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For more information on the renewal process, renewal bulletins, and resources, review the August 3rd CACFP C.A.R.E..
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published the Simplified Geographic Preference Procurement in Child Nutrition Programs, a to simplify geographic preference procurement language across Child Nutrition Programs, including National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), CACFP, Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), and Special Milk Program (SMP). In addition, the USDA released SP 11-2026, CACFP 05-2026, SFSP 05-2026 to provide additional information on the direct final rule.
The direct final rule is intended to make the regulations easier to understand and use, while maintaining existing requirements and flexibilities.
It does not change how geographic preference is implemented. Instead, it clarifies existing options that allow program operators to give preference to locally grown, raised, or caught unprocessed agricultural products when purchasing food. The rule is scheduled to take effect November 9, unless adverse comments are received by October 9.
OSPI established a CACFP advisory council in FY 24 to provide a forum for collaboration and understanding between OSPI and CACFP sponsors. This select group of 8–12 sponsors met quarterly with OSPI and played a critical role by:
- Providing input on and sharing of best practices.
- Providing input on training and resource needs.
- Engaging in peer-to-peer learning and peer support.
The current advisory council structure will transition to town hall meetings in FY 27 to allow all interested sponsors the opportunity to participate. The goal of these quarterly meetings is to share important OSPI and USDA updates, solicit feedback for improved OSPI processes, and increase sponsor involvement and participation.
Meetings will be held at 2 pm on the third Wednesday of the month. Please consider attending these meetings.
- November 18
- January 20
- March 17
- May 19
Questions? Contact the CACFP team.
Organizations receiving a CACFP Administrative Review (AR) in FY 27 will be notified this week. CACFP sponsors receive an OSPI Administrative Review at least once every three years per 7 CFR 226.6(m)(6). Updates codified in The Child Nutrition Program Integrity Final Rule amended CACFP monitoring regulations to include additional provisions. As a result, OSPI annually identifies sponsors that are at higher risk for non-compliance. High-risk sponsors receive reviews more frequently than every three years. If necessary, sponsors may be added to the FY 27 AR cycle.
Administrative dates and AR details will be provided closer to the time of review.
USDA requires each CACFP sponsoring organization (sponsors with two or more sites on the CACFP) to provide adequate supervisory and operational personnel. This maintains effective management and monitoring of the program at all sponsored sites. Each sponsoring organization must employ monitoring staff sufficient to meet the federal requirements in 7 CFR 226.16(b)(1).
The beginning of the fiscal year is an ideal time to create a monitoring schedule that includes unannounced visits and observation of a variety of meal types. This ensures monitoring requirements are met. If a new site begins operating in FY 27, it must be monitored within the first four weeks of operation.
When creating a monitoring schedule, keep these CACFP requirements in mind:
- Community sponsors operating child care sites must use the CACFP Site Monitoring Form and must have three monitoring visits each.
- At least two of the reviews must be unannounced.
- At least one unannounced review must include observation of a meal service.
- At least one review must be during each new facility’s first four weeks of operation.
- No more than six months may elapse between reviews.
- LEAs operating At-Risk only school sites must use the LEA Monitoring Form and only need two monitoring visits per school year (SY).
Visit the Program Requirements and Materials page and use the “Multi-Site Sponsors” dropdown for monitoring forms and other resources for sponsors of multiple sites.
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USDA's Team Nutrition has a new on-demand CACFP Halftime: Thirty on Thursdays webinar Using the Nutrition Facts Label in the Child and Adult Care Food Program.
This webinar supports CACFP operators in choosing foods that meet current CACFP meal pattern requirements and demonstrate how these standards align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030 and the accompanying Real Food Pyramid. Learn how to use the Nutrition Facts label to check serving sizes, added sugars, and sodium to select items that meet CACFP meal pattern requirements.
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Visit the Using the Nutrition Facts Label in the CACFP webpage to find the training worksheet, recorded webinar, and training slides.
