Joining Northwest Nutrition Service allows you to earn extra money for something you are already doing – feeding the children in your care. CACFP is available to all legally exempt, family child care, and group family child care providers who care for at least 1 non-resident child. All you have to do is record your menu and attendance each day, send it to us at the end of each month.
Why CACFP Is Important
USDA's Child and Adult Care Food Program plays a vital role in improving the quality of day care and making it more affordable for many low-income families. Each day, 3.3 million children receive nutritious meals and snacks through CACFP
Child Care homes offering meals through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) play a critical role in supporting the wellness, health, and development of children and chronically impaired disabled persons through the provision of nutritious foods. Child care providers, in particular, have a powerful opportunity to instill healthy habits in young children that serve as a foundation for healthy choices in life.
Through the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, USDA made the first major changes in the CACFP meals and snacks since the Program’s inception in 1968, which will help ensure children and adults have access to healthy, balanced meals and snacks throughout the day. The updated CACFP nutrition standards will help safeguard the health of children early in their lives and improve the wellness of adults.
Under the updated CACFP nutrition standards, meals and snacks served will include a greater variety of vegetables and fruit, more whole grains, and less added sugar and saturated fat these improvements are expected to enhance the quality of meals served in CACFP to help young children learn healthy eating habits early on in their lives.
Northwest Nutrition Service will provide resources, best practices, and training for Child Care homes to support them in providing healthy, balanced meals and snacks to the children they serve.
CACFP is authorized at section 17 of the National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1766). Program regulations are issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under 7 CFR part 226.
Day Care Homes
A family or group day care home must sign an agreement with Northwest Nutrition Service to participate in CACFP. Child Care homes must be licensed or approved to provide child care services. Reimbursement for meals served in child care homes is based upon eligibility for tier I rates (which targets higher levels of reimbursement to low-income areas, providers, or children) or lower tier II rates.
Program payments for child care homes are based on the number of meals served to enrolled children, multiplied by the appropriate reimbursement rate for each breakfast, lunch, supper, or snack they are approved to serve.
Providers' own children are eligible only in tier I day care homes, when other nonresidential children are enrolled in the day care home and are participating in the meal service.
Claiming Reimbursement for Meals Served
Child Care Homes must submit accurate monthly claims for reimbursement to Northwest Nutrition Service. Reimbursement is not allowed for meals or snacks that are: served to a child who is not enrolled for care; served in excess of licensed or authorized capacity; not approved in the agreement; served in excess of the maximum number of approved meal services or out of compliance with meal pattern requirements.
