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September Virtual Events

September 8, 2025

Get a rundown on all things happening at NCA this month!

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Meal Pattern Minute Reminder

September 5, 2025

These regulations will go into effect in the CACFP, starting October 1, 2025.

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Five Ways to Celebrate Farm to CACFP Week 

September 4, 2025

This October marks the inaugural Farm to CACFP Week, hosted by the National CACFP Association to celebrate the benefits of connecting child and adult care programs with local foods.

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Meal Pattern Minute: Juice from Farm Stands

August 29, 2025

Can juice from a farm stand be served in the CACFP?

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National CACFP Association Announces Farm to CACFP Week and Farm to CACFP Boot Camp

August 29, 2025

The National CACFP Association (NCA) will host National Farm to CACFP Week from October 12–18, 2025, an annual education campaign focused on connecting child and adult care providers with local foods.

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Meal Pattern Minute: Serving Eggs to Infants

August 22, 2025

At what age can infants eat eggs?

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Five Ways to Celebrate Farm to CACFP Week 

September 4, 2025

This October marks the inaugural Farm to CACFP Week, hosted by the National CACFP Association to celebrate the benefits of connecting child and adult care programs with local foods.

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National CACFP Association Announces Farm to CACFP Week and Farm to CACFP Boot Camp

August 29, 2025

The National CACFP Association (NCA) will host National Farm to CACFP Week from October 12–18, 2025, an annual education campaign focused on connecting child and adult care providers with local foods.

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Scholarship Recipients Announced for Virtual Summit 2025

July 23, 2025

The 2025 CACFP Virtual Summit Scholarship winners have been announced! View the list of all 95 winners.

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Coming Up! Farm to CACFP Events

July 8, 2025

Farm to CACFP connects providers to local food producers with the objectives of serving locally-grown foods and providing nutrition education. Check out these upcoming events at NCA!

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National Child Nutrition Conference Celebrates 40 Years, Opens Call for Presenters for NCNC26 inLas Vegas

June 20, 2025

The National CACFP Association (NCA) proudly announces the 2026 National Child Nutrition Conference (NCNC26), celebrating 40 years of advancing nutrition in child and adult care settings across the country.

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June Virtual Events

June 2, 2025

Get a rundown on all things happening in June at NCA. Our Meal Pattern Boot camp is happening this month. Don’t miss out!

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2025-2026 Cash In Lieu Value

August 15, 2025

The USDA has released the cash-in-lieu value of USDA foods for 2025-2026. The value has increased by half a cent.

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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.

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Quarterly Policy Update: July 2025

July 30, 2025

In the last few months, the new USDA administration has begun to make changes that include deregulation and rescission of guidance, as well as a reorganization of USDA structure. USDA has also released reimbursement rates and the second iteration of their Study of Nutrition and Activity in CACFP. During this time, the Office of the President has released it’s Make America Healthy Again Assessment and proposed budget for FY26, both of which could have effects on child nutrition programs.

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Head Start One-Time Supplemental Nutrition Funds

July 29, 2025

The Office of Head Start announced that Head Start grant recipients can request supplemental funds to promote nutrition services and healthy eating for enrolled children and families. This funding was created in response to hearing that lack of funding is a barrier to improving or expanding nutrition services in Head Start programs.

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Secretary Rollins Announces USDA Reorganization

July 28, 2025

Last week, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the department’s reorganization plan. Over the next two years, USDA plans to consolidate the FNS Regional Offices from seven to five hubs.

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2025-2026 CACFP Reimbursement Rates

July 24, 2025

The USDA has released the Reimbursement Rates for 2025-2026. Rates are effective from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026.

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Access NCA Nutrition Education with Head Start Supplemental Funds

July 31, 2025

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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More Native Foods Added to the Food Buying Guide

September 6, 2023

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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We’re Expanding Our Spanish-Language Resources!

August 2, 2023

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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Program Comparison Chart: CACFP At-Risk Afterschool and SFSP

June 21, 2023

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 Support as Covid-19 Flexibilities Come to an End

June 16, 2023

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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New Feature Available on the Exhibit A Grains Tool

March 22, 2023

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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Meal Pattern Minute Reminder

September 5, 2025

These regulations will go into effect in the CACFP, starting October 1, 2025.

Read More

Meal Pattern Minute: Juice from Farm Stands

August 29, 2025

Can juice from a farm stand be served in the CACFP?

Read More

Meal Pattern Minute: Serving Eggs to Infants

August 22, 2025

At what age can infants eat eggs?

Read More

Meal Pattern Minute: Sweet Toppings

August 15, 2025

If sweet toppings are served on pancakes or waffles, is it then considered a grain-based dessert?

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Meal Pattern Minute: Meal Times

August 8, 2025

Are there any restrictions on when meals and snacks must be served in the CACFP?

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Meal Pattern Minute: Jicama

July 25, 2025

Is jicama creditable in the CACFP?

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Access NCA Nutrition Education with Head Start Supplemental Funds

July 31, 2025

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

More Native Foods Added to the Food Buying Guide

September 6, 2023

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

We’re Expanding Our Spanish-Language Resources!

August 2, 2023

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

Program Comparison Chart: CACFP At-Risk Afterschool and SFSP

June 21, 2023

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 Support as Covid-19 Flexibilities Come to an End

June 16, 2023

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

New Feature Available on the Exhibit A Grains Tool

March 22, 2023

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

Second Study of Nutrition and Activity in CACFP

July 8, 2025

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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Families Demand Child Care Investment

June 25, 2025

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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Helping Kids Grow Strong: CDC’s 2025 Nutrition Report

June 18, 2025

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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CACFP Emergency Shelter Characteristics Study

December 23, 2024

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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FCCH Provider Perception of Increased Pandemic Reimbursement

December 5, 2024

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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Adult Day Care Centers in the CACFP Study

December 4, 2024

The USDA recently released a study on the “Characteristics of Adult Day Care Centers that Participate in the USDA’s Child and Adult Care Food Program” which seeks to better understand key characteristics of adult day care centers participating in CACFP.

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Christina Yutai Guo Named CACFP Inspire Community Award Finalist

April 12, 2022

When the pandemic struck, Guo elevated her efforts to provide culturally responsive care and connections to her seniors.

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Children’s Village Indianapolis Named CACFP Inspire Collaboration Award Finalist

April 11, 2022

Children’s Village Indianapolis efforts to unite with other organizations to provide care have made it a finalist for the Inspire Collaboration Awards.

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Children’s Hunger Alliance Named CACFP Inspire Collaboration Award Winner

April 10, 2022

Children’s Hunger Alliance robust use of organizational values opened the door for an array of community collaboration.

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Shawntelle Fisher of SoulFisher Ministries Named Finalist of CACFP Inspire Trailblazer Awards

April 4, 2022

Fisher innovated and pushed through boundaries to support her community elevate her services to an often-overlooked demographic, leading to her inclusion as a finalist for the Inspire Trailblazer award.

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Children holding lettuce leave

Brooke Wolf of QCS Named CACFP Inspire Trailblazer Award Winner

April 3, 2022

Brooke Wolf of Quality Care Services is named a finalist in the Trailblazer category of the Inspire Awards for her joyful innovation.

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Staff person holds sign for Life360 promoting food distribution

Angie Hughes of Life360 Named CACFP Inspire Community Award Finalist

March 31, 2022

Hughes kept Life360 Community Service’s program operational throughout the crisis and improvised creative solutions along the way.

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