Register for the CACFP Training Conference (All but FDCH)
FDCH sponsors received a separate email to register for the training on July 14.
Register today for the September 25th training. For the training schedule, session descriptions, and to register, go to the CACFP Training 2025 website.
Updates to Special Dietary Needs Resources to Add Registered Dietitian (ALL)
On April 25, 2024, FNS published the final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. One of the changes is that registered dietitians may write medical statements to request meal modifications on behalf of participants with disabilities in the CACFP. The requirement to accept medical statements from registered dietitians must be implemented by October 1, 2025, however, programs can accept medical statements from registered dietitians at this time.
Guidance Memorandum 12: SDN, Guidance Memorandum L: SDN (for FDCH), and resources and forms listed under these Guidance Memorandums have been updated to identify registered dietitians.
Adding New Meal Services and/or New Sites, Becoming a Sponsor (ALL but FDCH)
If your agency plans to make any of the changes below to be effective for September 2025, update and submit your CACFP Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2025 contract and email your assigned consultant by August 29, 2025:
- Adding new meal service(s)
- Adding new site(s) as a current Sponsor (more than one site on the CACFP)
- Adding site(s) to become a Sponsor (Independent center becoming a Sponsor with more than one site on the CACFP)
After the contract is updated, email your DPI consultant so they can review and approve the information entered in your FFY 2025 contract prior to the FFY 2026 contract rollover. The FFY 2026 contract will be available late September 2025.
USDA Civil Rights Guidance on the Interpretation of Discrimination Based on “Sex” (ALL)
USDA has rescinded the May 2022 Bostock policy update that sought to require federally-funded food and nutrition service programs to redefine discrimination by reason of “sex” under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) and the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 as not based on just male or female, but also “gender identity.”
The USDA is currently updating the nondiscrimination statement for USDA Child Nutrition Programs, and you may begin to see changes on their webpages. We have been in contact with the USDA and have been instructed not to revise the nondiscrimination statement on any program materials until we receive official written guidance from USDA with the updated statement. Once this guidance is provided, we will share it with community nutrition contacts. We are also keeping track of and updating links as necessary. The most up-to-date information can be found in Guidance Memorandum 8.
Farm to ECE - Straw Bale Gardening (ALL)
Straw bale gardening is a simple yet sustainable method of growing food using decomposing straw bales instead of soil. It's an excellent fit for providers that are in a more urban setting and don’t have space to add a traditional in-ground garden. This Farm to ECE approach can also be integrated into your curriculum by creating age appropriate lessons and fun activities that correlate with Straw Bale Gardening.
For more information, please visit our Farm to ECE Website or view our Straw Bale Gardening resource.
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