CACFP: Supporting Working Families and Investing in Our Future
June 10, 2025
It’s well known that child and adult care providers support working families and are the backbone of the American workforce. A majority of children under the age of five attend weekly child care while their families are at work.[i] During that time, parents can feel comfortable knowing that their children are in a safe space and are receiving the meals they need throughout the day.
One in every five children experiences food insecurity – estimated to be more prevalent among children than the total population.[ii] Child care providers are essential to ensuring that these children receive meals while their parents are working to support their household.
Over 135,000 providers who participate in the USDA’s Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) are committed to serving high-quality meals that meet the daily nutritional needs for the children in their care. Research has shown that the CACFP lowers the odds of food insecurity, poor health and admittance to hospitals for young children.[iii]
“My son is in a program that utilizes the CACFP. It is an important part of early childhood to make sure that each child has a meal. They may not have a meal at home due to food insecurity. With this program, it guarantees a nutritious meal to those that may need it most.”
-Arkansas Parent
However, child care providers struggle to provide high-quality care while still keeping costs low for families, which has pushed some out of business. As a result, many areas do not have enough child care slots to meet the needs of their community and/or have prices that are unaffordable for the families they seek to serve.[iv] This leaves many parents and caregivers with no choice but to stay home with their children instead of going to work.[v] This results in lost earnings, productivity, and revenue that is estimated to cost the U.S. economy $122 billion each year.[vi]
Alternatively, federal investments in high-quality early childhood and education programs have a return on investment that is ten-fold. A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research finds that every dollar invested in programs where children are the primary beneficiaries have a societal return of $10 or more. Investment in federal government programs, including nutrition programs, not only support healthier childhoods, but also have a long-term impact into adulthood – resulting in increased tax revenues from a higher quality labor force and reduced spending on criminal justice and healthcare for chronic diseases.[vii]
Investments in federal programs, like the Child and Adult Care Food Program, that support child care not only help to address the challenges of today – limited access to affordable child care – but also saves taxpayer dollars in the long-run and supports the health and wellbeing of America’s next generations.
[i] U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (2021). Early Childhood Program Participation: 2019.
[ii] Feeding America (2025). Map the Meal Gap 2025: A Report on Local Food Insecurity and Food Costs in the United States in 2023.
[iii] Ettinger de Cuba, S. et al. (2023). Child care feeding programs associated with food security and health for young children from families with low incomes. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 123(10), pp. 1429–1439. doi:10.1016/j. jand.2023.06.003.
[iv] Child Care Aware of America (2025). Child Care in America: 2024 Prices & Supply.
[v] O'Dell, M., & Smith, B. (2024). What Parents Say About How Childcare Problems Affect Employment and Hours Worked. Chicago Fed Insights.
[vi] First Five Years Fund (2025). State Data: Child Care and the Economy, How a Lack of Affordable Infant and Toddler Child Care Impact State Economic Health.
[vii] Peter G. Peterson Foundation (2024). Investing in Kids Promotes Healthy Children, More Productive Adults, and a Stronger Fiscal Foundation.