The 2024–25 Area Eligibility Report is now available. This report has been updated as of February 28, 2025.
This report may be used to establish area eligibility for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), the Seamless Summer Option (SSO), and the Afterschool Snack Program (ASP). Area eligibility may be assigned if school data indicates that the proposed meal site is located in an attendance area of a public school where at least 50% of the children are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals.
The Area Eligibility in Child Nutrition Program Reference Sheet provides more details on area eligibility.
Data from this report is also used to determine eligibility for the Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program (FFVP), House Bill (HB) 1238 – Meals for Washington Students, and Breakfast After the Bell (BAB).
In fiscal year (FY) 25, CACFP sponsors are required to use the OSPI menu templates. These templates were created to eliminate common menu errors and reduce fiscal action. The OSPI Excel Menu templates have been updated to allow Sponsors to customize the templates to better reflect Program operation.
Changes include:
- Rows may be hidden to allow unused meal types to be hidden.
- Columns may be hidden to allow days of the week where meal service does not occur to be hidden.
- Evening Snack added so that all possible meal types now populate.
Select the Menu Template dropdown from our Meal Patterns and Menu Planning page to view all available templates.
Watch the CACFP Menu Template Tutorial to learn how to use the Word & Excel templates.
Through September 30, 2025, breakfast cereals must contain no more than 6 grams of total sugars per dry ounce. By October 1, 2025, breakfast cereals served to infants, children, and adults must contain no more than 6 grams of added sugars per dry ounce ((7 CFR 226.20(a)(4)(ii)).
There are multiple ways for institutions and facilities to determine if breakfast cereals are within the sugar limit, including referencing a WIC approved cereal list. Consistent with CACFP, all WIC approved breakfast cereals must meet the same sugar requirements.
Some WIC approved lists will also identify grain items that are whole grain rich. Please note, not all grains listed in WIC lists are whole grain rich. The WA WIC Shopper’s Guide no longer indicates which cereals and grains are whole grain rich. Sponsors may use any state agency’s WIC approved list to find creditable cereals, and if noted, whole grain-rich items.
The USDA requires each CACFP sponsoring organization (sponsors with two or more sites on the CACFP) to provide adequate supervisory and operational personnel. This is to maintain effective management and monitoring of the program at all sponsored sites. Each sponsoring organization must employ monitoring staff sufficient to meet the federal requirements per 7 CFR 226.16(b)(1).
Sponsoring organizations must review program operations at each of its sponsored sites at least three times per year. A year is defined as a consecutive twelve-month period that may or may not coincide with the federal program year of October 1–September 30.
Keep these CACFP monitoring requirements in mind when creating your schedule:
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Child Care sites need to have three monitoring visits each fiscal year:
- Conduct at least three visits, two of which must be unannounced.
- Ensure that at least one of the unannounced visits includes a meal service observation.
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Ensure that the timing of unannounced visits is varied so that they are unpredictable to the center or day care home.
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Review all new sites during the first four weeks of the site beginning operation in the CACFP.
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Ensure that no more than six months elapse between visits to each of the site.
- Local Education Agencies (LEAs) operating At-Risk only school sites only need two monitoring visits per school year.
Use the table below to determine which form to use.
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