Advocate for Sufficient CACFP Reimbursement
August 6, 2025
USDA published the CACFP reimbursement rates for fiscal year 2025-2026. Although the rates have increased, in most instances, reimbursement still remains too low for providers to sufficiently cover the cost of providing meals.
In fact, earlier in July, USDA released a report analyzing the cost and revenue of CACFP participation. They found that reimbursement only covered 26% of total breakfast costs, 35% of total lunch costs, and 21% of total snack costs (total cost includes food and labor).
Only Congress has the power to increase reimbursement rates for CACFP. There are currently two bills in Congress that would increase reimbursement rates.
- The Child Care Nutrition Enhancement Act would permanently increase reimbursement by 10 cents and eliminate the tiering of family child care homes.
- The Early Childhood Nutrition Improvement Act would provide reimbursement for an additional meal/snack and adjust the reimbursement calculation for family child care homes to align with that of centers.
Let your congressional officials know that these bills are necessary for the CACFP! With NCA’s action center, you can send a message with the click of a button.
As always, you can contact us at policy@cacfp.org with any questions.