Sponsoring Organizations: Key Players in Ensuring Federal Program Integrity
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The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is administered as a public-private partnership between the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), State agencies and community-based organizations to reimburse child and adult care programs for serving more nutritious meals and snacks to those in their care. These community-based organizations operate as “Sponsoring organization” that oversee child and adult care programs participating in the CACFP.
Without Sponsoring organizations, many child and adult care programs would not have access to the CACFP. While child and adult care centers are able to contract directly with their administering State agency, many choose to participate through a Sponsoring organization. Sponsoring organizations provide additional training, technical support and oversight that a State agency may not have the capacity to do. In addition, by law, family day care homes are only able to participate in the CACFP through a sponsoring organization. Over 65,000 child care centers and 67,000 family day care homes participate in the CACFP through a sponsoring organization.
Sponsoring organizations enter into an agreement with the State agency and assume administrative and financial responsibility of CACFP operations for the sites they oversee. The role of a Sponsoring organization is crucial as they ensure facilities are in compliance with State and Federal rules and assist with proper reporting and other administrative functions.
Sponsoring organizations also provide training, technical assistance and regular oversight of their sponsored sites, ensuring compliance and program integrity. Each fiscal year, sponsoring organizations visit every site under their sponsorship at least three times to confirm CACFP meal pattern and documentation compliance, reconcile attendance records and meal claims, and provide technical assistance. They also regularly review claims submitted by their sponsored sites to check for errors, non-compliance and any issues. In addition, Sponsoring organizations provide ongoing technical assistance and training for their sponsored sites, including required annual training.
State agencies assess financially viability, administratively capability and program accountability mechanisms of organizations before they are onboarded as Sponsoring organizations. State agencies also conduct annual reviews of bank account activities for all CACFP sponsoring organizations. In addition, every two to three years, State agencies conduct a full review of CACFP Sponsoring organizations to monitor program operations and use of program funds.
Sponsoring organizations are key to ensuring program integrity, increasing nutrition program access and providing ongoing technical assistance to their sponsored sites. Without sponsoring organizations, State agencies would face long waitlists for onboarding new child and adult care programs to the CACFP, sites would be monitored much less frequently, and sites would not receive the extensive training and technical support that they do under a Sponsoring organization.
Today, over 500 organizations operate as CACFP Sponsoring organizations – ensuring access to critical nutrition in their communities. Want to learn more about Sponsoring organizations’ role in maintaining integrity of the program? Check out the National CACFP Association’s White Paper and One-page Summary.
Contact policy@cacfp.org with any questions!