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April 2025-09
Announcements from the Wisconsin Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
IN THIS ISSUE:
Child Nutrition Programs: Income Eligibility Guidelines (ALL)
Change to Added Sugar for Breakfast Cereals and Yogurt Sugar Limits (ALL)
CACFP Training Spotlight: Tortilla Chips and Corn Chips (ALL)
Year-Round Food Program: Transitioning from CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Programs to Summer Food Service Programs (AR)
Sponsors of At-Risk Afterschool Sites that Participate in NSLP and/or SFSP (AR)
Farm to ECE: In a Nutshell (ALL)
Termination Notice for the Project Titled Local Food for Schools and Child Care (LFSCC) Agreement (ALL)
Federal Funding for the CACFP (ALL)
ICN: April 2025 Mealtime Memo Culinary Basics: Knife Skills
 Child Nutrition Programs: Income Eligibility Guidelines (ALL)
The USDA has published the annual adjustments to the Income Eligibility Guidelines to be used in determining eligibility for free and reduced-price meals for the period of July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. The guidelines can be located at the Federal Register web page for Child Nutrition Programs: Income Eligibility Guidelines. These guidelines are used by program operators participating in the CACFP.
Change to Added Sugar for Breakfast Cereals and Yogurt Sugar Limits (ALL)
Sugar limits for breakfast cereals and yogurt will change from being based on total sugars to being based on added sugars. This is effective October 1, 2025.
Cereal must contain no more than 6 grams of added sugars per dry ounce. Yogurt must contain no more than 12 grams of added sugars per 6 ounces. See the following resources for more information:
The DPI Community Nutrition Team will be updating resources over the coming months and will notify agencies when they are available.
CACFP Training Spotlight: Tortilla Chips and Corn Chips (ALL)
Tortilla chips and corn chips must meet certain criteria to be creditable in the CACFP. The CACFP Training Spotlight: Tortilla Chips and Corn Chips explains this criteria and includes examples of creditable chips (whole grain-rich and enriched) and non-creditable chips.
Year-Round Food Program: Transitioning from CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Programs to Summer Food Service Programs (AR)
All children deserve the opportunity to reach their potential, and nothing is more fundamental to their development than having consistent access to healthy meals. Summer can be a difficult time for families with children, and that can impact the whole community. Summer can be the hungriest time of the year for many kids from low income families. In Wisconsin, 1 in 5 kids struggle with hunger. Only 16% of kids who qualify for free/reduced price school lunch are also getting summer meals. The good news: There are programs in place that can feed hungry children when school is not in session.
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) provides funding to serve free nutritious meals and snacks to children at sites in low-income areas (where half of the children are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals) or that serve primarily low-income children. Sites can be summer programs, parks, swimming pools, schools, low-income housing complexes, churches, and other places where children gather during the summer. Most sites can provide up to two meals a day to children aged 18 and younger.
CACFP at-risk sites are in a good position to transition to the SFSP at the end of the school year. Participation in both the SFSP and the At-Risk Afterschool component of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) are encouraged to benefit both the organization and communities by providing year-round services to children. Check out this program comparison chart developed by the Food Research & Action Center.
Visit the DPI Summer Food Service Program - Join the SFSP webpage for more information and if interested in transitioning your At-risk site to SFSP, contact Amy Kolano, Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) Coordinator at (608) 266-7124 or Amy.Kolano@dpi.wi.gov.
Help spread the word about Summer meals. To find a summer meal site location near the children you serve.
Sponsors of At-Risk Afterschool Sites that Participate in NSLP and/or SFSP (AR)
CACFP regulations permit the following flexibilities for sponsors of At-Risk Afterschool Program sites that participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and/or Summer Food Service Program (SFSP):
Monitoring Requirements
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Pre-operational visits: Sponsors are not required to complete pre-operational visits at sites participating in the NSLP or SFSP prior to the beginning of CACFP operations.
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Reviews:
- School Food Authorities: Refer to School Food Authority Monitoring Options.
- Non-School Food Authority SFSP Sponsors: The three required CACFP reviews may be completed as follows: two reviews may be completed for CACFP and one review may be completed during the summer for SFSP, prior to the end of the fourth week of SFSP operation to assess compliance with the SFSP requirements. If the agency has not met the CACFP site review requirements, the third site review conducted during the summer must meet the unannounced and meal service observation requirements.
Farm to ECE: In a Nutshell (ALL)
We’ve put together a helpful Farm to ECE: In a Nutshell guide that includes tips on starting your own garden, finding local farmers, understanding procurement and food safety, and exploring other national resources to help you get started and stay inspired.
Termination Notice for the Project Titled Local Food for Schools and Child Care (LFSCC) Agreement (ALL)
On Friday, March 7, 2025, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) School Nutrition Team (SNT) received notice that the agreement between the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction is terminated for the Local Food for Schools and Child Care (LFSCC) Program.
Federal Funding for the CACFP (ALL)
Funding to operate the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) continues. The CACFP was signed into law in 1968 when Congress amended the National School Lunch Act to reach children in child care programs. Executive orders cannot override law and statues.
The following DPI web page outlines how essential federal funding is for students, schools and libraries throughout Wisconsin - Tracking Federal Funding Cuts: The Effect on Wisconsin. To see the impact of federal funding in your district, access the one-page flyer on the web page under Federal Funding by School District.
ICN: April 2025 Mealtime Memo: Culinary Basics: Knife Skills (ALL)
Ensuring maximum safety in the kitchen is crucial, and following basic knife guidelines is essential for everyone's well-being. Once knife safety is mastered, this essential skill can lead to an increase in scratch preparation. This Mealtime Memo outlines the importance of knife safety, skills, maintenance, and storage
REMINDER: Claim Submission Deadlines: Federal regulations impose a claim submission deadline of 60 calendar days after the last day of the month for which the claim applies. For DPI’s CACFP Claim Submission Deadlines visit Claim Submission Deadlines.
Contact your assigned CACFP consultant with questions about the items in the bulletin, or other CACFP questions.
Do you have new staff working with the CACFP? Check out this resource New Staff Responsibilities for CACFP.
Program Abbreviation Key
CC=Child Care
AR=At Risk
FDCH: Family Day Care Home
HS: Head Start
ES: Emergency Shelters
SO: Sponsoring Organizations
OS: Outside of School Hours Care
ADC: Adult Day Care
ALL: Applies to all types
The abbreviation key identifies each type of program in the CACFP. Each section above identifies who the information applies to when implementing the CACFP. If your type of program is not listed in a section, it does not apply.
Community Nutrition Team
201 West Washington Avenue
P.O. Box 7841, Madison, WI 53707-7841
Phone (608) 267-9129; cnt@dpi.wi.gov
dpi.wi.gov/community-nutrition
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
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