The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) is pleased to release the latest Free & Reduced-price Eligibility Access Tabulation (EAT), previously known as the Free and Reduced Price Report, on our Smartsheet dashboard here:

https://app.smartsheet.com/b/publish?EQBCT=cf64d9a66568480f8996059d6259296e

This page will soon be added to DEED's web page; in the meantime, it is publicly accessible from the above link.

This year, the EAT includes several enhancements:

• Online web view (if you need to quickly look for a number)
• Download the current and prior year report
• Download a report that includes all historical data from School Year 2010-2011 through present (note that SY 2020-2021 data is incomplete as a result of COVID-19 school operations)
• The datasets include the Division of Community and Regional Affairs Community ID number (found in right cluster of columns), this can be used to connect this data to DCRA's Open Data set (see link in dashboard)

There is a table describing each of the headers in EAT report, you can find this table at the bottom of the dashboard or download it from the "Downloads" link under "Other EAT Reports".

DEED utilizes a small-numbers policy to prevent releasing PII at small schools. In such cases, DEED will release as much information as possible; for example, we may state the F&R percentage is “≥50%” rather than providing a specific percentage.

If you operate an At-Risk Afterschool Site: You can use this information to find out if your site is located in the attendance area of a public school in which at least 50 percent of the enrolled children are certified eligible for free or reduced-price school meals under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). A site's area eligibility determination made under CACFP is valid for 5 years. Using the latest information allows you to extend your area eligibility determination (e.g. If not updated, an area eligibility determination made in 2020 ends in 2025; however, updating that in 2025 means your eligibility determination is valid for another five years).

The CACFP brings healthy foods to tables across the country for children in child care centers, homes, and afterschool programs as well as adults in day care. To raise awareness of how the CACFP works to combat hunger, the National CACFP Sponsors Association (NCA) is sponsoring CACFP Week, a national education and information campaign. This year, CACFP Week will be celebrated from March 16-22, 2025.

The NCA invites CACFP operators to celebrate and raise awareness within your network during this week-long campaign. You can explore the resources found on their website.

The NCA recently held a webinar on CACFP Week. You can watch a recording here.

This webinar, sponsored by the School Garden Support Organization (SGSO) Network, will explore the transformative power of inclusivity and representation in educational gardening programs. This session will dive into the importance of intentional representation, uncovering and addressing unexamined practices, and celebrating the rich tapestry of cultural backgrounds within our school communities. Learn practical strategies to create a welcoming and inclusive garden space that honors and reflects the diverse identities of your students. 

The SGSO Network is an open peer-to-peer learning network with the goal of growing,
sustaining and elevating a movement of equitable garden-based education.

This webinar will be held on February 19, at 10:00 AM AKST.

The 39th National Child Nutrition Conference, provided by the National CACFP Sponsors Association (NCA), is now open for registration. 

The National Child Nutrition Conference is an annual event that brings together professionals from child care centers, home providers, sponsoring organizations, school districts, afterschool programs, Head Start programs, Food Banks, tribal nations and State Agencies.

The 2025 National Child Nutrition Conference will be held April 14-18, 2025, in Dallas, Texas.

This information is shared on behalf of the NCA. DEED is neither endorsing or is responsible for third party content.

Beginning Oct. 1, 2025, CACFP operators must offer yogurt that contains no more than 12 grams of added sugars per 6 ounces. To help you out, don't forget to visit USDA’s Team Nutrition's recorded webinar on “Choose Breakfast Cereals That Are Lower in Added Sugars in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).”

This on-demand webinar highlights the new added sugars limit for yogurt and how to identify products that meet this limit.

Visit the webpage titled “Choose Yogurt That Is Lower in Added Sugars in the CACFP” to get the training worksheet, training slides, and recorded video. Also, check out the “Calculating the Added Sugars Limit for Yogurt in the CACFP” training worksheet.

For more information, please visit the CACFP Halftime: Thirty on Thursdays webpage.

Learn more about fiber sources, health benefits, and strategies to increase fiber intake by reading the February issue of Mealtime Memo, a monthly newsletter from the Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN). Mealtime Memo is focused on nutrition and wellness in child care settings and provides research-based best practices for planning, preparing, and/or serving nutritious, safe, and child-friendly meals in child care settings operating the CACFP.

You can subscribe on the ICN page to receive the monthly Mealtime Memo newsletter and other updates.

 Updated to align with the Final Rule, “Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” these materials can be used to empower CACFP providers and operators with the knowledge, skills and expertise to implement CACFP meal pattern requirements.

Beginning Oct. 1, 2025, CACFP operators must offer breakfast cereals that contains no more than 6 grams of added sugars per dry ounce and yogurt that contains no more than 12 grams of added sugars per 6 ounces.

Choose Breakfast Cereals That Are Lower in Added Sugars

Choose Yogurt That Is Lower in Added Sugars

Calculating the Added Sugars Limit for Breakfast Cereals

Calculating the Added Sugars Limit for Yogurt