Quarterly Policy Update: October 2026
October 7, 2026
Over the past few months, USDA has released new policies, HHS as proposed changes to Head Start, and Congress has introduced new legislation. Keep reading to see what you’ve missed and stay up to date with CACFP policy!
USDA Updates
Harvest to Hallways
At the end of August, USDA announced a Harvest to Hallways Initiative to invest in child nutrition programs. This initiative is part of an effort to strengthen school meals by connecting more American farmers with local schools, investing in school kitchen infrastructure, and giving states and school districts new tools to serve healthier, more nutrient-dense meals to America’s children.
Harvest to Hallways includes up to $70 million in investments in school cafeteria infrastructure, an effort to expand schools’ use of local food procurement options, and up to $25 million in additional Farm to School Grants for Fiscal Year 2026.
Final Rule: Simplified Geographic Preference Procurement
In September, USDA released a final rule on Simplified Geographic Preference Procurement in Child Nutrition Programs. The rule does not create new requirements or change existing policy, Instead, the rule makes some terminology changes and provides clarification on existing requirements. This rule will be in effect on November 8, 2026.
2026-2027 CACFP Reimbursement & Cash in Lieu Rates
In late July, USDA released the Reimbursement Rates for 2026-2027. Rates are effective from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. There were increases across the board for family child care homes, centers/afterschool programs, and sponsoring organizations.
In July, USDA also released the cash in lieu value of USDA Foods. For July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027, the value is 32.00 cents per meal, an increase of one and a half cents from the school year 2026.
Congressional Updates
Strengthening Protections for Children with Food Allergies Act
The Strengthening Protections for Children with Food Allergies Act (H.R. 10228) has been introduced in Congress by Representatives Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) and Doris Matsui (D-CA). The legislation would strengthen food allergy training requirements across federal child nutrition programs and expand food allergy education and outreach for families participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
NCA Advocacy in Action
NCA Response: Reducing Burden for Head Start Programs
In early August, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a proposed rule on Reducing Federal Burden for Head Start Programs. Although the proposed rule maintained the requirement for Head Start programs to participate in CACFP, it included several proposed changes that could make it difficult for programs to continue to offer high-quality nutrition services.
NCA submitted a comment based on feedback received from our community of Head Start operators. NCA outlined how the proposed changes, such as the administrative cost cap, potential increase in staff-to-child ratios, and possible reduction in service hours, would significantly hinder programs' ability to implement many of the nutrition priorities outlined throughout the rule.
NCA Response: National Disqualified List Information Collection
In June 2026, USDA released a notice of Agency Information Collection Activities: Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) National Disqualified List. This notice is of a routine collection of information, where State agencies share information on organizations and individuals who have been found seriously deficient so USDA can place them on the National Disqualified List (NDL).
Although this is a routine information collection, NCA provided comments to enhance the quality of information collected. NCA recommended that USDA collect information on the specific findings that resulted in the serious deficiency determinations in order to inform an analysis of the implementation of the Serious Deficiency Process across states. NCA also suggested that USDA collect information on State agency Early Removal Processes to inform the development of a federal process.
For more information, contact policy@cacfp.org.