The Stanford Center on Early Childhood released a RAPID report that looks at how issues of food insecurity and hunger are affecting adults who provide care for young children. Their key finding: hunger is on the rise among child care providers.
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NWAFCCA sponsors 47 family child care homes that serve nutritious meals and snacks to over 600 children in Northwest Arkansas. Learn more about the great work of this NCA member!
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Can a parent or guardian supply a meal component for their infant in the infant meal pattern?
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Provider’s Network, Inc. sponsors 230 homes across Nebraska, ensuring over 1,900 children receive nutritious meals and snacks each day. Learn more about the work this NCA member is doing!
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Could the crust of a chicken pot pie credit as the grains component?
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The YMCA of Southeastern North Carolina is a sponsor and operator of CACFP At-Risk Afterschool and the Summer Food Service Program. Hear how they are creating sustainable food access through their programs.
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On November 1st, join NCA’s Nutrition Education Specialist, Isabel Ramos-Lebron as she joins experts from the National Pork Board to present this webinar that will help create healthy habits.
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Join us in Orlando from April 22-26, 2024, for five days of training, networking and fun!
This year, we’re holding a sweepstakes to attend the conference. Two lucky winners will be selected at random to receive our Grand Prize and Runner-Up Prize.
If you are the leader at your sponsoring organization for family child care homes, you can’t miss this event!
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NCA has announced elected and appointed members to the Board of Directors, who will begin their terms on October 1, 2023.
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Do you work at a State agency in a position supporting the CACFP? Join NCA’s State Agency Collaboration meeting to earn about the newest NCA resources, hear about what’s happening in CACFP policy, get advocacy updates, and provide feedback about how we can support you.
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Looking for food program training? Delve into a comprehensive range of vital topics tailored to the unique needs of Head Start programs.
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The government shutdown has continued into November as Congress has yet to reach an agreement on Fiscal Year 2026 funding. We’ve put together a list of resources and ideas for providers to help families that experience disruption to food programs during the shutdown.
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We are closely monitoring the potential government shutdown on October 1 and its impact on the CACFP. As your trusted partner, we’ll keep you informed with timely updates.
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CACFP advocacy is central to the mission of National CACFP Association (NCA) and NCA is continuously working to support and advocate for you! This year, we’ve worked to help raise awareness, expand and improve the CACFP. Your NCA membership supports these efforts. THANK YOU!
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In the last few months, there have been many actions by USDA, HHS, and Congress impacting Child Nutrition Programs. Keep reading to see what you’ve missed and stay up to date with CACFP policy!
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September 29, 2025 USDA announced that the CACFP and SFSP Area Eligibility Mapper has been updated for fiscal year 2026. Why It Matters Census data and school data are the two primary sources that may be used to determine whether a site is area eligible in CACFP and SFSP. Area eligibility is used to determine…
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USDA announced $72.9 million in grant funding to states through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. The purpose of the SCBGP is to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops, including fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops (including floriculture).
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Exciting news! Head Start programs have an opportunity to access one-time supplemental funds to support nutrition services and healthy eating for enrolled children and families. You can use this funding for staff training on resources and educational opportunities to help your program improve outcomes for children and families and align with USDA requirements – like the CACFP!
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The Child and Adult Care Food Program has new creditable foods listed on the USDA Food Buying Guide! If you are new to the FBG, this interactive tool allows for easy display, search, and navigation of food yield information. In addition, users can compare yield information, create a favorite foods list, and access tools, such as the Recipe Analysis Workbook (RAW) and the Product Formulation Statement Workbook.
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The Child and Adult Care Food Program community asked for more Spanish resources to be available on the National CACFP Sponsors Association website and we heard you! Available now in Spanish are more resources to help sponsors and providers with meal pattern requirements, best practices, and so much more!
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Serving meals to young people year-round benefits children, families, and care providers. To do this, many providers transition from operating the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) At-Risk Afterschool (ARAS) during the school year to the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) while school is out. For an overview of the main differences between SFSP and CACFP ARAS, see the comparison chart below.
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NCA understands that the end of flexibilities will cause challenges for many CACFP sponsors and providers and we commend your continued commitment to providing nutritious meals and snacks to the children or adults in your care. In preparation for the end of the additional reimbursement, we have collected the following resources to help you successfully provide meals even if your available budget decreases.
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The Exhibit A Grains Tool has a new feature that allows users to select their Program and Meal to filter the search results to only creditable grain items for their specific Program.
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Can a parent or guardian supply a meal component for their infant in the infant meal pattern?
