Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Facts (page 3)

What is the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

The CACFP is a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) meal reimbursement program administered in Delaware by the Department of Education for children and certain adults receiving meals in licensed Centers and Family Day Care homes.

CACFP is authorized at section 17 of the National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1766). Program regulations are issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under 7 CFR part 226.

Why Serve Meals in Child and Adult Care Centers

CACFP plays a vital role in improving the quality of day care and making it more affordable for many low-income families by assuring families that nutritious meals arebeing served at no additional cost.

Who Can Participate?

Independent centers and sponsoring organizations enter into agreements with their administering State agencies to assume administrative and financial responsibility for CACFP operations. CACFP serves nutritious meals and snacks to eligible children and adults who are enrolled for care at participating child care centers, day care homes, and adult day care centers. CACFP also provides meals to children residing in emergency shelters, and snacks to youths participating in after school care programs.
Eligible public or private nonprofit child care centers, outside-school-hours care centers, Head Start programs, and other institutions which are licensed or approved to provide day care services may participate in CACFP, independently or as sponsored centers. For profit centers must receive title XX funds for at least 25 percent of enrolled children or licensed capacity (which ever is less) or at least 25 percent of the children in care must be eligible for free and reduced price meals.

Day Care Homes

A family or group day care home must sign an agreement with a sponsoring organization to participate in CACFP. Day care homes must be licensed or approved to provide day care services. Reimbursement for meals served in day care homes is based upon eligibility for tier I rates (which targets higher levels of reimbursement to low-income areas, providers, or children) or lower tier II rates.

Meal Benefit Requirements Determining Eligibility:

In centers, participants from households with incomes at or below 130 percent of poverty are eligible for free meals. Participants in centers with household incomes between 130 percent and 185 percent of poverty are eligible for meals at a reduced price. Institutions must determine each enrolled participant's eligibility for free and reduced price meals served in centers.

Sponsoring organizations of day care homes must determine which day care homes are eligible for tier I rates and, if requested, which children are eligible to receive meals reimbursed at tier I rates in tier II day care homes. A participant's eligibility for free and reduced price meals in centers or for tier I meals in day care homes, may be established by submission of an income eligibility statement, which provides information about family size and income. The information submitted by each household is compared with USDA's Income Eligibility Guidelines.

Children whose families receive benefits from the Food Stamp Program, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), or State programs funded through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) are categorically eligible for free meals. Children who are income-eligible participants of Head Start or Even Start programs are automatically eligible for free meals, without further application or eligibility determination. Children who are residents of emergency shelters are also automatically eligible for free meals.

Adults who receive food stamps, FDPIR, Social Security Income (SSI), or Medicaid benefits are categorically eligible for free meals.

What are Commodities?

• Commodities are government entitlement foods made available to organizations that participate in School and Community Nutrition Programs. These foods are offered to sponsoring organizations at a fraction of their market value.
• Cash in Lieu of Commodities - Participating organizations may choose to receive cash instead of the actual commodities. A federal formula is used to determine the amount of commodity entitlement; similarly a formula is used to determine the valve is incorporated into the reimbursement rate and received on a monthly basis.