | ||
| 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm | Preconference Academy^ | ||
| 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm | SUN Meals Overview | ||
| 3:15 pm - 4:15 pm | Afterschool Meals Overview | ||
| 4:30 pm - 5:00 pm | Professional Networking Strategies & Tips | ||
| 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm | Regional Networking | ||
| 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm | President's Reception* | ||
| On Demand Only | SUN Meals Overview
Afterschool Meals Overview |
Tuesday, April 15, 2025
| Onsite Sessions | Hybrid Onsite/Virtual Sessions | ||
| 7:00 am - 6:00 pm | Registration & Information Desk Open | ||
| 7:15 am - 7:45 am | Creditable Tools & Resources | Creditable Tools & Resources | |
| 8:00 am - 9:00 am | Group Meetups | ||
| 8:30 am - 9:00 am | NCA Annual Member Meeting* | NCA Annual Member Meeting* | |
| 9:15 am - 10:15 am | CACFP Overview | CACFP Overview | |
| 9:00 am - 12:00 pm | Preconference Academy^ | ||
| 9:00 am - 1:30 pm | Exhibit Hall Open | ||
| 9:15 am - 10:15 am | State Agency Collaboration* | ||
| 10:30 am - 11:00 am | CACFP Certification Program Overview | ||
| 10:30 am - 11:30 am | Mid-Morning Coffee Break | ||
| 11:00 am - 12:30 pm | State Agency Office Hours | ||
| 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm | National Conference General Session | National Conference General Session | |
| 3:15 pm - 4:15 pm | Featured Speakers | USDA CACFP Policy Update | |
| 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm | Exhibit Hall Open | ||
| 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm | Welcome Reception | ||
| On Demand Only | CACFP Certification Program Overview |
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
| Onsite Sessions | Hybrid Onsite/Virtual Sessions | Speed Sessions (Onsite) | ||
| 7:00 am - 6:00 pm | Registration & Information Desk Open | |||
| 7:00 am - 8:00 am | Continental Breakfast, Coffee & Conversation | |||
| 7:15 am - 7:45 am | Shop Talks | 8:00 am - 8:30 am | Session #1 | |
| 8:00 am - 9:00 am | Workshops Session One | Helping Selective Eaters Succeed | 8:45 am - 9:15 am | Session #2 |
| 9:00 am - 12:30 pm | Exhibit Hall Open | |||
| 9:15 am - 10:15 am | Workshops Session Two | Healthy Staff, Healthy Kids: Cultivating Wellness for Your Teams | ||
| 10:30 am - 11:30 am | USDA SUN Meals Policy Update | USDA SUN Meals Policy Update | ||
| 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm | Lunch | |||
| 1:45 pm - 2:45 pm | Workshops Session Three | Food Sovereignty: An Indigenous Perspective | 1:45 pm - 2:15 pm | Session #3 |
| 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm | Workshops Session Four | Preparing for CACFP or SFSP Audits | 2:30 pm - 3:00 pm | Session #4 |
| 4:15 pm - 5:15 pm | Workshops Session Five | Be a Kid's Hero: Food and Nutrient Acceptance in the Early Years | 3:15 pm - 3:45 pm | Session #5 |
| 5:30 pm - 6:00 pm | Shop Talks |
Thursday, April 17, 2025
| Onsite Sessions | Hybrid Onsite/Virtual Sessions | Speed Sessions (Onsite) | |||
| 7:00 am - 5:30 pm | Registration & Information Desk Open | ||||
| 7:00 am - 8:00 am | CACFP Professionals Networking | ||||
| 7:00 am - 8:00 am | Continental Breakfast, Coffee & Conversation | 8:00 am - 8:30 am | Session #6 | ||
| 7:15 am -7:45 am | Shop Talks | 8:45 am - 9:15 am | Session #7 | ||
| 8:00 am - 9:00 am | Workshops Session Six | Hunger, Health and How Early Care Settings Can Help | 9:30 am - 10:00 am | Session #8 | |
| 9:15 am - 10:15 am | Workshops Session Seven | Playful Activities for Teaching Healthy Diets | |||
| 10:30 am - 11:30 am | Workshops Session Eight | Fun and Flavorful Themed CACFP Menu Planning | |||
| 11:30 am - 12:30 pm | Lunch | ||||
| 12:45 pm - 1:15 pm | Speed Sessions #10 | Cultivate Community: Serving Fresh & Local Foods with Efficiency | 12:45 pm - 1:15 pm | Session #9 | |
| 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm | Workshops Session Nine | Fresh Foods, Flavors and Kitchen Ingredients | 1:30 pm - 2:00 pm | Session #10 | |
| 2:45 pm - 3:45 pm | Workshops Session Ten | Monitoring 101: Ensuring Compliance in SFSP and Afterschool Meals | 2:15 pm - 2:45 pm | Session #11 | |
| 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm | Featured Speakers | The Power of Pause: Regulate Yourself to Lead and Serve with Strength | 3:00 pm - 3:30 pm | Session #12 | |
| 5:15 pm - 5:45 pm | Shop Talks |
Friday, April 18, 2025
| Onsite Sessions | Onsite Sessions | ||
| 8:00 am - 9:00 am | Rising Leaders Coffee Hour | CACFP Professionals: Certification Q&A | |
| 8:00 am - 10:00 am | Postconference Academy^ | ||
| 9:15 am - 10:15 am | CACFP Meal Pattern Exceptions | Best Practices: Working with Your Board | |
| 10:30 am - 11:30 am | More About CACFP: Ask Us Anything! | Manager's Toolkit: Salary & Compensation Roundtable | |
| 10:30 am - 12:30 pm | Postconference Academy^ | ||
| 11:45 am - 12:30 pm | Leadership in the CACFP | Meet Up: NCA Board of Directors Q&A |
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