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Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

2024 - 09

Alaska Department of Education and Early Development
Division of Finance and Support Services
Child Nutrition Programs
P.O. Box 110500
Juneau, AK 99811

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USDA Policy, Information, and Implementation Memos

Sponsoring organizations and institutions are required by regulation to keep Bulletins, Instructions, and USDA Policy Memorandums for reference and to apply immediately the appropriate instruction to agency programs. Call Child Nutrition Programs if you need further clarification.

USDA Policy Memo 10-2024 Geographic Preference Option Questions & Answers

This memorandum provides updated guidance on the geographic preference option to reflect changes made by the final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This memorandum also rescinds and replaces SP 18-2011, Procurement Geographic Preference Q&As and CACFP 02-2013, Procurement Geographic Preference Q&As – Part II.

Final Rule on Partnerships With Faith-Based and Neighborhood Organizations

USDA and eight other Federal agencies recently published a final rule entitled, Partnerships With Faith-Based and Neighborhood Organizations. The final rule amended USDA regulations at 7 CFR part 16 related to equal opportunity for faith-based organizations that operate USDA programs and religious protections for USDA program beneficiaries. Because the Child Nutrition Programs provide direct Federal assistance, these regulations apply to all local operators of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and other Child Nutrition Programs.

The final rule is effective on July 2, 2024, and requires that providers of direct Federal assistance, which includes Child Nutrition Programs local operators: 

• must provide written notice to beneficiaries of their right to be free from discrimination on the basis of religion; 
• must provide written notice to beneficiaries of how to report violations of these regulatory protections; and,  
• may provide written notice to beneficiaries on how to obtain information about other federally funded service providers available in their area. 
  
  

  Child Nutrition Program local operators must provide written notice to beneficiaries by using one or more of the methods below:  

  • post a written notice at the service location (e.g., schools, child care centers, community organization sites); or, 
  • post a written notice on the local program operator website; or, 
  • provide flyers or handouts at food distribution sites (e.g., congregate meal sites, non-congregate meal pick up locations, etc.); or, 
  • add the written notification to the program application. 
  USDA will continue to coordinate with State agencies and local operators to provide more information and guidance on the written notice requirements in the near future.

Additional Topics

2024-2025 Reimbursement Rates

USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announced the national average payment rates, day care home food service payment rates, and administrative reimbursement rates for sponsoring organizations of day care homes for July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025.

Required Annual State Agency Training for PY2025 CACFP - Head Starts

Thank you to all who attended our in-person training for centers and sponsoring organizations of family day care homes! Our last in-person training is for head starts. It will be held at the Atwood Conference Center (Robert B. Atwood Building), 550 W 7th Ave, Anchorage, AK.This required training is conducted by the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development (DEED) for CACFP operators in the state. Because of space limitations, we are allowing program operators only two slots per training.  Any additional registrants will be waitlisted and slots will open up on a first-come, first-served basis. For Head Starts Date: 08/09/24, Friday Time: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm Location: ACC Rooms 102 & 104 Register here: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/19c100586277429e9c525bb2fceed016 If you missed our in-person trainings, you can still sign up for our virtual option (details below). For questions, please reach out to Jennifer Cherian at jennifer.cherian@alaska.gov.

Virtual Training Option

If you missed our centers training or can't make it to the head start training in August, we are also offering a virtual option (via Teams). The virtual training will be broken up into two parts and held on two consecutive afternoons. You need to attend both for the training to count towards the program renewal requirement.

Part 1: https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/870e74b6-9dbe-4f4d-ace8-82dda2e44e3f@20030bf6-7ad9-42f7-9273-59ea83fcfa38

Part 2: https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/a74d31d0-08fb-4bbb-abda-030f0df7b066@20030bf6-7ad9-42f7-9273-59ea83fcfa38

Scholarship Options to the NCA Virtual CACFP Summit

The National CACFP Sponsors Association (NCA) is hosting a Virtual CACFP Summit on Aug 14-15 and Aug 21-22. You an earn up to 16.5 hours of Continuing Education Units through workshops on nutrition, program administration, operations, financial and nonprofit management, and more. Members can avail of the early registration rate of $149 until July 31. Non-members can avail of the early registration rate of $199.

