Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
Building for the Future
Child and Adult
Care Food Program
(CACFP)
Who is eligible for CACFP meals?
• children age 12 and under,
• migrant children age 15 and younger,
• functionally impaired adult participants
or adults age 60 and older enrolled in an
adult day care center, and
• youths through age 18 in afterschool
programs in needy areas.
What kinds of meals are served?
CACFP facilities follow the meal patterns
established by USDA.
• Breakfast consists of a serving of milk, fruit
or vegetable, and grains or bread.
• Lunch and dinner require milk, grains or
bread, meat or meat alternate, and two
different servings of fruits or vegetables.
• Snacks include two different servings of the four components: milk, fruits or vegetables,
grains or bread, or meat or meat alternate.
CACFP Facilities
Many different facilities operate CACFP, all
sharing the common goal of bringing nutritious
meals and snacks to participants.
• Child Care Centers
Licensed or approved public or private
nonprofit child care centers, Head Start
programs, and some for-profit centers
serve meals to large numbers of children.
• Family Day Care Homes
Small groups of children receive nonresidential
day care in licensed or approved
private homes.
• Afterschool Care Programs
Centers in low-income areas provide free
snacks to school-age children and youth.
• Homeless Shelters
Emergency shelters provide residential and
food services to homeless children.
• Adult Day Care Centers
Public, private nonprofit, and some forprofit
adult day care facilities provide
structured, comprehensive services to
functionally impaired nonresident adults.
What is CACFP?
CACFP is the Child and Adult Care Food
Program, a Federal program that provides
healthy meals and snacks to children and
adults receiving day care.
Each day more than 2.6 million children and
almost 60,000 older adults participate in
CACFP. Through CACFP, participants’ nutritional
needs are supported on a daily basis.
The program plays a vital role in improving
the quality of day care and making it more
affordable for many low-income families.
In addition to day care, CACFP helps make
afterschool programs more appealing to
at-risk youth. By offering nutritious snacks
in programs serving low-income areas,
centers can increase participation and know
that youth are having a healthy snack.
Homeless children and children from temporarily
displaced families can also receive up to
three meals each day through shelters that
operate the program.
Contacts
If you are interested in participating in CACFP,
or have questions about the program, the
sponsoring organizations and State agencies
can help. Our website has State agency CACFP
contact information, or call (703) 305-2620.
www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/contacts/
StateDirectory.htm
How does CACFP work?
CACFP reimburses participating centers and
day care homes for serving nutritious meals.
It is administered at the Federal level by the
Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), an agency
of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The State education or health department administers CACFP in most States. State
agencies approve sponsoring organizations
and independent centers to operate the
program on the local level. The State also
monitors the program and provides guidance
and assistance to ensure requirements are
met.
Sponsoring organizations play a critical role in supporting home day care providers and
centers through training, technical assistance,
and monitoring. All family or group day care
homes must come into the program under a
sponsoring organization. Several types of
organizations are approved by the States to
serve as sponsors—community action
groups, nonprofit organizations, and
churches.
CACFP Partners
FNS-319 • July 2000
USDA is an equal opportunity
provider and employer.
Family or
Group Homes Cenrvice Headquarters
United States Department of Agriculture
Food and Nutrition Service