There are several CACFP trainings offered throughout the fiscal year. If an organization experiences a change in administrative program staff that play a critical role in CACFP operation, they may benefit from attending a Recordkeeping and/or Nutrition 101 training. Seasoned staff members ready for advanced CACFP training are encouraged to attend the Nutrition 201 training. To register for these trainings, sponsors should contact their program specialist.
Recordkeeping
Offered monthly, this session provides an understanding of the documentation necessary to ensure accurate reimbursement. Different types of records reviewed include:
- Policies and procedures
- Meal service records
- Fiscal Management records
- Training records
- Participant eligibility records
- The records needed to file a claim.
Nutrition 101
Offered monthly, this session provides an understanding of the meal pattern and the food components required for each creditable meals. Topics discussed include:
- Meal pattern and components
- Meal service styles
- Documentation
- Menus
- Special dietary/accommodations and modifications
- Infant meal pattern
- Best practices and resources
Nutrition 201
Offered four times per year, this training is designed for sponsors that are confident in their ability to operate the CACFP and are ready to deepen their understanding of CACFP requirements and practices. This training will answer complex questions sponsors face, dive deeper into culturally inclusive menu planning, and develop new tools to meet the needs of organizations and participants.
This session builds on the fundamentals presented in Recordkeeping and Nutrition 101 and is intended for experienced independent or multi-site sponsors operating childcare centers or At-Risk Afterschool programs.
Questions? Interested in attending a training? Contact the CACFP team.
Previously, OSPI required sponsors to report free, reduced-price, and above scale claiming percentages for one month—the study month—which set the rate of reimbursement for the entire fiscal year.
In FY 26, sponsors began reporting free, reduced-price, and above-scale claiming percentages every month for reimbursement based on actual participation.
OSPI created the Participant Eligibility Roster and the Participant Eligibility Report to assist with this tracking. Please note, alternate tracking methods (system generated reports, other report/roster templates), may be used only if the alternate tracking method collects the same information as the OSPI forms, including:
- Name of participant
- Date enrolled
- Submission of an EIEA or Enrollment Form
- Eligibility dates (EIEA effective/expiration dates)
- Participant eligibility (free/reduced-price/above scale)
- Date participant disenrolled
- Participant eligibility for each month
Monthly Participant Eligibility Process Details:
- Distribute the Sample Letter to Parents for Income Eligibility and the Enrollment and Income Eligibility Application (EIEA) to participants as they enroll.
- Collect completed EIEAs, determine each participant’s eligibility, and sign/date the form.
- Use the Participant Eligibility Roster to track:
- Name of participant
- Date enrolled
- Submission of an EIEA or Enrollment Form
- Eligibility dates (EIEA effective/expiration dates)
- Participant eligibility (free/reduced-price/above scale)
- Date participant disenrolled
- Participant eligibility for each month
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For-profit institutions only: for-profit eligibility for each month
- Use the Participant Eligibility Report for monthly claims for each site to track:
- Participants in attendance during the month
- Eligibility dates (EIEA effective/expiration dates)
- Participant eligibility (free/reduced-price/above scale)
- Monthly participation total (free/reduced-price/above scale)
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For-profit Institutions only:Determine if for-profit eligibility is met. For-profit centers must have at least 25% free/reduced-price participants in attendance based on license capacity or total attendance, whichever is less. If eligibility is not met, a claim cannot be submitted for that site for the claim month.
*If another method is used to track monthly participant eligibility, the OSPI Participant Eligibility Report does not need to be used.
- Enter monthly participant eligibility totals into the Washington Integrated Nutrition System (WINS) for each site when entering the monthly claim.
- Keep documentation of monthly participant eligibility on file for three years, plus the current fiscal year. This documentation does not need to be submitted to OSPI; however, a sample of this documentation will be requested when OSPI conducts an Administrative Review
Reference
Resources
Child Care
Adult Care
Monthly Participant Eligibility Training is posted in Bright Track in both English and Spanish.
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