Below are the other rates if you miss the early registration:

Members
$199 Standard Registration - August 1-13, 2024
$249 Late Registration from August 14, 2024

Non-Members
$249 Standard Registration - August 1-13, 2024
$299 Late Registration from August 14, 2024

NCA will also be awarding up to 100 scholarship for free registration, available until July 24. You can apply for one through this link, or by clicking the image above.

For more details on the 2024 Virtual CACFP Summit, visit the conference webpage: https://www.cacfp.org/summit/.

Please note that there will be no roundtable meeting on the first Monday of August.

Webinars

Ask a Nutritionist: CACFP Meal Patterns

Serving healthy, nutritious and creditable foods is a top priority when operating in the CACFP. However, the CACFP meal pattern can be perplexing! The National CACFP Sponsors Association (NCA) has teamed up with Isabel Ramos-Lebron, our Nutrition Education Specialist, to answer your questions about the CACFP meal pattern and help you to feel confident that you are providing creditable meals for those in your care. 

This webinar is on July 25, Thursday, 10:00 - 11:00 am Alaska. This is free for NCA members.

Sweeten Smart: The Natural Goodness of Fruits

Embark on a flavorful journey with us as we explore the wonders of nature's sweet treat – fruits! Discover ways to cut down on added sugar in your recipes or menu items by harnessing the natural sweetness of fruits. Infuse your menus with endless fruity inspirations to keep those little taste buds excited.

This free webinar is on August 1, Thursday, 10:00 - 11:00 am Alaska.

Resources

Ounce Equivalency for Meat Determining ounce equivalency for meat like beef, poultry and fish can be determined by weighing them out using a food scale. However, when cooking raw meat in a mixed dish or baking it in the oven on it’s own this can be tricky. Do you weigh and determine the ounce equivalency of raw meat before cooking it or after?  Tune in to this Meal Pattern Minute, where Isabel Ramos-Lebron, MS, RDN, LD, discusses when meat should be weighed and how to figure out ounce equivalency in a mixed dish with meat.

Recipe Standardization Guide The Institute of Child Nutrition’s Step-by-Step Recipe Standardization Guide for the CACFP is a comprehensive “how-to” manual detailing the initial recipe development stage to the final implementation. It outlines the benefits of standardized recipes and details the recipe standardization process, which includes recipe verification, product evaluation, and quantity adjustment. The guide outlines the benefits of standardized recipes and provides practical tools and templates essential for ensuring recipe quality and consistency.

Harvest of the Month

To find out more about Harvest of the Month resources, please contact Waverli Stowe at waverli.stowe@alaska.gov.

Team Nutrition Resources

• CACFP Meal Pattern Training Tools
  • CACFP Meal Pattern Training Worksheets
  • CACFP Grains Oz Equivalent Resources
• Crediting Handbook for the Child and Adult Care Food Program
• Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs
• CACFP Halftime: Thirty on Thursdays Training Webinar Series
• Team Nutrition Homepage

Contact Us

School Meals

• eed.cnp.schoolmeals@alaska.gov

Child and Adult Care Food Program

• eed.cnp.cacfp@alaska.gov

Summer Meals

• eed.cnp.summer@alaska.gov

Food Distribution Program

• eed.cnp.fdp@alaska.gov

Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program

• eed.cnp.ffvp@alaska.gov

Farm to School

• eed.cnp.fts@alaska.gov

The Emergency Food Assistance Program

• eed.cnp.tefap@alaska.gov

Child Nutrition Grants

• eed.cnp.grants@alaska.gov

Child Nutrition Financial Management

• eed.cnp.fm@alaska.gov

This newsletter contains hyperlinks to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links are provided for the reader’s convenience. DEED does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this outside information. Furthermore, the inclusion of links is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed, or products or services offered, on these sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites.

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement (English)

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by: 

1. mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
2.  fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
3.  email: program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.