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Could the crust of a chicken pot pie credit as the grains component?
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Are juice cocktails creditable in the CACFP?
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Is raw cow’s milk creditable in the CACFP?
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Does mixing fresh fruits into yogurt count towards added sugars?
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Can breakfast cereals ever be considered a grain-based dessert?
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Exciting news! Head Start programs have an opportunity to access one-time supplemental funds to support nutrition services and healthy eating for enrolled children and families. You can use this funding for staff training on resources and educational opportunities to help your program improve outcomes for children and families and align with USDA requirements – like the CACFP!
Read More
The Child and Adult Care Food Program has new creditable foods listed on the USDA Food Buying Guide! If you are new to the FBG, this interactive tool allows for easy display, search, and navigation of food yield information. In addition, users can compare yield information, create a favorite foods list, and access tools, such as the Recipe Analysis Workbook (RAW) and the Product Formulation Statement Workbook.
Read More
The Child and Adult Care Food Program community asked for more Spanish resources to be available on the National CACFP Sponsors Association website and we heard you! Available now in Spanish are more resources to help sponsors and providers with meal pattern requirements, best practices, and so much more!
Read More
Serving meals to young people year-round benefits children, families, and care providers. To do this, many providers transition from operating the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) At-Risk Afterschool (ARAS) during the school year to the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) while school is out. For an overview of the main differences between SFSP and CACFP ARAS, see the comparison chart below.
Read More
NCA understands that the end of flexibilities will cause challenges for many CACFP sponsors and providers and we commend your continued commitment to providing nutritious meals and snacks to the children or adults in your care. In preparation for the end of the additional reimbursement, we have collected the following resources to help you successfully provide meals even if your available budget decreases.
Read More
The Exhibit A Grains Tool has a new feature that allows users to select their Program and Meal to filter the search results to only creditable grain items for their specific Program.
Read More
The Stanford Center on Early Childhood released a RAPID report that looks at how issues of food insecurity and hunger are affecting adults who provide care for young children. Their key finding: hunger is on the rise among child care providers.
Read More
USDA released their second report on the Study of Nutrition and Activity in Child Care Settings (SNACS-II), which follow their first in 2022. SNACS-II uses data from program year 2022-23 to assess how well children’s diets and CACFP meals align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
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A recent study by our partners at Child Care Aware® of America reveals that parents across the nation are struggling to find affordable, high-quality child care. The survey shows that parents are piecing together multiple care arrangements and facing challenges balancing work and caregiving.
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The CDC’s 2025 Early Childhood Nutrition Report gives us a big-picture look at how young children in the U.S. are eating and growing. It focuses on kids from birth to age 5 and shares important facts about breastfeeding, starting solid foods, eating healthy and how states support good nutrition.
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The “Characteristics of Emergency Shelters Participating in the CACFP” study by USDA seeks to better understand the characteristics of CACFP emergency shelters, who they serve, how CACFP fits into their operations, and their challenges with CACFP. The study was conducted in 2023 and collected data from 242 emergency shelters that participate in CACFP in Fiscal Year 2023.
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A survey was administered in the spring of 2023 of licensed California family child care homes (FCCH) to assess the perceived impacts of the increased reimbursement during the Covid-19 pandemic on CACFP participation and anticipated challenges with reinstated tiered rates.
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NWAFCCA sponsors 47 family child care homes that serve nutritious meals and snacks to over 600 children in Northwest Arkansas. Learn more about the great work of this NCA member!
Read More
Provider’s Network, Inc. sponsors 230 homes across Nebraska, ensuring over 1,900 children receive nutritious meals and snacks each day. Learn more about the work this NCA member is doing!
Read More
The YMCA of Southeastern North Carolina is a sponsor and operator of CACFP At-Risk Afterschool and the Summer Food Service Program. Hear how they are creating sustainable food access through their programs.
Read More
The Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) operates CACFP ARAS and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) through its “Be Mighty” program. The Be Mighty program runs in 11 branches throughout the Little Rock, Arkansas area and serves over 63,000 meals and snacks each year.
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Maria Rincon is the Nutrition Manager for the Economic Opportunities Advancement Corporation (EOAC). Hear how she and her team ensure nutritious meals to over 500 infants and children through their Head Start centers.
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Vegas Adult Day Care is an outstanding CACFP operator that is committed to the overall health and wellbeing of the 40 older adults they serve each day. The founder of Vegas Adult Day Care, Myong Kim, began her experience with adult care as the caregiver for her own parents. After moving to Las Vegas, she was drawn to serve the senior population where she saw a need for adult care services. Check out their story!
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