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The purpose of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is to improve the quality of child and adult day care for low-income families by providing assistance in offering nutritious meals and snacks served to eligible participants. This voluntary program provides meal reimbursement to eligible participants in child care centers, family day care homes, Head Start programs, afterschool programs, emergency homeless shelters and adult day care centers. Over 4 million children and nearly 120,000 adults are served nutritious meals and snacks each day as part of the care received in facilities operating this program.
Timeline of CACFP
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1968-The Special Food Service Program for Children (SFSPFC), the forerunner to the Child Care Food Program and the Summer Food Service Program, was established as a federal pilot program
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1978-The Child Care Food Program was permanently established, and eligibility was expanded to include before and after school care and any licensed public or private nonprofit organizations, family day care homes and the Head Start Program
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1989- Adult day care centers providing meals to eligible enrolled individuals began participating and the program’s name was changed to the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). This was also the year that Washington state assumed oversight of the CACFP (from the Western Regional Office of USDA).
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2010- The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act called for the (USDA) to review and revise the CACFP meal pattern requirements to better align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and to address the current health status of children and adults.
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2017- The implementation of the updated meal patterns projected to help young children develop healthy eating habits early and safeguard the overall wellness of adult participants.
- The Updated Meal Pattern Requirements incorporate a greater variety of vegetables and fruits, more whole grains, more protein options, and help to reduce the amount of added sugar and fat. These updates also include Best Practices to enhance the nutrition of snacks and meals served.
 Washington has continuously increased our childcare sponsors. Thank you for being part of the success of CACFP's efforts to improve nutrition for Washington's children.
Join us for the CACFP Updates Webinar - Looking Ahead for 2021
Register Here - CORRECT LINK
Date: Tuesday, January 26, 2021
Time: 1 - 2pm PT
During this webinar we will discuss:
- COVID Stimulus Relief Bill
- Ounce Equivalents
- Program Updates
- Q&A - please come with your questions!
Questions? Please contact your OSPI CNS Program Specialist.
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Does Your Program Do Amazing Things?
We know you do! That's why we created the Food, Body, and Mind (FBM) awards!
OSPI wants to recognize the efforts made by schools, childcare institutions, and non-profit organizations participating in Child Nutrition Programs.
The award status lasts 3 years, and there are 7 award categories you may apply for:
- Farm to Program
- Local Wellness Policy
- Innovative Menus
- Smarter Mealtimes
- Nutrition Education
- USDA Foods Entitlement
- Environmental Sustainability
Please visit the Food, Body, and Mind Awards webpage for more information.
You can submit your nomination any time, why not today?
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Washington State University and University of Washington are collecting information about food access during the pandemic.
The data has the ability to influence resource allocation, so we strongly encourage you to share this survey with the families you serve.
The survey takes about 15 minutes to complete and will ask questions about health, food access, and economic needs.
The goal is to learn more about how individuals, families, and communities are handling economic and food disruptions due to the pandemic. Washington State residents who are 18 years or older may participate.
Families can access the survey here.
The Food Buying Guide (FBG) is the essential resource for food yield information for all child nutrition programs (CNP). The FBG assists CNP operators, food manufacturers, and other stakeholders with:
- Purchasing the correct amounts of foods for child nutrition meal programs
- Determining the contribution that each food makes toward meal pattern requirements
The Food Buying Guide is available as an Interactive Web-based Tool, Mobile App, and downloadable PDF.
Learn more about the Food Buying Guide and all its features on the USDA Team Nutrition Webpages.
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January 26
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CACFP Updates Webinar - Register Here
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January 29
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November Claim 60-day Deadline - if you haven't already, submit your November Claims!
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